PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-570
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 570
MAY 2000
Some soldiers remove the buttstock to clean the lower receiver extension.
The takedown pin spring is easily damaged and difficult to install cor-
rectly. If the spring and detent are not put back
in right, the takedown pin won’t lock in and
your weapon won’t stay together. You could
also loosen the lower receiver extension, which
could let the buffer detent and spring pop free.
That could cause your weapon to lock up.
Some soldiers remove the compensator
to clean the barrel.
The compensator must be torqued just right.
If it’s screwed on too tight, the barrel threads—
and barrel—are ruined. If it’s too loose, it can
vibrate off.
Some soldiers give their
M16 or M4 a bath.
Water trapped in tight places corrodes metal
parts like the carrier key, forward assist spring,
trigger spring, hammer spring and sear spring.
Some soldiers use stuff like oven
or toilet bowl cleaners or homemade cleaning
tools on their weapon.
These things will get your rifle or
carbine wonderfully clean, but also take
off its protective finish and ruin the
barrel grooves. Soon your weapon is
junk.
Some soldiers take off the
heat shields for cleaning.
You’ll never get them back on tight.
They will rattle and have to be replaced.
The bottom line is that if you want to do your M16 or M4 a favor,
do everything TM 9-1005-319-10 says to do, then STOP. If your
weapon needs more attention, tell your armorer. He has the tools
and training to either
fix it or get it to
support.
Y
our M16A2 rifle or M4A1 carbine is the best friend you’ll have in battle. It
will do its job to protect you if you do your PM job to protect it. But your job
stops with the PMCS in TM 9-1005-319-10.
That’s the problem. Some soldiers want to do more than their job. They want
to do the armorer’s job and sometimes even support’s job. The results aren’t
pretty. For example.
..
Some soldiers disassemble the lower receiver and trigger assembly for better cleaning.
If you continually push out the lower receiver pins, you enlarge the receiver
holes. The holes can’t hold the pins and the weapon is ruined. If the trigger
assembly is put together wrong, the weapon fires automatic when it’s not sup-
posed to. That’s dangerous.
M16A2 Rifle, M4A1 Carbine . . .
Do Your Job.
..
but No More!
hey!
wait
for
us!
yeah!
we'll
clean
you up
real
good
!
thanks,
but
no
thanks!
Leave receiver pins alone
Don’t take firing
mechanism apart
PS 570
42
MAY 00
Trapped water
ruins bolt
carrier key
armorers, make
sure everyone in your
unit
sees
this
article
.
it will
save trouble
down the road.
Removing buttstock causes
problems for takedown pin
If you take off
heat shield.
..
...you’ll never get
it on tight again
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