Posted on 04/28/2017 4:07:00 PM PDT by MtnClimber
The U.S. Army soon will begin searching for a 7.62mm rifle to become its formal squad designated marksman rifle for combat platoons and squads.
A recent directed requirement from Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel Allyn prompted Army weapons officials to write a new requirement, and most likely they will conduct a competition that will result in the service equipping each combat arms squad with a new 7.62mm squad designated marksman rifle, Matt Walker, deputy for the Lethality Branch at the Maneuver Center for Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, told Military.com.
Equipping units with SDM rifles so they can shoot farther than the standard 5.56mm M4 carbine is not new.
Weapons officials have "operational need statements from every unit that has deployed for the last 16 years saying that 'a squad designated marksman is a requirement in theater,' " Walker said.
"The presence of a 7.62mm rifle in the formation is nothing new, but when [units] leave theater, they have to turn their guns in," he said. "A lot of the division and the corps commanders are very adamant saying, 'Hey, we need to get those assets back in order to train with them to be competent.'........
Part of the goal of the effort was to arm snipers with a rifle that doesn't stick out to the enemy as a sniper weapon.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
“The presence of a 7.62mm rifle in the formation is nothing new, but when [units] leave theater, they have to turn their guns in,” he said. “A lot of the division and the corps commanders are very adamant saying, ‘Hey, we need to get those assets back in order to train with them to be competent.’........”
I ETSd July 15,1996. The battle between the Skilcraft commandos and the operators has obviously not abated. Nice to know some things never change. Ranks right up there with Planck’s constant.
With the exception of the 54K he sold(gave) to our Balkan buddies.
LWRC REPR is my fav.
**..a warehouse still filled with muskets.***
Years ago I read that Egypt still had thousands of Remington Rolling Block rifles and Remington single action revolvers in their armories.
Wonder if we have any Krag–Jørgensen rifles still sitting around?
“Yeah, but Clinton ordered all of them in government inventory to be destroyed and sent out teams of auditors to make sure.”
What an assh*@e !
It’s like ISIS going into a museum and smashing everything because its “idolatry”
I thought they were looking at 6.5mm creedmoor as well?
CC
Bring back the M-14, rechambered for the 30-06.
Not many, after Afghanistan. Lots of those were pulled out, restocked and reissued as the M-21 DMR.
CC
Been there done that! The best ever!
The Korean civilians who guarded our military intelligence compounds carried M-1 carbines.
A bit of trivia for you. The Krag is the rifle holding the medal to the ribbon on the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. The only reason I know this is I was asked what the rifle was during a Marine of the Quarter Board when I was a young LCpl.
I would love to have a rolling block. Hickok45 and Iraqveteran8888 both had videos and I fell in love.
CC
“Civilize ‘em with a Krag!”
I was soldier of the quarter once even though I was a Specialist/6 because we weren’t considered NCOs.
Now there are a good number of those floating around E. Asia from what I’ve heard. Mostly S. Korea. If CMP can just get them back here...
CC
Nothing wrong with an AR10 or HK-91. Wouldn’t waste billions of dollars and years of time getting the kinks out of a G3.
I carried an M14 for my first 6 months in Vietnam, until they took it away and gave me an M16. The M14 isn’t as heavy as they make out. It weighs 2-1/4 pounds more than the M16.
Of course the ammo also weighs more too, but I’d rather have 100 rounds of 7.62 than 200 rounds of 5.56. More knock down power and small twigs and branches are less likely to deflect a round.
In the 80s I owned several HK rifles, I think two HK-91s. They were about as sweet shooting as a rifle gets.
I know they made a heavy barrel sniper version. The barrel was also longer, maybe 24 inches. Seems like that would be just about perfect.
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