Piston Driven or Direct Gas Impingement?

[Adam Helmer]

My neighbors have asked me WHICH AR rifle they should buy. The current .223 caliber arms are both direct gas impingement or piston driven.

My first reply is that only very FEW arms have EVER been Direct Gas Impingement (DGI). The M1942 Swedish 6.5x55MM was the first and along came the U.S. M16. The Swedes dropped the M1942 in 1946 and never looked back. The Egyptians bought the Swedish tooling and made the 8mm Hakim and there the DGI ended until Colt made the M16.

I can only ask, If the DGI is so great, why didn't the AK-47 run with it? The M1 Garand, the M14 and SKS and AK47 ran with a Piston. What did they not know? They knew direct gas impingement was a design feature who's time Has PASSED! ONLY the U.S. Government failed to understand and continues the DGI to this day; a design feature NO Other Nation runs with. Everyone is "Out of Step" but us. Right, 10-4.

Adam