Something Different

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title Newest to Oldest

Pages: PREV 1 2 3 4 NEXT

AlbanyRifles RE:Mea Culpa 3/28/2006 9:18:32 AM

No argument on the Chauchat, but I was going to give the French the honor of claiming that!!

Quote Reply

Spent Case RE:Mea Culpa 3/28/2006 10:02:52 AM

"No argument on the Chauchat, but I was going to give the French the honor of claiming that!! " Wasn't the 30-06 version even worse then the original French chambered one?

Quote Reply

stbretnco RE:Mea Culpa 3/28/2006 12:29:04 PM

The 30-06 version was worse for a number of reasons, chief among them being the incorrectly machined chamber.

Quote Reply

Heorot RE:Mea Culpa 3/28/2006 2:10:01 PM

Also, with reference to rechambering the Cauchat to 30-06, to quote Ian V Hogg, "although this rechambering was theoretically an improvement, in fact the more powerful round merely shook the gun to pieces quicker"

Quote Reply

Horsesoldier RE:M-16A1 3/28/2006 2:33:14 PM

>>I wouldn't call the M-16A1 the worst weapon the US Army ever fielded. The fielding was bungled, the Army supplied the wrong ammo with the weapon, soldiers were told they didn't have to clean it, etc. The worst weapon fielded by the US Army has to be the chauchat, AKA the potato digger. Open sided clips, exposed operating rod, an absolute POS. Not what you want in trench warfare.<< Yeah -- what stbretnco said. I'll take an M16A1 circa 1967 over a Chauchaut circa 1917 any day of the week. I'll take one over a Grease Gun, as well, come to think of it. And I'll take one over the only military issue (and utter POS) M1911A1s I ever handled way, way back in the day (no insult to the design itself, but the rattling pieces of junk I dealt with had probably surpassed their useful service life about two decades before I laid eyes on them . . .). Other serious winners as far as the US military is concerned: M60A2 tank -- probably an interesting idea in the microchip age, unfortunately made with transistors and vaccuum tubes. M73 coax machinegun -- who'd have thought the Army Ordnance types could find a way to make the M60 even less reliable? M103 heavy tank -- not so bad, perhaps, but kind of lacking in a really well defined doctrinal role, etc etc. And most any weapon designed to allow Army troops to deploy atomic weapons in the 1950s-1960s.

Quote Reply

stbretnco RE:M-60 series 3/28/2006 3:45:20 PM

My favorite headache with the -60 series....... If you had a bad power cable for the comms systems, you had to pull the entire power pack to change it. 8 guys, a tank retriever and several hours to change a power cable? GREAT engineers at work! :)

Quote Reply

Old Grunt RE:M-60 series 3/28/2006 6:21:14 PM

"GREAT engineers at work! :)" That's right up there with the 365 seperate "operator serviced" lube points on the Gamma Goat. Hey AR, do you remember what happens if you try to air assault a goat without the shoring kit?

Quote Reply

DarthAmerica The absolute worst of the worst... 3/28/2006 6:29:23 PM

...well at least in my top ten. The leather Helmit band that goes inside a US Army Issue Kevlar Helmit! Those stupid little metal clips used to get on my last nerves. Its one of the reasons I used to love when I was assigned to Armored vehicles rather than Hummers. Although Hummers do have benefits. Like being about to drive on directly to the hospitals where the nurses are!

Quote Reply

S-2 RE:The absolute worst of the worst... 3/28/2006 6:34:49 PM

AR hit it with the gamma goat. Underpowered and "redlined" usually. As useful as the jeep was to the war effort, btw, it probably has killed more U.S. soldiers than all our friendly fire incidents going back to W.W.II (excluding Normandy bomb runs). My dad, a cav NCO, used to complain about the M-114 Cav Scout Vehicle.