Did you know that the Army serious looked at, and tested plastic for the charging handles? They found they were strong enough (no failures in field tests at Ft Benning), but the 1960s plastic got brittle at low temperatures. 6061 has a lot higher yield strength than plastic.
As to some of the other things:
- An officer without communication is in a far worse place than an officer with a broken rifle.
- There is a huge difference between "as good as" and "good enough".
- Who the manufacturer is makes a big difference/
- I have no vested interest in S&W, Colt, or any other manufacturer.
- 6061 aluminum is not as bad as people seem to think. Every optic body I know of is made from 6061, or cast aluminum like A357, which is not as tough as 6061. 6061 has a strength equal to the steel used in building and bridges.
I am I saying that an S&W is as good as a Colt or other "well regarded" brand? No, of course not. I have held an M&P15, and yeah they aren't as pretty and their spec-sheet shows that they are made with maximum economy in mind. But, that is very different from saying it is not reliable enough for patrol use.
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