The Thumb returns to mess with his guns in mysterious and horrifying ways!
Why?
Data.
Data allows us to look at system weakness and begin to formulate solutions. Data does not lie. But people lie with data all the time.
So, just like the ice test, a failure in this test does not equate to a ‘bad’ rifle. It simply means that mud is a hazard, as ice was the previous hazard, that must have active steps taken to correct on certain rifles.
The AKBois who were so previously triumphant may wish to sit down, while the disheartened AR crowd can rejoice.
M14 dudes… I am sorry. It is still the worst battle rifle, objectively. You can like it. It does cut a fine figure and did its dead level best to do as asked.
The mud tests, probably most famous with InRange and Forgotten Weapons, are one of those environmental extreme tests that the internet loves to misquote. The dust test is another great example used to malign the M4. But what we need to remember about extreme environment tests is just that, the extreme nature of the test and the unlikelihood of that condition being replicable in a battlefield. Is that saying battlefields or even training grounds aren’t muddy? Nope, they’re muddy as hell quiet often. Where the separation exists is in immediate and follow on care of a weapon exposed to environmental hazards which could stop it.
Troops clean their guns. They wipe them off. They flush and brush them out. They make sure working and moving bits can still work. Most importantly they are trained to protect their weapon from the hazards as much as reasonable. You carry the M16 out of the water.
Anyway, enjoy the dirtiest Garand Thumb video to date.
