Brownell's New Line Of Retro M16 Rifles
 

Some interesting stuff here, especially the original Stoner design chambered in .308 NATO. $1300-$1600 a pop but I guess in today's market that ain't bad for a well put-together historical clone:

https://www.brownells.com/.aspx/bapi...m_source=conne

Pricey but I want the AR-10 clone, I'd rather and the Portuguese version with the short handguards though, I may wait for that one.

I like the .308

Pretty cool stuff right there.

I’m liking that BRN-601.

I like that one too, though I'd probably want to swap out the green furniture for black.

I liked those when they weren't "cool" and the complete uppers were selling at gun shows for under 2 billz.

They were so cheap that i even ruined one doing stupid shit

highfive

Military Arms Channel on YouTube posted a review and close-up look at the BRN-601. He said the original twist was 1:14 and Colt changed it to 1:12.

Can’t post it from phone or even read post date. Gotta get that laptop fixed.:grumble:

The twist rate was requested by the Army because the 1:14 barrel could not stabilize the M196 tracer at sub zero temperatures in the arctic. Why they were concerned about tracer stability in arctic temperatures for a rifle intended to be used in hot humid jungles is a question I cannot answer.

Was it intended for tropical use only?

I can't see the US military adopting a primary infantry rifle for just one climate zone. It would have to perform over a wide range of temps & conditions, which I guess it has since 1965.

Sure it saw first use in SE Asia but it has been used all over the planet since.

There was a movie called(Ice Station Zebra) where the M16 had problems operating in the sub-zero. Just thinking out loud.

The only "problem" I ever heard about going from 1/14 to 1/12 was that the original 1/14 twist had the bullets on the very edge of being stable in flight and so when they hit the target, they tended to tumble instantly and the resulting wound channels seemed almost explosive in their effect on flesh. The 1/12 made the bullets more stable on distance but gave up some of that effect in the process. At least, that's the way I understood it. I might be mistaken, though.

When I was a kid back in the 60's there were a lot of rumors about the M16 & its round. The two I recall most were the tumbling bullets (right after leaving the muzzle) and that it was designed to "blow guys in half" like a .50 BMG on steroids. :crazy:

At first yes, US troops in NATO were using the M14 with no plans to replace it while the AR15/M16 was being tested and used in Vietnam. The problem with changing the barrel twist is that is set a bad precedent for the USG to change details of the rifle design or ammo without considering the 2nd and 3rd order effects of these changes. As a result the fielding of the M16 was largely bungled.