Quoted:AF takes old stuff seldom used and makes them into tools. Army wears all theirs out. |
I was the Unit Property Custodian for an AFRES flying squadron for 15 years; we had 26 M16's in deep storage that had never been issued; never fired...That's M16, not M16A1, not M16A2...no forward assist, no chromed bore/barrel...only change was that at some point the 3 prong flash hiders had been swapped for the bird cage style...
This C-130 unit had turned in their M1 carbines for the M16's back in the mid '60's...The unit had never been activated, so us penguins had never had to draw our rifles (pistols were in constant use by aircrews)...During Desert Storm, our unit relieved another AFRES unit in the Gulf and were issued the weapons that were already in-place...So our M16's stayed home...
I used to have to clean and have them inspected once a year, then vacuum-seal them up again...I've been out since '98, so I don't know what happened to them since then...
...But I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the oldies are still held by Guard and Reserve units like mine...because Supply won't let you survey an item that is still serviceable...
...My $.02...