Quote:
Originally Posted by Brush Okie
IMHO it seems like a solution in search of a problem.
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I will concur with this statement. You yourself stated that it would take an order from a superior to get you to fire on full auto. I myself wouldn't even do it if commanded to. I could state all of the obvious reasons that full auto is a waste in an individual's battle rifle, but I want to include one less obvious.
Open bolt machine guns were designed to fire full auto, not semiauto. They are made with less tolerance because the object is to spray your target down with a beaten zone (someone mentioned cone of fire...beaten zone is the result). Not being accurized is good for a machinegun. That said they can take a lot of abuse.
The individual battle rifle and more specifically the M16/M4 and variants are fairly accurized battle rifles (I'm not talking sniper stuff here just compared to other nations battle rifles ie AK). That said they have tighter tolerances and there for are susceptible to malfunction if not clean. I will give you an instance where this can be disastrous. Trench Fighting. By trench, I will say that means anything from a trench network to dug out fighting positions where the walls are dirt. When I was in 3/75th one of our Objs was K-22
it had a trench network dug around it to simulate Iraqi fighting positions (early 90s). We would clear the trenches then move to a shoot house and clear the OBJ. While clearing the trench with full auto CAR-15s the ATL was firing a burst and dirt was flying right into the chamber and I'm not entirely sure what caused it (headspace, cook off, slam fire) but the entire rifle blew up in the soldier's hand. He was lucky he wasn't injured.
My question would be: how does an open bolt (when on full auto) battle rifle make that situation any better? Wouldn't having the open bolt make this even MORE problematic? Or am I looking at this problem from the wrong angle?
I think I understand what you are trying to accomplish and like Brush Okey said you are trying to solve a problem that doesn't really exist. I have fired many hundred rounds through full auto M4s without overheating problems or even cook offs and I was always expecting them.
I have seen cook offs with open bolt machine guns that have resulted in powder burns to soldiers faces and eyes.
How are these problems to be addressed?
And please don't get huffy over answers you don't want to hear. You are basically calling Dr Laura Slessinger. People call her because they want someone to agree with them, and usually walk away with a sad face. You may have a neat idea but what problem does it solve other than novelty? To keep the weapon cooler? Someone already made the piston driven M4s and in a DI system, it isn't REALLY a problem anyway. Unless you are inventing the caseless cartridge or a rail gun you are just modifying 100 year old tech... Reinventing the wheel so to speak.