Got me?!?
I believe he is referring to the earliest models. Robert Marinara wouldnāt allow some necessary featuresā¦
Chrome bore being a big one. This caused it to become a jam-o-matic
Iām not old enough to remember how AR15 was born and became a jam-o-maticā¦
However this might be interesting for you:
The man shows his never-jamming-rifle design to his colleagues. He doesnāt know yet how dangerous his product will be 
IIRC the real problem was the powder usedā¦
when they were testing them they used high quality powder that burned cleanā¦
McNamara bought lots of crappy ammo that burned very dirty as a cost saving ideaā¦
and then the jams startedā¦ and many diedā¦
got so ya had to carry around a cleaning rod to clear em just in caseā¦
and then the army books on keeping you AR clean came outā¦
later the forward assist was addedā¦
If I remember correctly the early ammo also over gassed the action.
Yes.
Using powder they already had to use it up vs using the correct supplies for the job
Is that Kalishnakof?
Yes, Kalashnikov
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The following link is an interesting article on the M16.
In 64 when the ar was being issued the troops were told that they didnāt need cleaning and there were a lot of dead troops that died because their ar jammed,we refused them and kept the good ol M-14,it was a very good weapon and was able to reach out ant touch a person with love!
I donāt see a forward assist.
Sounds like the Viet Nam experience of someone in Marine Recon . . . ?
The forward assist never really should have been a thing, its actual correct use is rare circumstance
I carry a paint can opener to clear a stuck shell. My gas piston AR has never had a stuck shell even with steel case. Runs a lot cleaner. Stoner abandoned the DI in favor of a gas piston in later designs. Brownellās picked up the AR180 design and is building them. No buffer tube required.
For me, old habits die hard, especially those ingrained by drill instructors into a post Viet Nam Army infantryman. I canāt speak to later versions like the M16A2 or M4, but I believe the forward assist (FA) was continued into the M16A1 to help dispell some of the lingering fear and mistrust from the Viet Nam experience. Our instructors spent a lot of time telling us we could have confidence and trust in the weapon if we took proper care of it and always performed SPORTS to clear a jam.
You probably already know the forward assist (FA) is required for the āTā step when performing SPORTS (slap, pull, observe, release, tap shoot) to clear a jam in an M16A1. Nowadays having an FA might be a kind of security blanket for us old timers who remember the very poor reputation of the early Armalite models. I personally am happy the FA is still there, not having one might make me a little less confident even with the newer, more modern AR models I now own.
McNamara was truly a evil person. From all accounts of F105 pilots he is a reason a lot of their brother pilots never came home. A bunch of them would have beat the tar out of him if given a chance.