On long guns, what about the old M14 compared to today’s M16?
The M14, which was a .308, was a beautiful rifle. The M1 Garand was a beautiful rifle. But it was heavy. The ammo for both rifles was big; you couldn’t carry as much ammo. Whereas now, with the 5.56, the M16, the ammo is so much smaller you can carry two or three times as much. Maybe that’s why every time I see a documentary, the kids getting into a firefight with the M16, it’s like they’re hosing down an area, a spray of bullets. I don’t see anybody aiming. We taught differently back in the old days. We used to be taught to take dead aim and squeeze the trigger—to select the target and be precise about each shot. Because troops have such tremendous firepower at their fingertips with the M16, I guess they don’t teach that as much any more. But I’m still a believer that one well-aimed shot is the way to go. But I’m not in charge. So my opinion doesn’t have a lot of credence, does it? Q: Is Marine marksmanship training better than the Army’s? Marine training, across the board, is far sup
