Sgt. Lohmier of the 3-7th Cav uses his M4’s ACOG to scan for insurgents in Baghdad. His M4 carbine is outfitted with a light, IR laser/illuminator, vertical grip, BUIS and SOPMOD stock.

There is much talk lately about the shortcomings of the M16 series, so I was particularly interested to see how it was performing in Iraq. It’s popular today, in some circles, to deride this weapons family for its direct gas method of operation. Some claim it’s not reliable enough for military use, especially in the dust and sand of Iraq.

Plus many still scorn its small-caliber, high-velocity 5.56mm round. It’s common to hear people say the terminal performance of this cartridge, especially in its standard military 62 grain M855 loading, is inadequate. So I was interested to see not only how the weapons were performing but what the troops thought of them.

The standard combat rifle issued to the men of the 3rd Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry is the M4 carbine. This is simply a shortened version of the M16A2/A3 rifle and utilizes the same method of operation. However, unlike the full size rifle the M4 wears a short 141⁄2-inch chrome-lined barrel and a collapsible stock. Barrel twist is 1:7 inch to allow use of all standard U.S. military 5.56mm ammunition including tracer, armor piercing and sniper/match loads.

Overall length with the stock extended is a handy 33 inches. Collapse the stock and this shrinks to just 29.8 inches. Loaded weight is only 6.9 pounds, making for a short and handy package. Like the M16A2, the M4 can be fired either semiautomatic or in three-shot burst mode but does not fire full automatic like the old M16A1 (although the M4A1 has this capability). Velocity for the standard 5.56mm 62-grain M855 ball round is approximately 2,900 fps.

To allow use of modern day/night optics the M4 features a flat-top receiver, and all the weapons I saw were outfitted with fore-end rail systems. The 3-7th Cav’s weapons were topped mostly with Israeli-manufactured MARS reflex sights. This robust red dot sight somewhat resembles an EOTech but has the advantage of a built-in IR laser.

I saw an assortment of 4x32mm Trijicon ACOGs (usually in the hands of NCOs and officers) and the occasional EOTech as well. Many, but not all, of the weapons had Back-Up Iron Sights. One downside to the MARS, though, is they are too tall to allow iron sights to co-witness.

The railed fore-ends were usually equipped with SureFire tactical lights and vertical grips. Weapons not equipped with MARS sights also had IR laser/illuminators mounted onto the handguards. In addition, some of the carbines had been upgraded by the addition of LMT SOPMOD stocks.

Keeping in mind that the 3-7th Cav is a conventional army unit operating from the confines of Humvee gun trucks and Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicles, the M4 carbine is well-suited to their needs. The short length of the M4 is appreciated during a rapid exit from a Bradley or, especially, a Humvee.

It’s also a very real aid inside the confines of an Iraqi house when going from room to room. While I was embedded, the 3-7th Cav was operating in the Adhamiya District of Baghdad. Hardly the sandy desert environment that comes to mind when mentioning Iraq, it is rather a densely populated urban area. Engagement distances in this part of Iraq are relatively short, often measured in feet rather than yards.

Concerning the weapon’s reliability, the men of the 3-7th Cav had no issues. Sgt. Dustin Chisholm, the Truck Commander of the Humvee gun truck I was assigned to, commented, “You keep on top of it and it will treat you right--simple as that.”