Not invented here so was turned down.
Posted on 05/20/2017 9:07:10 AM PDT by Elderberry
The United State Army made waves a couple months ago when they finally chose the Sig Sauer P320 as a replacement for the long-serving Beretta M9. Many have mused at why the military chose the Sig over the other entrants. If the M9 is out, could the M16 and M4 be next? According to recent reports, the famed Eugene Stoner rifle could be going the way of the M14, M1 Garand, and 1903 Springfield.
The M16 was adopted into service in 1964 after extensive testing. The army was searching for a smaller projectile and lighter gun that could easily be fired in semi-automatic and fully automatic modes. They found that in the M16. Of course, the original adaption of the Armalite Rifle had some issues, but over the years the M16 adapted to meet the needs and use modern materials. These adaptions led to the M16A1, A2, A3 A4 and then the M4 and M4A1, all of which have been the selected service rifle of the U.S. Military at one time or another.
Those days may soon be gone. A recent report from the Army Times broke the news that the military is looking to replace the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge, and thus, the AR platform. The report details how the military is looking for a larger caliber bullet, something in the 6.5mm to 7mm range, that can reach out further with more lethality than the light .22 caliber 5.56mm.
Reports from Afghanistan and Iraq have shown that at least half of the engagement distances are over 300 meters, where the 5.56mm can lose lethality, especially against armored combatants. The Army still wants something light, so not back up to the 7.62mm class, but something with better ballistics than the .223 Remington. (Perhaps the 6.5 Creedmoor?) As most of our enemies are shooting 7.62mm-based firearms such as former Soviet or Iraqi AKs, SKSs, Druganovs, and PKMs, they actually have a deadlier reach than our troops’.
Being outmatched on the battlefield is not the American way, and in order to keep our warfighters safe, it may be time to hang up the Stoner-designed rifles. With modern technology, materials, and ballistics, perhaps the next generation of service rifles will capture the hearts of Americans like the M16 did. And hopefully we’ll see an influx of surplus .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO ammunition hit the market!
The Army’s search for a new round and rifle combination has been going on since 2014 but is expected to wrap up in the next few months. Eventually, parts of the military’s study will be made available to civilians, though much of it may stay classified. We’ll just have to wait until we find out more!
Most of these explanations eventually get around to comparisons to and comments about how their pet platform a is "just as good as" .30 cal in a rifle and the .45 cal in a handgun.
I thought about that for a bit.
Guess what I decided to go with for my weaponry.
Exactly.
I reload on the cheap. I like 30 cal. rifles. Have smaller and larger, but 30 will do the job.
For coyotes, wild hogs and deer in brush. The old 30-30 170 gr. (gas checked) cast lead bullet load is hard to beat. And for 12-15 cents per round, hard to beat on economy.
And in a pinch, I can shoot the same 170gr (gas checked) cast lead bullet in 30-06.
I don’t own a 45 pistol. But it certainly will do the job.
I like 38 pistols too. For same reason.
Not exotic, but certainly functional.
.260 based on a .308 case, runs in a short bolt action. .270 based on a 30.06 case, needs a long bolt action.
Ballistics on the interwebs.
Not invented here so was turned down.
Thanks for explanation.
Short action makes sense weight wise.
Accuracy at long range is dependent on lots of variables. Barrel twist, length and bullet ballistics.
It is far more complicated that fps and bullet weight.
The up and coming round was the 300 blackout for close quarters. It seems to have fallen from favor. Never used it but heard it was deadly in CQB.
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I think the 6.5 creedmoor probably beats the 30/06 at long range at least. The better ballistic coefficient of the .264 projectiles allows it to retain velocity and energy over a longer distance. It took me a while to come around to the 6.5CM too but after looking at it closely, it really seems like a game changer. The 6.5 CM also fits in a short action like a 7.62x51NATO.
MK 262 Mod 1 will shoot accurately all day long at 300 to 500 meters if you have an 18 to 20 inch barrel. If most of the bad guys were wearing body armor, you’d probably want a larger caliber, though.
I can’t believe no one has picked apart this line:
“As most of our enemies are shooting 7.62mm-based firearms such as former Soviet or Iraqi AKs, SKSs, Druganovs, and PKMs, they actually have a deadlier reach than our troops’.”
Sorry, while this may be true for the Dragunov (not Druganov) and PKM, which are 7.62x54R, it is absolutely NOT true for the 7.62x39 AK and SKS, which have an effective range of around 200m-300m. An AR would generally be preferable by all accounts I’ve seen.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is too large for the AR15 platform. It would require an AR10 platform.
British .303 bolt action.
If it was good enough for Rorke’s Drift, it should be good enough for a Muzzi (if you dip it in pig’s blood first.
Back them up with Tommy guns with 50 round drums for suppression.
yes indeed it would.
Too “Old School”
I just hadn’t seen one built on an AR15.
I haven’t either. The AR10 is still part of the stoner design family though. I think it predates the AR15 in fact. I think an AR10 in 6.5 creedmoor would be the ____which is why I’m buying one.
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