Folks:
What follows is an article I developed that I will eventually get around to posting to my website. I wrote the article in response to several requests that I received in my Post/Thread about the MP5/10 and the FBI. This is pretty long, but there was a fair amount of material to cover.
"SAC Tactical
Thoughts of a Brick Agent
The M16 and the FBI
A Brief Overview
By SA (Ret’d) Bruce Cartwright
Copyright July 2020
The FBI has long used the M16 family of weapons (“FOW”). This “Thoughts of a Brick Agent” covers my experiences with that weapon system. A couple of caveats: First, these are my recollections and not a definitive history. As Pat Rogers aptly noted, history did not begin the day I was born. Second, when I talk about the M16 FOW, I refer not only to the versions that are capable of fully automatic fire, but also semiautomatic rifles and carbines.
The Bureau has a rather large weapons inventory, somewhere around 70,000+ the last time I checked. It is helpful to understand how the Bureau categorizes these guns because that influenced who got which weapon and what were allowable upgrades. Essentially the FBI divided its weapon programs into three areas: “Issued Weapons”, “Personally Owned Weapons (“POW”)” and “Program Weapons”.
Issued weapons were those that could be issued to any qualified agent. These guns were also the basis for what we generically called “school” guns, i.e. guns that were used to teach new agent trainees (“NAT”) during the initial FBI Academy training.
The next group of weapons were the POW weapons. These weapons were, as the name implies, purchased personally by individual agents and were/are their personal property but were approved for duty use. There was/is a list of POWs that an agent could acquire. The list was quite large at one point. A benefit of being a certified Firearms Instructor (“FI”) was that there was, at one time, no limit on the number of POW weapons that you could have on your “list”. That has since changed. Likewise, the POW list has gradually been reduced. As I understand it, all the POW revolvers, Sig pistols, and the Remington Model 870 shotguns have been removed from the list. I am not sure if POW Glocks in .45 ACP or Springfield 1911s are still grandfathered or not. The Glocks in .45 and the Springfield 1911 in .45 were approved when I retired in 2017. As the Bureau grew, the POW list allowed a motivated SA to acquire a weapon that he/she felt they needed to perform their duties without having to wait for the Bureau to supply such a weapon. In essence, the POW list was a way to augment the number of weapons available to agents. One of the things most folks do not realize about the Bureau POW list, was that once a SA submitted a weapon for and received approval to carry it, the Bureau undertook maintenance of that weapon. I had a Glock 21 on my POW list that had the slide replaced due to breech face erosion, a barrel replaced due to wear from shooting and a receiver replaced due to the left rear receiver rail breaking off. The Bureau covered the expense in replacing all of those parts. That was a pretty nice benefit for an agent.
“Program” weapons were assigned to/controlled by various programs within the FBI. The most notable was/is the Special Weapons and Tactics (“SWAT”) program. These guns were issued only to folks qualified under a specific program. Probably the best known of these were the Springfield Professional 1911 handguns.
The FBI has used the M16 FOW for a number of years. I am not sure how the Bureau acquired these weapons, but I suspect it was via purchase or via some sort of inter-governmental transfer. As an example, I handled a very early Colt Armalite AR-15 at one point. As a Bureau Firearms Instructor (“FI”), I had to undergo re-certification every four years. In early 2004 I rotated back to Quantico for a temporary duty (“TDY”) assignment with the Firearms Training Unit. As part of that TDY, I went through the FI re-certification course. Part of the re-certification was a lecture given by the Gun Vault (I know the Bureau calls and has called the Gun Vault, a variety of new and cool names, but it will always be the Gun Vault to me) gunsmiths. One such lecture covered the M16 FOW. Being an inveterate gun guy, when we came to the disassembly portion of the lecture, I had my M16 fully disassembled in short order. The gunsmith saw this and kindly suggested that I might want to grab a coffee/make calls/etc. since some of the other attendees were not as familiar with the M16 disassembly procedure. At any rate, I return after my extra break and begin to examine “my” M16. As I recall, it was a Colt Armalite AR-15 with a fully functioning “giggle” switch (fully automatic fire control group). I mentioned this to my gunsmith and suggest that such an early gun should probably be in a museum or certainly kept secure from someone as ham handed as I. My gunsmith friend laughed and remarked that he thought the gun was from one of the first production runs. As an aside, my gunsmith friend mentioned that if the gun were removed from active use, it would have to be destroyed.
