European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Doily Magazine they Don t Call it a Matte. Toy anymore by Jack Kneece United press International n Vietnam some cursed it. Some discarded it and used its russian made counterpart. Some called it the Mattel  some blamed american deaths on it i is weaknesses caused a congressional inquiry. But the mi6 Rifle is still the United states most Basic weapon and it is a far cry from the weapon that brought on the Wrath of 01 j in the Early Days of Vietnam. It is Only 39 inches Long with plastic and fibreglass parts a pistol grip and it fires a ,223-caliber Bullet once considered too Light and too subject to wind and unlike Model used in Vietnam modified m16 Rifle rarely malfunctions. Sgt. Alvin York using the Springfield 1903 Rifle demonstrated american marksmanship in world War 1 when a German Force surrendered to him because they thought they were heavily outnumbered. They Learned later they had surrendered to one Sharpshooter from Tennessee. The Springfield often called the "03" was so noted for accuracy that it became the Choice of american snipers in world War ii after it had been officially re placed by the Garand America s first Standard Issue Auto Matic infantry Rifle. Both the "03" and the Garand fired the .30-06 Cartridge. But the services were looking around for a new weapon in the years after Korea. Ordnance officials at the Pentagon were interested in using an Ultra velocity Light weight Cartridge similar to those used by Varmint Hunters to kill woodchucks and crows at Long  chief allure of a lightweight Cartridge vis the extra amount of ammunition a Soldier could carry. An other Factor was that a Small Bullet travelling at High Speed was almost As effective As a heavier one at a slower  noise made by such a Small Cartridge could not be traced As easily a lesson Learned from the japanese Jungle snipers in world War ii who fired a .25-Calibcr Rifle Cartridge. So in the Early Days of the administration of John f. Kennedy defense Secretary Robert s. Mcnamara Learned of a Small 6.8-Pound Rifle that theoretically could fire up to 950 rounds per minute but More practically from Iso to 200 aimed shots per minute. Peter s. Copeland of the . Army Materiel Readi Ness command in Rock Island iii., said the weapon designed by Eugene Stoner then with Carmalite inc. At Costa Mesa calif., was a Radical new concept in military weaponry. Conventional Wisdom in the pre-m16 Days was that a military Cartridge should be at least ,30-Cali Ber As with the world War i and ii .30-06 Cartridge. Mcnamara however was intrigued by the fight weight and rapid rate of fire of the Rifle. After tests proved it reliable Mcnamara approved an 8,500 order for the air Force in 1961. The army took 85,000 later in the same year followed by 85,000 More in 1963. But the Rifle that performed beautifully in tests with a muzzle velocity of 3,250 feet per second a Mere 5.5 foot pounds of recoil and a muzzle Energy of 1,270 foot pounds caused an uproar in the  of Vietnam combat. Will dates. 11 chilian ordnance worker at Aberdeen md., army proving ground and a former company commander in Vietnam said us. Troops complained that the slide action would Jam closed. That action is operated by draining a tiny bit of Gas for the Cartridge detonation through a Small Hole in the barrel which in turn rotated and unlocked lugs and opened the Breech for another round. I still believe it s a fantastic weapon said Davis but we had a lot of people who were still in love with the old  he said there were some complaints that the Light projectile drifted a Good bit on a Windy Day. But he added this is True to a certain extent of any Rifle Bullet. Congress Learned that some troops actually began picking up captured russian ak47 assault rifles to use in combat despite the tendency for the different sound of the weapon to draw fire from Friendly forces. An investigation in the mid-1960s showed that the army had switched to a new kind of Gunpowder that congealed in the Breech sometimes actually cementing it so tight that it could not be opened. Ordnance experts went to work on the problem sup plying troops with cleaning kits during the interim. The Rifle had been considered so foolproof that no cleaning kits were supplied. Ordnance engineers have made a number of changes in the weapon used in the Early Days of Vietnam. They say a clip on tripod and a three clip arrangement make it As formidable As a Light