The Army's standard M4 carbine didn't fare well in a dust test compared with three other carbines at the Aberdeen test center. The M4 experienced 863 minor stoppages and 19 major stoppages after ten M4s each fired 6,000 rounds of ammunition. By contrast, in the side-by-side test, the Heckler and Koch suffered 233 total stoppages, the FN USA Mk 16 had 226 stoppages. The winner in the test was the H&K XM8 with 127 total stoppages. The XM8 was rejected by the Army two years ago.
The M4 has received considerable criticism for its jamming in the dusty combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. One Congressional staffer said the test results showed the M4 jams once for every 68 rounds fired, the XM8 jams once for every 472 rounds fired, the Mk 16 jams once for every 265 rounds fired and the 416 jams once for every 257 rounds fired. However, the army said the M4 had a 98% successful firing rate in the test and that soldiers' complaints about the M4 concerned its stopping power and not jamming.
In 18 months, the Army's Infantry Center at Fort Benning will issue new requirements for a standard-issue carbine which may mean a successor to the M4 will be chosen. But others say the M4 has been in service for 18 years and the Army will keep it until a hi-tech replacement that is truly superior to the M4 is available.
