Michael Carlin
New member
Having spent a few years in the 205th Infantry Brigade, an Army Reserve unit that usually trained the coldest part of January at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. One year the ambient never rose above -25 for five days then it warmed up to -20 for four more. Night time temps pegged my $12 hardware store thermometer at -40. These temperatures are in Fahrenheit, but at -40 it does not matter, as that is the point of coincidence.
An M16A1 must be kept dry and free of oil. Any LSA would impede cycling to the point of malfunction. The poster above whose instructor suggested that they urinate on the weapon to thaw it must have been joking. What a -30 to -40 degree rifle would do to 98 degree urine would be to freeze it into a frozen urine icicle.
The poster would stated that weapons must be kept outdoors is absolutely correct. The 3d Bn 3d Infantry SOP was to place the weapons between the tent liner and the tent at the entrance. The temperature here was pretty much the same as ambient. The weapons were never brought into the tent unless we were going to be inside for several hours with the M1949 Yukon stove going.
This NEVER happened in my squad. The 3-4 hours we were not out training we slept, firing the Yuke up to get into the sleeping bags, which we undressed to sleep in. Then we shut it down because my fire guards ALWAYS feel asleep. We fired it up for about 20 minutes or so when we dressed in the morning.
All weapons systems are degraded by the cold. Both the M16 and M60 if run "dry" will function in an Artic environment. Both with blanks, and with ball.
The experiences noted here took place in the period 1981-1985. The equipment we used was for the most part that equipment adopted due to the experiences of WWII and that same tentage and stovery served in Korea in 1950 and as far as I know serves the Artic Infantry yet today in Alaska.
Congratulations to the USAR AGR soldiers who were notified today that they had been promoted! Especially to SFC Patrick Harold Colby, now SFC (P) Colby, another stalwart member of the downsized 205th Infantry Brigade who continues to serve on AGR status.
Michael
[This message has been edited by Michael Carlin (edited January 21, 2000).]
An M16A1 must be kept dry and free of oil. Any LSA would impede cycling to the point of malfunction. The poster above whose instructor suggested that they urinate on the weapon to thaw it must have been joking. What a -30 to -40 degree rifle would do to 98 degree urine would be to freeze it into a frozen urine icicle.
The poster would stated that weapons must be kept outdoors is absolutely correct. The 3d Bn 3d Infantry SOP was to place the weapons between the tent liner and the tent at the entrance. The temperature here was pretty much the same as ambient. The weapons were never brought into the tent unless we were going to be inside for several hours with the M1949 Yukon stove going.
This NEVER happened in my squad. The 3-4 hours we were not out training we slept, firing the Yuke up to get into the sleeping bags, which we undressed to sleep in. Then we shut it down because my fire guards ALWAYS feel asleep. We fired it up for about 20 minutes or so when we dressed in the morning.
All weapons systems are degraded by the cold. Both the M16 and M60 if run "dry" will function in an Artic environment. Both with blanks, and with ball.
The experiences noted here took place in the period 1981-1985. The equipment we used was for the most part that equipment adopted due to the experiences of WWII and that same tentage and stovery served in Korea in 1950 and as far as I know serves the Artic Infantry yet today in Alaska.
Congratulations to the USAR AGR soldiers who were notified today that they had been promoted! Especially to SFC Patrick Harold Colby, now SFC (P) Colby, another stalwart member of the downsized 205th Infantry Brigade who continues to serve on AGR status.
Michael
[This message has been edited by Michael Carlin (edited January 21, 2000).]