machine gun. Marines at Parris Island Are working with a heavier barrelled m16. The bore has been chromed making it More resistant to fouling by Gunpowder residue and the Buffer mechanism which shoves another Cartridge into the chamber has been strengthened. The rate of fire on Auto Matic has been reduced but the weapon is More reliable. Sgt. Seldon p. Truitt of Dayton Ohio a two tour combat Veteran of Vietnam who instructs recruits at fort Jackson in the use of the new mi6, said it is As Good or better than any military Rifle in the world. The modified version he said rarely malfunctions is extremely accurate and enables one Soldier to carry hundreds of rounds of the Light ammunition into combat. A reporter was sceptical of the space age look of the weapon. You try it said Truitt. The reporter firing Semi automatic full automatic and Short bursts missed Man sized targets Only twice out of 50 shots including targets at 300 meters that looked like specks. Recoil was hardly noticeable. The Rifle fell naturally to place. Its accuracy was satisfying. Because of the Light recoil it could be fired on full automatic with very Little muzzle climb an accuracy robbing characteristic of weapons like the old Thompson .45 sub machine gun and the simple .45-caliber grease gun used in Korea. Most experts said that the modified ml6 possibly built a bit heavier in the future will be America s most Basic weapon for a Long time. Via Kiesl Loviama by Robert Lee Zimmer associated press eth Lane of Pontiac. Iii., looks More like a Model in an and for hand engraved guns than the Artisan who makes them. Bui from her Workbench. Lane a Cully cuts into i he hard steel and a thin ribbon of Metal curls from the surface to reveal scrolls she has  the image of a lady who spends her Days working on weapons in the Back room of a gun shop. I did t gel into this o be women s libber said Lane a former beautician with blonde hair and Long neatly manicured fingernails. I like to be  she is beginning to make a name for herself after four years in this rare male dominated Craft. When i started going to gun shows they thought i was full of prunes and they ignored me said Lane who taught herself the Trade and has engraved about 100 weapons. Lane who took up engraving because of her husband s interest in guns joined him at shows and displayed her work. Soon collectors looked beyond the attractive 30 year old Mother of three and saw a developing artist. After is months of practising on Blank pieces of met Al then on 10 of her own guns. Lane was ready for business. When people started coming to me and saying to much would you charge me to do that on my gun that s when i decided i was  a year ago the couple opened a gun shop with was Lane handling tales and mrs. Lane the engraving. Her first customer had seen mrs. Lane s work at a gun show. I gave him a real Low Price thinking ii  1 Lake me very Long she recalled. I must have had 85 hours in monday june 16, 1980 that gun and i think 1 charged him $85." now she gets 5400 for the average pistol which re quires about 40 hours of tedious labor. First the parts that arc to be engraved Are coated with a White substance that allows the design to be applied in Pencil. I Don t use paper at All. I probably put a design on this one four times before i found one i  the Basic scrolls Are Cut first with something that resembles a minature Jack Hammer. Later the difficult shading and the tiny background dots arc applied by tapping a steel Cutter carefully with a Hammer. For hours at a time she Peers through a magnify ing Lens surrounded by High intensity lighting. Every gun has its own personality she said. You can Start at one end of the gun and it will Cut beautifully but you get Down to the other end and. It s hard As a Rock. Sometimes you can Cut right through Nickle and it will slay on but other times it will Peel right off like tin  Lane said he prefers her own designs. The ones who say i have a free hand usually get a better Job because they arc not restricting my  a new York firm saw Lane s work in a gun Magazine and has contracted with her to engrave 200 new pistols which will sell for $4.000 each. Lane who has $5,000 invested in her tools said she now Hopes to learn to create animal designs and do Gold inlay. I guess the lop is when you can charge s20.000 for a Shotgun like those master engravers. There is no sense in being in something if you can t be the Best you can  the stars and stripes Page 13