Jon Wayne Taylor: The Guns I Used in Combat

By Jon Wayne Taylor

The Colt M4 rifle and Beretta M9 handgun were the main guns I used in Afghanistan. The M9 was a standard-issue pistol. The M4 had an Eotech red dot sight with the usual Eotech Advanced Target Illuminator/Pointer (AN/PEQ-15) wired onto the top rail, and a CAA foregrip. They were not customized. They were not named (other than their serial numbers which I memorized). But as I go through photos of my time in Afghanistan, or look at my mission logs, I’ll be damned if I don’t have one of those two on me at all times. The main thing I didn’t like about the guns was . . .

the rounds they fired. Not really the calibers they fired, but the bullet composition themselves: FMJ’s for both the 5.56 NATO and the 9X19 NATO. Both of these rounds poked nice little holes with minimal damage. The rifle and pistol themselves, however, were completely adequate ammunition delivery systems.

The Colt M4 was extremely reliable. I heard so many people complaining about the reliability of the AR platform; how the weapon has to be cleaned constantly to maintain functionality. I never …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns