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Posted: 3/19/2018 8:55:12 PM EDT
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There are several threads here about special purpose rifles and carbines for special organizations, with the SOPMOD Block II thread going through 732 pages so far. Then there’s the MK 18 thread, the MK 12 thread, the Brit L119 thread, the M4 SOPMOD thread, and so on. Yeah, those special organizations and their special weapons are cool, but...
What does a standard M4 issued to Joe Rifleman look like? Is it different for Joe Soldier than for Joe Marine? And what does Joe Airman get - an Army standard M4, or something different? |
| As far as I can remember the Colt or FN M-4 (3 rd burst) is the standard issue. They are being phased out and converted to the M4A1 (fully auto). It will have the Knight's / P&S rail system as well. The optics was/ is the Aimpoint Comp M2 or M4 CCO or the Acog, not sure what the current one is. I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong, but that is what I can remember. |
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The SOPMOD Block 1 thread is pretty close to a issued M4. CAR, Waffle, or SOPMOD stocks A2 grips Matech BUIS (KAC for Marines sometimes) ACOG or M68 CCO KAC RIS Surefire M952 light PEQ-15 Either a SOCOM barrel and Safe-Semi-Auto for M4A1 or government profile and Safe-Semi-Burst for M4s. This is what we get in the Army, the Marines are similar and who knows what the Air Force gets. |
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Attached File Attached File Attached File I was issued this rifle from 09-13. Brand new when I first got it. |
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It’s been done/tried before
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Official--M4-M4A1-MWS-Issued-Clone-Photo-and-Discussion-Thread-/118-708280/ |
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Its a Colt M4 with TA31F, M4 RAS for both branches
The Army M4 has a Matech, USMC M4 has a KAC rear sight. Army has a PEQ-15 and M952V/similar light/no light. USMC M4 has a PEQ-16 And that's about it. Some units have an Aimpoint instead of ACOG. That's really about it tho. Same as its been the last decade |
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My last issued M4 in Iraq, 2008-09 in an Army Infantry company was Colt M4 KAC Rail system Matech BUIS Aimpoint "M68" (M4) Airtronic M203 railed leaf sight PEQ15 PSQ18 IR sight for 203 (taken off and left on the FOB) Personal additions: GGG sling mount that mounted around buffer tube nut LMT SOPMOD stock that I scored from my last unit Tan MP5 bungy sling that my friend scored from the Navy. Biggest change in the last 10 years has been the M4 to M4A1 program. |
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Yeah, you gotta say when though. Or I guess maybe you want to cover it the whole time. Because the standard issue M4 in 1997 or so might be a bit different than the Standard issue M4 in 2017. I'm not sure when they started slapping on the rails.... Obviously there were a few years after 1994 that not a lot was added to it.
Of course Combat Diver isn't standard issue anyone, but his M4 here is probably just like what a lot of M4's were back around that time. (Some time in the 90's...... I think) 
Another forum member here, who I think wasn't SF posted this., Albeit kind of a anomaly with the optic (Which I think is cool): 
We do have a vanilla M4 thread but that basically was to cover anyone's gun that had an M4 profiled barrel. I do like the idea of a vanilla (not SF) M4 thread. So good job. |
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Qualified a few weeks back. Overstamped M4A1, Colt, worn out MaTech, Aimpoint M2, KAC RAS. ETA: oh, and had the new heavier profile bbl. 
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I wonder if Annistion did the work. I customized mine a bit - still straight M4 though: 
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Current USAF issue. In that pic it had a personally owned M600U on a Larue QD Mount on the other side. Since then it’s had an issued Insight M3X (LED) and Insight Dual Switch installed.
Attached File ETA: Still an M4, not an A1, and I haven’t heard any talks of going the Army route with the A1. |
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Current USAF issue. In that pic it had a personally owned M600U on a Larue QD Mount on the other side. Since then it’s had an issued Insight M3X (LED) and Insight Dual Switch installed. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294984/8A024EF2-B7BC-490E-A826-6037222D0531-490190.JPG ETA: Still an M4, not an A1, and I haven’t heard any talks of going the Army route with the A1. 
