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Now It's the Army That Wants a New Rifle: The U.S. Army wants a rifle that fires a heavier [tr]
Popular Mechanics ^ | April 6, 2017 | Kyle Mizokami

Posted on 04/07/2017 7:37:17 AM PDT by C19fan

On the heels of the Marine Corps' desire for a new rifle for its infantrymen, the U.S. Army now says it is contemplating a dramatic switch in rifles. The service is considering going back to battle rifles—heavier rifles that can hit targets at longer ranges. The last time the Army fielded such a rifle was in the 1960s.

(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: army; banglist; sanity
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To: C19fan

The M-14 fits the bill.


21 posted on 04/07/2017 8:06:59 AM PDT by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: Chainmail; gwjack

Tracking Point has a remote viewing option - just hold the rifle up (1 hand and arm exposed, that’s it, if the gun is on a sandbag or other stable rest), aim the shot on your cell phone or iPad, shoot and get to cover. Not cheap for us civilians, but bought in quantity by Uncle, it’d be a lot cheaper (and the simple financial cost savings would dramatically expand as less of our soldiers and Marines were wounded or killed, since they’d all be equivalent to the best snipers). That doesn’t include the reduction in misery for our side, which I cannot reduce to a quantifiable amount of dollars.


22 posted on 04/07/2017 8:07:55 AM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: C19fan
The only real experience I've had with with firearms is during BCT in '69.I had never handled one before arriving at Fort Knox and have only handled one a couple of times since.My company,we were told,was the last to qualify with the M-14 and the first to qualify with the M-16.

I,personally,did much better with the M-14...scoring only two points below "Expert".But I'll say that the M-16 was more fun...particularly on the one occasion that they let us fire it on full automatic (that was before the three round limiter).

I don't know which weapon "experts" considered more accurate but for *me* it was the M-14.

23 posted on 04/07/2017 8:08:36 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Deplorables' Lives Matter)
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To: NorthMountain

Yup. Newton’s Third Law still pertains!


24 posted on 04/07/2017 8:09:27 AM PDT by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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To: Vendome

M1A is a Fine piece of Equipment!


25 posted on 04/07/2017 8:09:40 AM PDT by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: C19fan
I was in basic training in 1971. I was made to qualify with M14 and M16. I think after some training with both rifles an infantryman should be able to choose. I was made to carry the M16 even though I fell in love with the M14. Newer, don't ya know. We all know the arguments ad nauseum about lighter/ heavier, more ammo/less weight,...blah blah blah. If I were going into battle today, I would choose the M14. I own an M1A since I got out of the service. I own a Ruger Ranch rifle, but That's just a fun shooter for me. I DON"T own an AR15 or AR10, but if I did it would be the AR10. I just like the .308 with more knock down and longer range. Also, I think the M14 could be made much less than 9lbs today with new tech.

I know the military environment will want to be universal with one or the other, but the personal preference of the shooter should be taken into consideration. A bigger guy might not mind the extra weight and a smaller guy might choose the lighter. I'm not suggesting that we have 15 calibers for every possible scenario, but just 2, .308 and .223. If you think about it, they already feed .50 cal, 9mm, .45, .308, along with .223. There is probably some .40 and others I don't know about as I'm don't follow it that closely anymore. I believe they use a .416 and .338 for snipers along with .308 and .50. I don't think it would be devastating to the supply Sgt to do this. They also feed sniper rifles in other calibers already.

26 posted on 04/07/2017 8:11:01 AM PDT by chuckles
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To: C19fan

Do you ever notice that the military is always trying to reinvent the wheel?

The got rid of the large caliber weapons because they weighed to much.Now they are changing course.


27 posted on 04/07/2017 8:14:11 AM PDT by puppypusher ( The World is going to the dogs.)
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To: meyer
I have one of these, but I replaced the plastic stock with a nice wood stock. Much better looking in wood...

Kind of an M-14 carbine of sorts. It has a bit of a muzzle brake built in as well.

28 posted on 04/07/2017 8:14:39 AM PDT by meyer (The Constitution says what it says, and it doesn't say what it doesn't say.)
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To: BobinIL

Why? M-14s are accurate, dependable, and available.

The Stoner design is fragile, has an inaccessible chamber, and if it uses the gas tube, messy.

If we’re going to design a new infantry weapon, start from scratch and ditch Eugene Stoner’s cheapo.


29 posted on 04/07/2017 8:15:27 AM PDT by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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To: Big Red Badger

I bought it in 2008. I decided to test it and see when it would fail.

I shot 4,000 rounds through it and had zero failures.

I used mostly surplus ammo from all over the world. Dirty, dirty, dirty crap.

Cleaning was very easy.

Further, I found it accurate with just the iron sights, the differences in surplus ammo performance not withstanding...

I am going to buy a couple more...eventually...


