page_title: M4 carbine
section_title: Performance
hierarchical_section_title: M4 carbine / Performance
caption_attribution_description: English: ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 25, 2008) Fire Controlman Seaman Rachel Hubley fires an M4 carbine from the fantail of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72). Vella Gulf is participating in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 08-4 as a part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Chad R. Erdmann/Released)
context_page_description: The M4 Carbine is a lighter and shorter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is a 5.56×45mm NATO, air-cooled, gas-operated, direct impingement, magazine-fed carbine. It has a 14.5 in barrel and a telescoping stock.
  The M4 is extensively used by the United States Armed Forces and is largely replacing the M16 rifle in United States Army and United States Marine Corps combat units as the primary infantry weapon and service rifle.
  The M203 and M320 grenade launchers can be mounted on the lower hand guard of the carbine. The distinctive step in its barrel is for mounting the M203 with the standard hardware. The M4 has semi-automatic and three-round burst firing modes, while the M4A1 has semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes.
context_section_description: The M4 carbine has been used for close quarters operations where the M16 would be too long and bulky to use effectively. It has been a compact, light, customizable, and accurate weapon. This has come at the cost of reliability and maintainability. Failure to maintain the M4 causes malfunctions. This became apparent as it saw continued use in the sandy environments of Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this, in post-combat surveys, 94 percent of soldiers rated the M4 as an effective weapons system.
caption: A U.S. Navy sailor fires an M4 carbine from the warship USS Vella Gulf.
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