Testing and Quality control Relates to questions from the Cox engine thread

[fredvon4]

Back ground after a 22 year career as a enlisted Army soldier I got hired as a Department of the Army Test Officer
I retired from that second career after conducting 23 tests on various Army equipment procured for our soldiers

Balogh asked what about an M16 Rifle needs to have close tolerances ....on par with what we were discussing relative to Cox engine manufacturing tolerances

Some of what I will link to may interest folks like rsv1cox aka Bob and a few other gun guys on the forum

I tested Major systems or Items with procurement prices from $2 million to $64 Billion. This required my tests to get briefed to and approval from DOTE --Department of Test and Evaluation.

To get there I had to brief my test plan
1st to my department Commander a LTC
2nd to my Technical Director a senior member of Operational Test Command (OTC) my organization
3rd to my 1 Star Commander of OTC
Then to the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) our Parent command
Three briefings again.. Evaluator, Technical director, and finally to the 2 star commander
On the bigger systems I then had to go to the Pentagon and brief several more times ...mostly to appointed folks who over see Army procurement...Security, finance, supply types

Twice I testified behind closed doors to some Senate Committee

Not a bad second career for a high school drop out with a GED....grin

OK that's all about a Test Plan my team and I wrote

Then we actually conduct the test than then the fun begins...
Writing the final report a two part effort between the ATEC EVALUATOR and I

None of my tests have been declassified so I can't link to one.....

BUT this is about the Testing and procurement of the M16 so I offer this very very lengthy PDF for your entertainment

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a953110.pdf

I know there are a LOT of folks who have very strong opinions on the M16 vs M1 Garand or M14

This report above is written the complete history the WHYs and WHY nots of some rifles

Within the report is a complete history of Army/ all services--- main battle rifle procurement back to the original government acquisition for all US of A soldiers including a lot of NATO concerns

This may interest a lot more than Just Bob and I

[TLAnderson]

Thanks for posting this. I just downloaded a copy. Haven't read it yet, but looks interesting.

[NEW222]

Looks like an interesting read. I was going to print it out, then saw the number of pages. As above, saved a copy to my computer fro later reading! Thank you.

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