The First Night out with the 2006 M1

On Thursday, Sept 30, 2004, we put together a rifle for the first member of the Boise SWAT team to receive one of the new 2006 M1 stocks.  That night, at 1 am, he was called out with the team to respond to a suspect that was heavily armed, wanted for a number of burglaries and other crimes, and had barricaded himself into an apartment building.  The sniper got to know his newly configured rifle very well during the six hour standoff with the criminal.

Here's what he had to say:  "I really like the new stock.  I got the rifle perfectly set up, and was very comfortable laying down with it.  I was trying it out to make sure it was perfect, and I could close my eyes, relax, and when I opened them I was looking right through the crosshairs."  Among his favorite features on the new stock is the pistol grip.  He reports that he has an entirely new feel for his rifle, and better control and handling of the gun that seems to center on the grip of the trigger hand.

In a comic end to the standoff, the suspect was trying to escape from the attic of the building through a gable vent.  As he emerged, he was looking at the business end of the 2006 M1.  When he finally acceded to the demands of the Law Enforcement officers to show both of his hands, he literally disappeared in an instant from their view.  Apparently, he was standing on the sheetrock of the ceiling, and had been using one of his hands to help hold himself up.  When he let go to show his hands, he fell right through the sheetrock, and piled up at the feet of officers stationed in the apartment below.  So ended another episode to demonstrate that crime doesn't pay.

We thought that we should catalog the first employment of the 2006 M1, and are very pleased that the officer gave an enthusiastic report of its performance on the mission.