All the talk about the life span of the M-16 got me wondering...
To replace the entire weapon, costs the tax payer $586.00 as of the last congressional review.
The barrel, and this is very dependent on the type of barrel, is expected to last for roughly 100,000 rounds. This also depends on the type of ammo fired and environmental factors. In other words, it is very dependent on a wide range of factors....sooooooooo, roll a d100 I guess!
The weapon is supposed to be pulled from the units for depot level maintenance roughly every ten years. During this period, the weapon is broken down into component parts, and then carefully inspected and worn parts replaced as needed. The military purchases a fairly large amount of spare parts for these weapons so there is the ability to keep the Mighty Mattel up and running for some time.
According to a co-worker, several M-16s with serial numbers dating back to 1964 are still in service, according to records, turned over to various police departments.
I'm a little surprised by Legs comments about the condition of the weapons he saw, before M-16s are released for international sales, they go through a depot-level rebuild and then are released to the purchasing nation, unless they were transferred through a third party...but that would violate the end user's certificate...may have to send some bean counters down to investigate!!!
BEWARE THE WRAITH OF THE BEAN COUNTERS!!!!!
