Shuggerz said:
i think the M4 and M16 are going to be around for a loong time.
Yes it will be. The XM-8 has been pulled from testing and is currently undergoing a slight design change and the OICW have been all together droped. US Special Operation and Special Forces unit's do however have the new H&K weapon's that will be delivered shortly. I dont know much about them but
BC will be on within a week or so ( maybe; maybe not, he is a busy man ) and will be able to provide you with the info on the new SOCOM H&K weapons.
Shuggerz said:
Now i DO believe the Military should be looking at alternatives for the 5.56x45. Now dont get me wrong, the 5.56x45 is a good cartrdge, but it doenst have the leathality some of the light infantry and SPECOPS units are looking for while downrage for months at a time. Now again this is just MY opinion, but i believe the 6.5 Grendel in a 16inch M4 would be one helluva force to be reconned with in the hands of a well trained Special Forces Operative. But thats just me
The caliber is fine it is the standard issue ammunition that needs to be changed. MK-262 Mod 0 and Mod 1 ammo are very effective. Even the old 55gr FMJBT M-193 ammo causes pretty good sized wounds. Over the years myself and a friend of mine have done plenty of testing and screwing around with military ammo and have found that the M-193 55gr FMJBT ammo will fragment at a velocity as low as ~ 2,650 FPS while leaving the 20" barrel at a velocity of 3,250 FPS. The now standard issue ammo ( M-855 ) is the problem. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do. However; it is not being used on the types of targets it was designed for. The M-855 ammo was designed for penetrating armor; not cause large flesh wounds.
Also i want to fix somthing; the Military / LE M-4 variants do not have 16" barrels they have 14.5" barrels so they can use the M-203A1 40mm grenade launcher and bayonet's. Im not very familiar with the 6.5 Grendal; but from what i hear you cant get full velocities with that caliber out of a 14.5" barrel, much less with the 10.5" entry barrels so common with SF units.
The Rifleman