The M1 Carbine is the standard by which all PDWs are measured.

[stanc]

Why don’t we ask ourselves what has changed as we go about condemning our grandfathers’ “inept design practices”?

Because changes in design, fabrication, and testing over the past century are not relevant to the discussion. If you wish to discuss those topics, you should start a new thread.

And you are the only person calling our grandfathers' design practices "inept."

Nonetheless, the criteria set for the design continue to be constrained by a number of factors that few of us agree with.

For example, we could ask “Why does our military acquisition community seemingly cling to .30 caliber as the center of new thought?”.

That would be an illogical question to ask, seeing as how 6.8mm -- not .30 caliber -- is the center of new thought. http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...SAW-and-M4

The list of damning questions can go on for a long time but the main point is that the only value in critiquing old designs is to develop insight into what advice to give the decision makers of today and the near future.

Nah. The only value in such a discussion is entertainment. I doubt that anyone here is advising the military decision makers on weapons programs.

Anything less is merely an exercise in self aggrandizement.

"Self aggrandizement." ROFL. Thanks, Joe. You're always good for a laugh.