Morale of the units serving in the frontlines definitely got a much needed boost with the distribution of the first batch of Remington M-4 automatic rifle, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said Thursday.
Total M-4 orders for the AFP is placed at 50,629 units.
The initial batch of 27,300 M-4 automatic rifles were ceremonially distributed Thursday morning.
While the remaining 23,329 units will be delivered by December.
Catapang made this statement after noting that the rifling of the older M-16 have become so worn that it was impossible to shoot accurately.
Rifling refers to helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis.
This spin serves to gyroscopically stabilize the projectile, improving its aerodynamic stability and accuracy.
He added that he detected this fault when he was issued an M-16 automatic rifle when he was appointed as brigade commander some years back.
"And when I test fired the weapon, the round I fired was way off from my intended target," the AFP chief said in Filipino.
And with the M-4 now getting to frontline use, Catapang said our soldiers will be more confident in engaging the enemy.
"And this advantage will put to good use as our soldiers are good marksmen," he pointed out.
The old M-16s have a 1-in-12 twist while the M-4s have a 1-in-7 twist making it more powerful, military sources earlier said.
This makes the M-4 is a very versatile weapon and very ideal for close-quarter battle as it fires a more heavy shell than the M-16 automatic rifle it is replacing, thus ensuring greater damage to target.
Maximum range of the M-16 is placed at around 300 meters while the M-4 is at 500 meters.
Catapang said that another advantage of the M-4 is that it can be fired continuously.
"But I don't recommend that they do that frequently (as it can shorten the life cycle of the barrel and its rifling)," he added.
The AFP chief attributes the worn rifling of the then M-16s in service for the atrocious rounds fired for confirmed enemy kill of the Catbalogan-based 8th Infantry Division against the New People's Army (NPA).
"I was G-3 (operations officer) of the 8th Infantry Division (between 1999 to 2000s) and at that time we needed to fire 5,000 rounds just to kill one NPA per encounter," he recounted.
And with the M-4, Catapang is hoping that the rounds fired needed to neutralize one target will be lowered to just 500 rounds.
And due to its smaller size than the M-16, the M-4 is more easier to carry in foliage and inside vehicles.
With this characteristics, the weapon is more easier to fire and reload during engagements.
It fires the .223 caliber, or 5.56 mm NATO round.
Catapang said that he was able to test fire the new M-4s Saturday together with President Benigno S. Aquino III and ranking officials of the Philippine Marines.
"The President fired one shot and it hit the (a small) target balloon, dead center," he added.
Range was just 25 meters, Catapang disclosed.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=672784
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