PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-676
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 676
MARCH 2009
22
PS 676
MAR 09
23
PS 676
MAR 09
Dear Editor,
Please emphasize to armorers that if they have damaged sights that use
tritium, they should
not
bring them to field maintenance. I’m talking about
sights like the ACOG (advanced combat optical gunsight) or the TA-31
rifle scope.
If these sights are damaged, the tritium could be leaking. If they bring a
leaking sight to support, then we have to notify our radiation protection
officer and possibly have our small arms shop wipe tested. That is a hassle
we don’t need.
What armorers should do is double bag the damaged sight in ziplock
bags and notify the radiation protection officer. Do this anytime a sight is
damaged, cloudy, or doesn’t illuminate.
CW3 John Mazara
296th BSB
Ft Lewis, WA
Dear Editor,
Could you remind your readers about the proper way to store rifles,
machine guns and pistols? We repair many of the weapons here at Ft Sill
and we’re seeing too many weapons coming into the shop because they
weren’t stored with the hammer uncocked and the bolt forward.
If an M16, for example, is stored with the hammer cocked and the bolt
locked to the rear, its hammer and trigger springs soon lose their strength
and need replacing.
The rifle may also fail the trigger pull test, which means the hammer
and trigger pins must be removed and then reinstalled. When the pins have
to be removed too often, their holes enlarge and fail gaging and the lower
receiver must be coded out.
If the bolt’s left locked
back, the recoil spring will
weaken and the rifle could jam
in battle.
Not a good thing.
Armorers just need to
remember to
always
leave
the bolt or slide forward, the
selector on SEMI and the
hammer uncocked for storage.
That leaves all the springs
relaxed.
..and strong.
SFC George Fenn
MATES
Ft Sill, OK
Editor’s note:
Excellent advice. Just think relaxed,
armorers, when it comes to storing your weapons.
Editor’s note:
Your suggestion will save
everyone a whole sight of trouble. Thanks.
Small
Arms…
Store Weapons Properly
or
Suffer ConsequenCes
Small Arms…
Sights Broken?
Don’t
Take to Support
…let bolt go forward for storage
gee, I’m
sorry.
I forgot you
guys need to
be relaxed
for storage.
of course
we need to
be relaxed!
yeah, you
stored us with
our springs
compressed!
I think my
spring’s weak!
just wait until
someone tries
to fire us!
hey,
I think this
acog is
broken.
so I
brought
it to you
guys!
that thing may
be
leaking.
you shoulda called
the radiation pro-
tection people, not
brought it to us.
Depress bolt
catch and…
676.22-23.indd
1-2
1/27/09
2:42:55 PM
SFC G.F.
CW3 J.M.
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