30 posted on 04/07/2017 8:19:06 AM PDT by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-pk2vZG2M)
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To: NorthMountain

7.62x39 is a decent round (AK 47)
7.62x51 is more powerful (Nato)
A .308 is even more powerful

H&K has their HK433 but that is is a 5.56
Very good gun.

They have planned variants of HK231 and HK123

If they’d build the HK123 to handle a .308, that would be best, as you could fire a 7.62x51 in a .308 gun, but NOT visa versa

Do you arm your guys with the inferior, but battlefield plentiful AK round?
Or do you give them a plentiful, more powerful round?

A .308 gun allows use of the common 7.62 Nato round, that a lot of our allies might carry (if not carrying the 5.56)
But would not allow scavenging from adversaries using AK’s like those being used in the ME


31 posted on 04/07/2017 8:19:41 AM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: C19fan

Depends on whether they want off the shelf, or want to break new ground. There might be some interesting options with composite overwrapped barrels - thin steel wrapped in carbon fiber composite, like is done for making lightweight pressure vessels. You need steel to prevent erosion on the inside, but carbon fiber can take many times more pressure per unit weight than steel. And because prestressed CF is much stiffer than steel, you get better accuracy too.

There’s been some research on the concept before. For example, this paper on 120mm overwrap gun tubes:

http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA481065

But I’ve also run into some variants researched for small arms as well. It’d put the US into a whole new class of weaponry.


32 posted on 04/07/2017 8:19:56 AM PDT by OldGuard1
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To: Vendome

My FN-FAL built on an StG 58 kit is a tack driver. No problem ringing the gong at 450 yards all day long. Recently added optics to compensate for my 66 year old eyes.


33 posted on 04/07/2017 8:23:19 AM PDT by Noumenon ("Only the dead have seen an end to war.")
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To: puppypusher

“The military” huh? Guess you didn’t grace a uniform at any point, did you?

Our job is kill people and we need better tools. The “mouse gun” doesn’t work well in the longer distance fight and doesn’t penetrate cover well.

Tough to understand?


34 posted on 04/07/2017 8:24:18 AM PDT by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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To: C19fan

If Army want a heavier round, give them a AKM in 7.62x39mm with a side rail. With today’s scopes, good shooters can still hit at 500m with the bigger bullet. The AK Operators Union demonstrated it last year.

We need to stop complicating things.


35 posted on 04/07/2017 8:27:21 AM PDT by Azeem (There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo.)
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To: pleasenotcalifornia

6.5mm seems to be the big winner in long range competition shooting.

Back when the FN FAL was being designed, the British were wanting something along the lines of a 7mm but the US DOD was rather insistent on using a .30 caliber projectile. The FN FAL was thus produced using the 7.62 NATO standard round which was not what anyone really wanted. Then the US DOD went with the M14 anyways while everyone else in NATO carried the FN FAL, now chambered in a round that was too big for it (in full auto mode anyways).

Time went on and the FN FAL went on to become the right arm of the free world and the M14 went on to become the M16 now chambered in 5.56mm. Yes, after all of that drama, we ended up adopting a 5.56mm round.

Now, 50 years later, we’re back to wanting something bigger than 5.56mm but not necessarily as big as the 7.62 NATO round.

something like the 280 British perhaps?

We should have just gone with the .280 British FAL and been done with it. It’s like the British say, “the Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have tried everything else first.”


36 posted on 04/07/2017 8:29:09 AM PDT by RC one (The 2nd Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances)
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To: Vendome
" Luv my Springfield M1A"

My luv is divided between two Springfield M1As & one HK91. When I open the safe, all I hear is, PIC ME, PIC ME!

37 posted on 04/07/2017 8:31:28 AM PDT by crazy scenario (We can't take you anywhere)
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To: C19fan

Stoner pattern (AR-10) rifles are everywhere. The AR-10 uses the same buffer system as the AR-15 and felt recoil is very slight compared to the M-14/M1A-style actions. Very accurate with massive terminal energy out beyond 500+ yards. They are available in both direct gas impingement and piston drive. The only drawback is the significantly heavier 7.62 NATO cartridge weight vs the cartridge weight of the 5.56 NATO. More weight in the infantryman’s pack is not necessarily a good thing. Just my $.02.


38 posted on 04/07/2017 8:36:19 AM PDT by Afterguard (Deplorable me!)
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To: crazy scenario

My safe has similar cries from my M1A, Garands and Kimber’s...

I love them all the bestest...


39 posted on 04/07/2017 8:37:25 AM PDT by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-pk2vZG2M)
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To: meyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_SCAR

7.62×51mm NATO (SCAR-H, Mk 20 SSR)


40 posted on 04/07/2017 8:40:43 AM PDT by AppyPappy (Don't mistake your dorm political discussions with the desires of the nation)
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