National Tactical Officers Association Member Tested & Recommended Program Report & Evaluation - M16 VIPER™

SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM
MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF
100 East Second Street Monroe, Michigan
Telephone: 734-240-7562


15-AUG-05

Update to original Report & Recommendation

I bench rest fired my M16 VIPER "BadAss" last week. Using a holograph site, without the benefit of spotting scope to adjust for fire,
I fired three rounds at a one inch diameter bottle cap. All three rounds penetrated the cap. The target was at 150 yards.
This remarkable event was witnessed by our Sniper Team Leader.
Upon walking up to the target, we both grinned and shook our heads. Sub Minute of Angle accuracy at 150 yards.

Sincerely yours,
Sgt. Frank Atkinson

18-Feb-03
Ms. Laura Gerhart,
Director of Member Product Testing , National Tactical Officers Association
Doylestown, PA

Dear Laura,

We were fortunate to test the M16 Clinic’s new product, the M16 VIPER entry upper. When we first opened the box and saw the M16 VIPER, everyone had that little, bad-boy giggle working. The upper impressed us immediately due to its size. The quality was as expected, very high. Our Department has dealt the M16 Clinic in the past and we are very impressed with their commitment to quality. The fit and finish of the M16 VIPER is excellent. The finish so impressed us when we matched it against other manufacturers’ uppers in our inventory. The results were predictable. The quality of the M16 VIPER was superior to that of all the others.

Day One at the range. We conducted dry vehicle assaults and simulated building searches with the M16 VIPER attached to a conventional M16 full auto lower receiver with CAR (collapsible) stock. The compact design of the M16 VIPER allowed for more efficient vehicle assaults. When the operator approached the vehicle, he was able to attain a better dominant muzzle direction at the vehicle.

During building clearing and room clearing, the M16 VIPER’s compact size again provided the operator with more mobility and control. Operators (MCSO Special Response Team members) commented that they felt more confident because they were not “telegraphing” their movements as much with the M16 VIPER, compare to a conventional length barrel. The short design benefits the user if a struggle ensued, causing a weapon retention scenario.

Day two at the range. Our first live fire exercises with the VIPER were done in semi auto mode. We found that the weapon held accuracy very well out to fifty yards. At the one hundred yard mark we were able to hit five-inch paper plates with almost every round. We currently use 11.5” barrels on our M16s that were accurized and tuned last year at the M16 Clinic. We saw no difference in accuracy between the M16 VIPER and our 11.5” tuned uppers. We put over five hundred rounds through the M16 VIPER in semi-auto with no malfunctions.

We then did two shot bursts, three shot bursts, and full auto. Due to Greg’s design, the M16 VIPER performed as we had expected. We were able to get two, three, and four shot bursts in the full auto mode. The weapon was so controllable, we easily fired one round shots on full auto. The shot groupings of the bursts were within one inch of each other from three feet to thirty-six feet. Going to full auto, we put one thirty round magazine through the M16 VIPER at three yards. The operator was able to keep all thirty rounds inside the five-inch paper plate. The control of the weapon was very smooth. The M16 VIPER performed without any malfunction.

In closing, M16 Clinic’s M16 VIPER upper receiver would benefit any tactical team.


Sincerely Yours,

Sgt. Frank Atkinson
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Special Response Team
Monroe County, Michigan