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Originally Posted by Carno
The reason the M4 is less accurate is because of the barrel twist. It only has a 1:7 twist, which is not enough to stabilize the round before it leaves the barrel. The 1:7 twist is fine if you have a longer barrel, but the 14.5" barrel of the M4 is not enough.
A guy I know has an M4 that has a barrel twist of 1:9 and he says it is more accurate than the standard M16.
Of course that all depends on the type of ammo being used. Since standardization is king in the US military, the rounds they use are 62gr M855, which is fine for the M16, but less accurate for the M4 at range.
Some gucci spec ops guys are getting this kit, and I hear they all love that ACOG scope.
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Ummmm...
A 1:7 twist is tighter than a 1:9 twist. The 1:9 was needed because the heavier 62gr M855 round will not stabilize in the 1:12 twist barrel of the M16A1. The spec-ops community is still pretty much limited to 5.56 and 7.62x51 if they want supply from the government (not third party suppliers, who are notoriously unreliable in Afghanistan). However many operators are now using a 77gr bullet out of a 1:7 twist that provides very satisfying terminal ballistics out past 200 meters even out of 11.5 and 14.5 inch barrels.
The M855 is just as accurate out of an M4 as it is out of an M16. The difference is in its terminal performance. A 5.56 round must fragment in order to sufficiently wound its target. To do that it must be traveling about 2500fps or faster. Out of the 14.5" barrel of the M4, an M855 will lose the neccessary speed after 50 meters, out of a 20" barrel that same bullet will travel about 150 meters before losing its "punch".
My problem with the ACOG is that if you are shooting from a dim or dark area into a brightly lit area the reticle will fade beyond the point where it is easily aquired for point shooting.