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It’s been done/tried before https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Official--M4-M4A1-MWS-Issued-Clone-Photo-and-Discussion-Thread-/118-708280/ |
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Yeah, you gotta say when though. Or I guess maybe you want to cover it the whole time. Because the standard issue M4 in 1997 or so might be a bit different than the Standard issue M4 in 2017. I'm not sure when they started slapping on the rails.... Obviously there were a few years after 1994 that not a lot was added to it. Of course Combat Diver isn't standard issue anyone, but his M4 here is probably just like what a lot of M4's were back around that time. (Some time in the 90's...... I think) https://i.imgur.com/R4i4Q6g.jpg Another forum member here, who I think wasn't SF posted this., Albeit kind of a anomaly with the optic (Which I think is cool): https://i.imgur.com/5ZcP0qa.jpg We do have a vanilla M4 thread but that basically was to cover anyone's gun that had an M4 profiled barrel. I do like the idea of a vanilla (not SF) M4 thread. So good job. I was there when the USAF Security Forces Academy took delivery of their M4 - the first NEW weapons they’d (aparently) EVER received. They were flat top with separate carry handles, had “standard” plastic M4 handguards, and I don’t recall any optics with them. That was in 1998 or so. Obviously a LOT has changed; the SF folks on the gates of the bases I visit sometimes have M4s with optics, and I saw one that looked like it had a PEQ-whatever on it. This is why I’m interested in the issued configurations today. And yes I know the USAF guns are potentially going to be “different,” but they should no longer be “armorer specials” that are cobbled together from whatever parts they could scrounge. That sort of thing was supposed to be done away with by getting the Air Force armed like a “real” armed force in the early 2000’s. And I’m really curious about how much technology is added to the basic issue carbine. Does everyone get the stuff listed above (M68/ACOG, PEQ-15, Surefire light), or is that specific to a certain MOS/squad position? If everybody gets all that stuff all the time, I’m picturing a different kind of dynamic in squad operations than if only some folks get all of it. See, that’s the “standard issue” part of the question - which I may be simply not “getting” at the moment. 
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Current USAF issue. In that pic it had a personally owned M600U on a Larue QD Mount on the other side. Since then it’s had an issued Insight M3X (LED) and Insight Dual Switch installed. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294984/8A024EF2-B7BC-490E-A826-6037222D0531-490190.JPG ETA: Still an M4, not an A1, and I haven’t heard any talks of going the Army route with the A1. |
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Still have some in the armory, apparently. Last saw them issued in 2013 in Kuwait - generally to female troops. |
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And I’m really curious about how much technology is added to the basic issue carbine. Does everyone get the stuff listed above (M68/ACOG, PEQ-15, Surefire light), or is that specific to a certain MOS/squad position? If everybody gets all that stuff all the time, I’m picturing a different kind of dynamic in squad operations than if only some folks get all of it. See, that’s the “standard issue” part of the question - which I may be simply not “getting” at the moment. This is all Army experience. |
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These threads normally devolve into a shit show of why you need a free floated rail and how no one using a KAC RIS/RAS can hit a target past 50M.
Anyways my contribution. Only thing it's missing is the PEQ, cause I don't have one. M4A1 circa current day. 9lbs 4oz loaded(SOCOM barrel). Attached File |
I retired from USAF ANG last year. Last deployment was 2012-2013 Afghanistan. I was issued my new M4 in 2003-2004 and used it till I retired . Issued us Aimpoints, and then got KAC rails, PEQ-4, and Surefire 951 with IR Filter. We trained quite a bit with them prior to 2005 deployment. By the time 2012 deployment we had a choice of Aimpoint, ACOG, EOTech , PEQ-15 and Elcan 1-4X. I used the Elcan from 2010 till the end. I took the EOTech with me but it never came out of the case. I own my own 512. On the Army 300m pop up range I qualled expert almost every time. Amazing without a free float rail  . Regular Army had a mix of Aimpoint, Eotech and ACOG. SF had EOtech, ACOG and Elcan.Mine in 2013. 
