PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-668
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 668
JULY 2008
24
PS 668
JULY 08
R
ifl
es, pistols and machine guns are routinely issued from arms rooms missing a
vital component: the -10 TM.
Armorers know that if the operator TMs leave the arms room a certain number
of them will never make it back. Then the armorer has to go through the hassle of
getting more TMs.
That is a hassle you need to put up with, armorers. It will be a much bigger hassle
explaining to your commander why a soldier damaged a weapon or injured himself
because he didn’t have his TM to consult. Without the operator TM, the soldier is
forced to rely on his memory for what he learned in basic training or Sergeant’s
Time. That can be difF
cult if he hasn’t trained with his weapon in some time.
What are some very possible results of a soldier being sent to the range or F
eld
without his -10 TM?
The most common foul-up is with the M2 machine gun. Soldiers forget the precise
steps for headspacing and timing the M2. If that’s done wrong, the M2 can rupture
its barrel and injure the soldier.
Dear Half-Mast,
My unit just got new M4 carbines with the M68 optical sight and the
backup iron sight (BUIS). We are unsure how to use the sights. Is the M68
the primary sight? Can you zero the M68 and then zero the backup iron
sight with the M68?
H.R.
Another very common mistake is using CLP to lube the MK 19 machine gun.
Without the -10 TM, the operator might not remember that CLP is not a strong enough
lubricant for the MK 19, and that it needs LSAT or GMD. As a result, the weapon
locks up during F
ring. In battle, that’s bad news for everybody but the enemy.
Or without the -10 TM, the soldier fails to do a complete PMCS of his M16 rifl
e
and misses that the front sight is bent. He gets to the F
eld and can’t zero his rifl
e.
There goes accuracy.
Or the soldier doesn’t realize that muzzle caps are part of the AAL in the -10 for
the M16 and M4 carbine. Without a muzzle cap, his rifl
e gets clogged with sand in
the desert and jams during F
ring.
The -10 TM explains in detail how to PMCS a weapon, how to troubleshoot
problems, how to maintain it, how to zero it, and what items are authorized to support
it. The operator needs his TM to do his job.
So don’t lock those TMs in the arms room, armorers. Send them out with their
weapons. That’s where they belong–with the weapons.
Dear Mr. H.R.,
The BUIS is to be used if the M68, ACOG, or other optic sights fail. The M4/M4A1
and M16A4 are now issued with the BUIS as standard equipment, but the M68 and
other sights are usually used as the primary sight. All sights must be zeroed and at
the same time if possible. One sight should not be used to zero another.
Small
Arms…
Don’t Hoard TMs
in the Arms Room
M4/M4A1 Carbine…
Which
Sight Do
I Use?
which
sight am I
supposed
to use?
you don’t
need to be.
reaD on!
I’m so
confused.
do you
remember
what step 2 in
headspacing
is?
it’s been so
long since
I’ve done it,
I’m not sure
anymore!
why didn’t
you guys
bring the tm?
it doesn’t do any
good sitting in
the arms room!
668.24-25.indd
1-2
5/26/08
5:11:06 PM
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