I hope that this article proves useful as there are many misconceptions and outright fabrications drifting through the netherworld of the internet regarding military weapons and how they are employed. Every year or so I see a chain e-mail popping up on message boards, Facebook, and other venues on the internet. It is supposed to be a “weapons report card” written by an Army officer or a Marine, depending on which version people are re-posting that day. The problem is that this “report card” is widely circulated and is filled with inaccuracies and misconceptions. The end of the message also contains an amateurish geo-political break down of the situation in Afghanistan. Many believe the entire thing to be fake and I think that the vague political overtones hint as to why it was written to begin with.

With this in mind, I’ve written my own “weapons report card” with a special focus on the type of information that I think re-enactors and enthusiasts are interested in, such as how Army Special Operations troops carry and employ various weapons systems.

M4

The M4 rifle is a shortened M16 carbine and is by far the most common weapon found in the hands of US forces today. Special Forces troops carry the M4 and utilize the new SOPMOD 2 package which includes the EO Tech 553 holographic reflex site, LA-5 infrared laser, foregrip, the M3X visible bright light (tactical light) and associated accessories. Also included is the Elcan Spector telescopic sight which is adjustable from 1 power to 5 power via a throw lever on the side of the optic. While this is an interesting idea, nearly all Special Forces troops leave these sights in their cardboard boxes to collect dust and simply use to EO Tech 553. We felt that the Elcan was a little bit too much and perhaps over-engineered. Now, if we had been facing long-range engagements in Afghanistan rather than precision raids in Iraq, maybe we would have felt differently. Along with the EO Tech, the LA-5 is much smaller than the PEQ-2 and together these are the most valued items in the SOPMOD kit.

M9

The M9 Beretta pistol is essentially the military version of the civilian 92F. I never cared for the pistol due to the double action trigger and poor placement of the decocking lever. Another failing of this weapon is that it is chambered for the 9mm round. Most of us would have preferred a .45 caliber handgun. The manner in which this pistol is carried may be unfamiliar to some so I will explain here. To load the pistol, the slide is locked to the rear, a loaded magazine is inserted, and the slide is released to chamber the first round. The decocking lever is then depressed to safely drop the hammer. Next, the decocking lever is switched back up into the fire position. Special Forces do not consider the decocking lever to be a safety and do not use it as such. The weapon is considered to be safe while on fire with a round in the chamber due to the fact that it has a double-action trigger. At this point, the pistol is safely holstered.

As I mentioned above, I never cared for the double action trigger, it makes sight alignment difficult with such a long squeeze needed before the hammer drops. Rumor has it that some Special Forces soldiers have taken apart the trigger mechanism and cut the springs to make for a shorter trigger pull. I never did this myself, but one hears things. Of course, it is highly illegal under military law for an operator to go inside and make modifications to his weapon in this way.

M249

The M249, or SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) is somewhat looked down upon Army-wide due to malfunctions. However, I suspect that many of these issues derive from the machine guns getting “shot out” and never being serviced by armorers or refurbished in anyway. For instance, the SAWs we had in Ranger School were a nightmare to keep operational. Still, when properly maintained, the SAW works like a charm and is an important force multiplier in a fire fight. In Special Forces the SAW is usually left in the Humvee as a contingency weapon, while in Ranger Battalion, each Fire Team has one Private carrying a SAW (now the newer Mk46) even while clearing rooms. You can only imagine the devastating effect that this machine gun has in close quarters when fired standing up as you would shoot a rifle. Special Forces and Rangers both utilize the shortened SAW barrels and collapsible butt stocks, making the weapon much more versatile and adaptable for mounted operations as well as CQB.

M240B

The M240B is generally used by Special Forces teams by being mounted on their humvees to supplement the M2 .50 cal. Usually, the M240B is mounted on swing arms positioned on the sides or on the back of GMVs (Ground Mobility Vehicles, Humvees designed for off-road travel), and crewed my riflemen until the convoy reaches the objective. With the widespread use of armored vehicles, the M240 is more often than not mounted at the rear air-guard hatch. This has been the case when we used the Stryker armored vehicle and later, the MRAP. Little changed, the M240B continues to be a mainstay in the US arsenal as a superior general purpose machine gun.

M2 .50 cal

Known affectionately as the Ma Deuce, the .50 cal is no stranger to soldiers or military enthusiasts. I had an instructor in the Q-Course who told me that his father fired the M2 in Vietnam, his grandfather in Korea, and he himself was a .50 cal gunner in Afghanistan. I suppose that pretty much tells you all you need to know about this timeless weapon. Not much has changed, except that you might see some strange-looking funnels at the end of the heavy barrels used by the M2. These are flash suppressors that, as Weapon’s Sergeants, we fitted onto the barrels. At night, they do a fairly good job at reducing muzzle flash.