Friday, September 06, 2019

The Hunt Continues

According to the Army Times, the service is looking at next-gen replacements for the M4 and M249 SAW.
Chambered in 5.56mm, the M4 and SAW has a lethal range of about 300 meters, service officials have said.
The new rifle and automatic rifle must be able to engage targets out to 600 meters, industry insiders say.
“This is a weapon that could defeat any body armor, any planned body armor that we know of in the future,” former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has said. “This is a weapon that can go out at ranges that are unknown today. There is a target acquisition system built into this thing that is unlike anything that exists today. This is a very sophisticated weapon."
The M16 was first adopted in 1964 and the variants of that system are familiar to anyone who humped a rucksack since then. The platform in the semi-auto version arguably one o the most popular rifles in the US.  I grew up with it and my grandson is learning to use one.  THe rifle has been in service for 55 years.

I wonder what they're going to come up with?

2 comments:

  1. Termite5:27 PM

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B09fZpC9S7gDN2JkOTRjNzktMzE0NC00MDRkLTk0M2EtN2M4NGY0MGE4MjY5/view

    I think staying with the M16/M4 type rifle, and going to a different cartridge might be the way to go. 6.5 Grendel has better long range ballistics than the 6.8 SPC.
    By varying the length of the rifle barrel, you can trade compactness for more range, or vise-versa. A 14" barreled M4 is handier than a 20" barreled M16, but the later will have more range with the same cartridge.

    Of course, I think the "Right Arm of The Free World" was a most excellent battle rifle.........

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  2. Supposedly 6.8, but I don't see it having THAT much more knockdown power.

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