ISSUED GUNS
My first issued M16 was a Colt M16 A1 that was assigned to the Bedford New Hampshire Resident Agency. A Resident Agency (“RA”) is a small satellite office that usually serves a more remote part of a field office. I transferred to the Bedford RA in early 2000 and I took inventory of the office gun safe. Inside was a pristine M16 A1 complete with the original skinny barrel and triangular handguards. The gun was equipped with a “limiter” block that precluded the gun from being fired in fully automatic mode. The gun was immaculate. I was informed that the gun had previously been issued to a recently retired Special Agent who had served as a Marine. That explained the state of cleanliness. I had the gun assigned to me and I carried it for several years. The barrel twist 1 in 12 inches. Despite this slow twist this gun shot fabulously well with the Federal Gold Medal Match 69 grain hollow point ammunition that was then in use in the Boston Field Office. I never experienced a malfunction with that weapon and fired it extensively. My investigative responsibilities covered the entire state of New Hampshire which was and is still very rural. In that setting having a weapon capable of reaching out significant distances was a benefit.
During the early part of the new century, the Bureau began acquiring a number of semiautomatic 223 caliber M16 FOW carbines from Rock River Arms. I believe we purchased these carbines from a selection done by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). The internal Bureau name for the M16 FOW was “Colt Pattern Carbine”. Most folks just called them: “M4s”. I believe the acquisition was done because of the spin up involved with the Government War on Terror. More and more of our personnel were being exposed to the M16 FOW due to overseas assignments in support of the war on terror.
While still stationed in Bedford NH, I was directed to turn in my M16A1 for a new Rock River Arms (“RRA”) M4. The new RRA M4 had a 16-inch barrel, standard flash hider, standard collapsing stock, flat top receiver and was equipped with a Surefire fore-end with four Picatinny rails at 12, 3, 6, and 9 O’clock. These guns were assigned to the Boston Field Office. No optics were provided. I acquired a sling and some sort of white light. I had no issues with my RRA M4.
I later transferred to the FBI Academy, Firearms Training Unit (“FTU”) in 2005. I had a number of weapons assigned to me, primarily Glocks and 1911 handguns.
I left FTU in 2008 and was transferred to the Washington Field Office (“WFO”). WFO is the third largest field office if I am not mistaken. I served as a full time Assistant Principle Firearms Instructor at WFO and again had a number of firearms assigned to me. I did acquire a reworked Colt M16 with the fully automatic fire control parts removed. This gun was upgraded with a new flat top upper with a 16-inch barrel and Surefire quad picatinny railed fore end. Optics were beginning to become more widespread. WFO was pretty forward leaning in terms of getting the best upgrades for our folks in terms of weapons. The result was that a large number of Eo-Tech holographic sights were acquired by WFO and added, with the Gun Vault’s assistance to various M4s in the WFO inventory During my tenure at WFO also acquired Aimpoint Comp M4 optics and I was able to have one mounted to my Colt Carbine. I became a big believer in the Aimpoint system and still use them to this day. I took this carbine to a Pat Rogers/EAG Tactical class in Harrisonburg Virginia. As an experiment, I purposely did not clean that gun before or during my Carbine Operator’s class and shot in excess of 5,000 rounds through that gun. I used issued aluminum 30 round magazines and Bureau specified training ammunition (generally 55 grain full metal jacketed rounds). I lubricated that gun regularly and I was rewarded with a gun that ran like a sewing machine. When I did clean that carbine it was filthy, but I had no malfunctions during that period when I fired that 5,000 rounds. I normally would not fire that many rounds without cleaning the gun, but I wanted to verify what Pat told me about the M16 FOW not needing to be spotlessly clean. Pat’s advice was, as always, spot on.
