AR-15 vs M1A (and MAS 46/59) mud and sand tests

[Evil Tim]

Originally Posted by MT2008

Oh, I recognize that (I know that the nickname “Mattel toy rifle” originated during, not after, the war), but it often seems as though the negative post-war reputation for those early M16s was disproportionate relative to the scope of the problems and the length of time it took to resolve them. Even amongst people who never served in Vietnam.

It's more likely to be because of the same switch in how information was reported to the people back home that caused the extremely negative reception of the war itself, I'd imagine.

Mind you, apparently the North Vietnamese thought the AK was a piece of junk and wished they could get those high-tech Yankee rifles instead.