The M4 is an American assault rifle, created on the basis of the M16A2 and originally intended to arm the crews of vehicles and crews of combat vehicles. However, the command of the special operations of the United States liked this machine, and it was accepted as a single weapon for all special operations forces. Subsequently, the entire US army began to move to it, because in modern conditions, when the main part of the armed forces are crews of combat vehicles, motorized infantry and auxiliary troops, a shortened carbine has the greatest convenience. This more than compensates for a very slight decrease in the characteristics of this rifle in comparison with the "full-size" machine gun.
History of creation
Attempts to shorten the M-16 in America have been made almost since the appearance of this rifle, since it turned out to be quite large. Therefore, the M-16 assault rifle was initially not very popular among the troops, but it really attracted the American military industry. In addition, it really turned out to be good.
The main complaints against her were the following:
- The hover M-16 had a large, clumsy butt, which was also very fragile. As a result, the Hover M-16 could not be dropped, butted with the enemy’s butt.
- The hover M-16 also had a very long trunk. Of course, this increased the accuracy of shooting, but the trunk prevented us from moving in the forest, as well as in cramped rooms.
That is why, already during the Vietnam War, a shortened M-16 submachine gun was created for the American special forces. A little later, a more successful machine called the Colt XM-177 appeared, which was used by the Americans for quite a long time. However, by the 1980s, the Americans had grown tired of this machine, and they sold it to Israel in large quantities, whereappliedstill.
Since then, the Americans did not get involved in large-scale wars, the main hostilities were carried out in urban environments in which the M-16 rifle was again too cumbersome. And it concerned not only special forces, but also larger units. As a result, the following improvements were made:
- shortened the trunk and handguard M-16A2;
- the fly was moved closer to the shooter;
- massive plastic butt replaced with a comfortable telescopic.
Colt, which was the official developer of the M-16, as well as other similar systems, performed all moderation. As a result, the new weapon received the name Colt M-720, and already in 1994 the machine gun was accepted into service by the American army under the designation M-4. Model M-16, as well as its version, has been preserved only in elite units, as well as in the marines. And the rest of the US got M-4. The media, as well as the film industry, were greatly praised and “riged out” the M-4, even though this rifle was not far from the M-16. At the same time, the M-4 does not like sand and dirty water, which requires soldiers to treat it with care. Today, the US is trying to replace the M-4 with other weapons, for example, ACR, SCAR-L, XM-8, NK-416.
Performance characteristics
- Caliber - 5.56 mm.
- The cartridge is 5.56 × 45 (.223 Remington).
- Length with extended butt - 840 mm.
- Length with closed butt - 760 mm.
- Barrel length - 370 mm.
- Mass without cartridges - 2.7 kg.
- Rate of fire - 700-950 shots / min.
- Sighting range - 600 m.
- Magazine capacity - 20 or 30 rounds.
- The initial speed of the bullet - 920 m / s.
Design features of the M4 rifle
The M4 carabiner differs from the M16A2 rifle in the following characteristics:
- shortened trunk;
- shortened forearm;
- telescopic retractable butt, which has 4 fixed positions.
Automatic M4 rifle works by withdrawing powder gases from the barrel. The main feature of the M4 gas automatics design is the absence of a pusher or bolt carrier with a gas piston, which is implemented in the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Through the hole in the barrel, the powder gases are directly discharged into the receiver, where, under their influence, the stem of the bolt is directed backwards, turning the frame of the bolt and thus unlocking the barrel. Such a solution provided a reduction in the influence of moving parts of the rifle, and also reduced the mass of the locking assembly.
A feature of the rifle is its layout, the axis of the barrel bore passes through the fulcrum of the butt, this eliminates the “jump” of the machine gun under the influence of recoil force, and also increases the accuracy of shooting.
The trigger mechanism provides continuous and single fire. The shutter handle is made in the form of a rod, which is located in the rear of the receiver. And thanks to the closure of the spring-loaded lid of the ejection window of the sleeves, as well as the absence of a slot in the passage of the bolt handle, the stability of the receiver to pollution increases by an order of magnitude.
Additional equipment
- Under-barrel 40 mm M203 grenade launcher.
- Optical sight type ACOG.
- Device targeting and laser illumination targets AN / PEQ-2.
- Reflex Sight Aimpoint CompM2.
- Tactical flashlight.
- Silencer, as well as other devices and accessories.
M4 application
M4 rifle abroad is used by all military units. Carabiner shows itself well and serves around the world in difficult weather conditions. One of the most serious complaints about this rifle is its intolerance to dust and dirt. That is why the soldiers are accustomed to constantly clean their weapons. In Iraq, units cleaned their weapons daily. In addition, ammunition is cleaned: they are removed from the store, and then wiped with a dry cloth. With good lubrication and cleaning failures in the rifle is not observed.
The servicemen who use the M4 note its following problems:
- M4 could malfunction, which was caused by an increase in temperature due to the rapid consumption of ammunition in a short period of time.
- Insufficient stopping action due to slower bullet speed. Especially with the use of the barrel length of 14.5 inches.
However, the M4 remains a popular weapon in the military. The rifle can be equipped with solid optics, an M203 grenade launcher and other devices, which significantly increases the firepower and effectiveness of the use of this weapon.
Optics and sights
Different types of scopes are used in the US military. In the basic configuration of the M4 rifle, a sight is used, which is similar to the M16A2 sight.
In the Marine Corps, all their units equip the Trijicon 3.8X ACOG with a sight, which is mounted on both the M4 and M16A4.
In the army for rifles use a different optics. Depending on the units, the following sights are found: Aimpoint, ACOG or EOTech. Most often army units use the EOTech electronic sight. Simple metal sights are also available on many M4, they are used as backup.
Future m4
M4 does not stop in its development, the upgraded rifle M4A1 has already been released. Especially for the M4A1 carbine, the SOPMOD M4 kit was developed. Various types of sights can be attached to the Piccatinny bar and the forearm of this rifle: 4X optical sight, collimator sight, infrared and visible laser target indicators, various night sights, rifle grenade launcher, tactical lights and the like. Included is a quick-release muffler. M4A1 is used in US special operations.
Video Review
After the M4 purchases by the US Army were discontinued, the Colt concern decided to improve the M4 rifle in order to secure new military contracts. A noticeable improvement was the gas piston. M4A3 with such an upgrade will last a long time in the marines and the army.