In early 2011 I transferred from WFO to the Coeur d’Alene RA in northern Idaho. I went from being one of 800 SAs in WFO to an office of 8 SAs. At the time, the senior SA/FI in the RA was serving a long-term temporary duty assignment (“TDY”) in Afghanistan, so I was asked to take over the firearms program. Realizing that RA agents tend to be very busy, I surveyed the firearms used by SAs in our office. We had Glocks , MP5/10s, shotguns, and a couple of carbines. With the blessing of a good supervisor I was gradually able to get each SA an assigned M4. I began to shape the training to reflect a focus on using the SA’s handgun and the M4. We shot and trained with the other guns, but the focus was on using the handgun and M4. I next began to lobby for and acquire the Bureau approved upgrades for the carbines to include flat top upper receivers, optics (Eo-Techs [2 variants], followed by Sig Romeo red dot sights and weapon mounted white lights (Streamlight 1,100 lumen lights) and Viking Tactics adjustable two point slings. The guns at the time all had either 14.5- or 16-inch barrels. Most of these guns were RRA M4s although we had a couple of older Colts (my personal preference).
During the period of time I was assigned to the Coeur d’Alene RA, the Bureau decided to standardize on a single M4 variant for issue. That necessitated a switch from the 14.5- and 16-inch barrels to an 11.5-inch barrel. My understanding was that this would reduce the number of barrel lengths of M4s in inventory which as designed to simplify procurement of service ammunition. Prior to this point, the Bureau had 10.3, 11.5, 14.5, 16, and 20-inch barreled weapons. Reportedly there were some 7.5-inch-long barreled guns that were at least tested. I never observed any and cannot verify their use by the Bureau. The wide variety of barrel lengths caused headaches for ammunition manufacturers in producing service ammunition that works adequately in all barrel lengths. Standardizing on a single barrel length tends to make sense. Ammo that works well and expands well in 10.5-inch barrels would probably over expand in 20-inch barrels. Likewise, ammo that would expand well in 20-inch barrels, would probably over expand, and fail to penetrate in 10-inch barrels. After testing, the Gun Vault determined that the 11.5-inch barrel length was the most reliable of short barreled guns and settled on that length for issued weapons. The POW program was still in existence and limited SAs to purchasing guns with only 16-inch-long barrels. The 16-inch-long barrels avoided the necessity of having a SA go through the National Firearms Act paperwork to obtain a Short-Barreled Rifle. I do not know if the service ammunition was tested in 16-inch-long barrels, although I suspect it was.
The configuration of the 11.5 inch long barreled guns eventually dispensed with the Surefire Quad Railed handguard and fixed sight front post and morphed into a flat top receiver with folding back up iron sights (both front and back) and a Geissele free float rail.
POWs
Shortly after I reported to the Boston Office, I submitted two weapons for inspection and approval as POWs. One was a Smith and Wesson Model 640 .38 Special revolver and the other was a Colt Match Target HBar ("heavy barrel")rifle with a 20-inch barrel. I submitted my POW request in early 1998 during the height of the now happily defunct “Assault Weapons Ban”. The downside to this was that the rifle I submitted could not be equipped with a collapsing stock or flash hider. I carried and qualified with that rifle for several years. The only accessory that was added was a Wilderness Tactical Giles Sling. Lights and optics were not authorized. Talk about being in the dark ages… That said that rifle would really shoot. I routinely fired 1-inch groups with 69 grain Federal Gold Medal match hollow point ammunition. One of my favorite memories involving that weapon was firing a “make up” qualification at Fort Devans, Massachusetts in January. Obviously there a was a pile of snow on the ground. I did my best to stamp out a “lane of fire” to my target. I failed. I fired my 5 rounds from the prone position at 50 yards and each time was rewarded with a snow plume of epic proportions. I shot a 100 percent qualification with that weapon that day. As they say: “Good times.” I think I as one of the few SAs that had a POW rifle.