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Quoted:
What does a standard M4 issued to Joe Rifleman look like? Is it different for Joe Soldier than for Joe Marine? And what does Joe Airman get - an Army standard M4, or something different? What I have seen issued or been issued out of the armsroom over the years are as follows: M4’s: M4 (burst) M4 with SOCOM barrel (burst) M4A1 rebuild Optics: ACOG (TA01 and NSN, TA31, TA31F, M150) M68 (comp m2, m4, m4s) Eotech (552 and 551) MARS sight VCOG Leupold 1-3x and 1.5-5x Lasers: PAQ-4 PEQ-2 PEQ-15 PEQ-15A Tac lights: All kinds of Surefire TRL-2 Insight M3X and M6X BUIS: Matech KAC 300m |
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All of our rifles were just converted over to the M4A1. Heavier barrel, FA, H2 buffer, and ambidextrous selector. All of our rifles have the M150 RCO (ACOG), peq-15, VCAS sling, RAS, and knights forward grip. Side note, they did a supper crappy job during the rebuilds. I’ve had to make several minor repairs from where they had no attention to detail during the rebuild. Also interesting, it just got pushed out to our team yesterday that they have discovered a major safety flaw in the rebuilt rifles. They have found several converted rifles that would fire without the trigger being pressed. The rifles fired when the selector was rotated. The conditions had to be just right for this to occur, but troubling still. |
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They have found several converted rifles that would fire without the trigger being pressed. The rifles fired when the selector was rotated. The conditions had to be just right for this to occur, but troubling still. |
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Quoted: Can you elaborate on this if possible? Do you know what the conditions are? Thanks |
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Quoted: I got the message yesterday about this as well. They tested a batch of our M4A1's and several were to found to have the defect. If the percentage remains constant across larger sample sizes we may have a big issue on our hands. The video I saw showed a guy rotating the selector lever half way between semi and auto and it appeared he squeezed the trigger and nothing happened, but when he completed the rotation to the actual Auto position the weapon fired with his finger off the trigger. The same happened when going back to semi doing the same thing. JJREA already posted one of my earliest M4A1 pictures in Jordan Sep 95' before we got our SOPMOD kits. 
Haiti Dec 95 with TA01NSN ACOG 
Had to take everything off my M4A1 to shoot in the All Army Matches at Benning in 05', irons out to 500yds. 
Maybe in 5-10 more years other services will have free floating rails. CD |
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Quoted: Sounds like they didn't assemble the trigger group correctly. Lack of attention to detail. JJREA already posted one of my earliest M4A1 pictures in Jordan Sep 95' before we got our SOPMOD kits. http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/Jordan_95_George_shooing_M4A1_Carbine.jpg Haiti Dec 95 with TA01NSN ACOG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/Haiti_95_George_and_Theo_on_range_Dec.jpg Had to take everything off my M4A1 to shoot in the All Army Matches at Benning in 05', irons out to 500yds. http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/sitting02_RZ.JPG Maybe in 5-10 more years other services will have free floating rails. CD Attached File |
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Current USAF issue. In that pic it had a personally owned M600U on a Larue QD Mount on the other side. Since then it’s had an issued Insight M3X (LED) and Insight Dual Switch installed. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294984/8A024EF2-B7BC-490E-A826-6037222D0531-490190.JPG ETA: Still an M4, not an A1, and I haven’t heard any talks of going the Army route with the A1. |
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M4 in pov huh? Quoted:
Quoted:
Current USAF issue. In that pic it had a personally owned M600U on a Larue QD Mount on the other side. Since then it’s had an issued Insight M3X (LED) and Insight Dual Switch installed. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294984/8A024EF2-B7BC-490E-A826-6037222D0531-490190.JPG ETA: Still an M4, not an A1, and I haven’t heard any talks of going the Army route with the A1. |
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Try again (even though it’s not 100% forbidden anyway). Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Current USAF issue. In that pic it had a personally owned M600U on a Larue QD Mount on the other side. Since then it’s had an issued Insight M3X (LED) and Insight Dual Switch installed. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294984/8A024EF2-B7BC-490E-A826-6037222D0531-490190.JPG ETA: Still an M4, not an A1, and I haven’t heard any talks of going the Army route with the A1.
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I retired from USAF ANG last year. Last deployment was 2012-2013 Afghanistan. I was issued my new M4 in 2003-2004 and used it till I retired . Issued us Aimpoints, and then got KAC rails, PEQ-4, and Surefire 951 with IR Filter. We trained quite a bit with them prior to 2005 deployment. By the time 2012 deployment we had a choice of Aimpoint, ACOG, EOTech , PEQ-15 and Elcan 1-4X. I used the Elcan from 2010 till the end. I took the EOTech with me but it never came out of the case. I own my own 512. On the Army 300m pop up range I qualled expert almost every time. Amazing without a free float rail . Regular Army had a mix of Aimpoint, Eotech and ACOG. SF had EOtech, ACOG and Elcan.Mine in 2013. https://i.imgur.com/GxKo47b.jpg |
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How bad does the RAS/RIS affect accuracy on the M4 platform? Building a few clones right now and have always used DD Omega Free floats in past? |
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Quoted: Sling up good and it'll pull about 1.5 MOA low and/or right (right handed). In my experience, standard irons showed less shift compared to optics. Be interesting to see how much shift you observe from a red dot mounted forward on the rail when you pull the sling tight. |
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