In late 1999 I got orders to transfer to the Bedford NH RA. After I got settled in, I decided that I wanted a shorter rifle/carbine. I was no longer a probationary agent and was starting to move up the salary scale, so, I ordered another Colt. This time I ordered a Colt Match Target Carbine with a removable flat top carry handle and a 16-inch-long barrel. Again, no flash hider or collapsing stock were allowed. I also ordered half a dozen 30 round Colt magazines. I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get the magazines including getting my supervisor’s approval because the Assault Weapons Ban was still in effect. That ban caused all manner of headaches for the folks administering the Bureau weapons programs. The day the ban expired due to its sunset provision, made things a lot easier. This gun has the 1 in 9-inch twist barrel and has been very accurate as well. In fact, I still have it.
My understanding as of my retirement (mid 2017) is that a SA may still acquire a POW M4. The base gun was still a Colt. The barrel length is still limited to 16 inches. Standard A2 flash hiders are permitted, as are collapsing stocks. A MagPul sliding stock (possibly the CTR variant) is authorized. A Geissele free float rail was standard and a set of folding back up iron sights (manufacturer unknown) and an optic (initially an Aimpoint T1, later replaced or augmented with a Sig Romeo dot optic sight). I do not recall what pistol grip was authorized but it was a step up from the standard A2 style. I am not sure what type of slings or white lights were authorized. I thought about getting one but realized that I would probably not have much time left to carry it on duty. That coupled with an issued M4 with an 11.5-inch barrel and an Aimpoint made the decision easy for me. All of that said, I think the newest version of the POW M4 is miles ahead of what I was allowed to use. I give the Bureau and the Gun vault folks credit for “getting it right” with the features on the POW M4.
PROGRAM GUNS
As noted above, there are several “programs” in the FBI that have need for weapons that possess special characteristics. I have already mentioned the SWAT program guns. Currently, my understanding is that the SWAT program M4s are essentially identical to Bureau general issue M4s with the only addition being the use of a fully automatic capable lower.
Another program is the “Indian Country” guns. The Indian Country program covers/manages all aspects of investigations and operations concerned with FBI jurisdiction on various Indian Reservations. Most Indian Reservations are located in very rural parts of the country (think Idaho, Montana, Wyoming among others). We have had SAs killed due to long range rifle fire. As a result, the Bureau felt it was necessary to acquire a long-range weapon for issue to Indian Country SAs. There was a test of several rifles. One of the coolest was a Larue Tactical AR variant chambered for 308 Winchester. This gun (I believe it was a “PredatAR” variant) was acquired for testing. These guns featured semiautomatic fire only, 16- or 18-inch barrels with flash hiders and Larue free float fore end rails. Folding back up sights were standard (type unknown, although I suspect they were made by Larue). A Leupold 2 to 10 variable power telescopic sight was standard and an Aimpoint T1 with an offset mount was also included. The idea was that a SA assigned to an Indian Country office with Indian Country investigative responsibilities could be issued one of these guns in lieu of a standard M4 in 223 Remington/5.56 X45 MM. There was significant discussion among Indian Country SAs about whether a SA had to be “sniper” qualified to use this gun. It was my understanding, that the eventual decision was that a SA did not have to go through SWAT/Sniper selection to use this rifle. I am not sure if that is the current policy. It needs to be noted, that there are numerous SAs assigned to Indian Country offices that are NOT SWAT qualified. One of the Larue PredatARs was sent to my RA and I and another SA got to test it and provide feedback to the Gun Vault. I can tell you the gun ran reliably with Bureau authorized ammo and was stupid accurate. That said, it was a heavy weapon. While I think you could use it as an entry gun, it would be difficult at best because of its size and weight.
At one point, there was a 308 caliber AR that was made by Remington that was being considered for addition to the POW list. I never saw one, nor am I aware of it actually being approved. The information I heard was the gun tested well but for some reason was not produced.
That is about twenty years of recollections concerning the M16 FOW during my tenure in the FBI."
This was a long post with a lot of detail. Thank you for your patience. Sound off with any questions. Thanks for your interest.
Bruce
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