Posted on 04/21/2022 9:13:32 AM PDT by packagingguy
Today, it has been announced that SIG Sauer have won the contract to provide both the NGSW-Rifle and NGSW-Automatic Rifle. An initial delivery order contract worth $20.4 million has been awarded. SIG’s MCX 6.8 Spear will be designated the XM5 Rifle and the LMG-6.8 belt-fed will be designated the XM250 – designations directly following on from the M4/M4A1 Carbine and M249 SAW which the new weapons will replace. SIG’s selection means that the US Army’s new 6.8mm round will be based on a hybrid metallic case, not the polymer-based design developed by True Velocity
(Excerpt) Read more at thefirearmblog.com ...
What American company has ever made a top-notch military firearm in the last 100 years?
As a matter of fact, which one of those distinguished company names are even making anything that would come close?
All for it, but don’t see that happening- and if they’re made here, that counts.
I looked some more into this, there were two posts today one of which was mine.
Two problems stand out: control under automatic fire and barrel life. Using high pressure means wearing out the barrel quickly.
From what I understand reading history 7mm-8mm cartridges were chosen in the early 20th century because they were the best balance of all competing factors, barrel life, lethality, etc. Armies all over the world came to this conclusion.
That’s why I own an M1 Garand. One of my professors who hunts a lot told me there is nothing a .30-06 cannot do, from sabot bullets for small game to 200 grain for moose. Not that the 5.56 has anything wrong with it, it’s good for the job intended and no more.
ah ok- thanks for the explanation- with all the talk of digital fingerprinting to ensure ‘gun safety’ etc- i wasn’t sure if they had electronic controlled guns or not-
Last 100 years? Colt, Browning, S & W and I’m probably forgetting some.
SIG hasn’t had anything on Smith&Wesson over the last 10 years, and I don’t even know if S&W bothered to make a submission. After the sidearm decision they may have been jaded.
Who makes the profit is at least as important as using American labor IMO.
Weapons on the battle field never garther brass and reload it. Rounds are a single use item. In training the U.S. MILITARY also doesn’t reload its brass its used once and let go to the used brass market or crushed and sold for scrap. The Chinese and the Russians have always used steel cased berdan primed non reloadable cases because they are half the price of brass and the rounds were and always will be single use items for war or training. Steel will take twice the PSI of brass and is much MUCH cheaper. There is a reason to use steel on the base that’s where peak pressure is and the strength of steel means you can really crank the pressure and there for velocity up. Brass has a single advantage its more malleable and seals the breach face at the neck of a round much better than steel this is why the hybrid design. Steel in the base to crank the pressure up and cut costs ,brass in the head and neck area for proper sealing and reduced blow by. The military could care less about reloading they don’t do it for training rounds and certainly don’t go policing brass off the battlefield. These new rounds should be stone cold man stoppers with effective ranges nearly a mile a 140 gr8 .277 round in a proper fast twist 1:7 rate can be as slick or slicker than any 6.5mm which is only a few hundreds of an inch narrower. These rounds should stay super sonic and stable well past 1200 meters with lasers and wind compensating computers hits on man sized targets at that distance are basically point, range and shoot. This is a quantum leap from the 1960s era 5.56 and iron sights.
You do realize the USSR and China both have used exclusively steel cased small arm’s ammo since the 1940. That includes the entire Vietnamese conflict in rain soaked jungle with 100% humidity 24/7 for months on end. Steel cases are coated with a baked on shellac that is nearly impossible to remove even filing at it with a file won’t get it all off. Steel also takes twice the PSI in this case 80,000 that’s well above the standard 65,000 psi most small arm’s rifles run at. Sig has been making bimetal cases for years. Bimetals are also routinely used for larger rounds including tank and anti aircraft sized rounds ATK makes some.
The only electronic feature that I've ever found favorable was a non-mechanical firing system. The trigger activates a circuit that fires the cartridge with electrical current. There is no moving mass or delay between the trigger activation and ignition of the propellant. It's the last, fine detail in accuracy, but most people don't shoot well enough that it would make a difference. It's a Ferrari used to pick up tacos at Jack in the Box for the average shooter.
that actually sounds like a good idea for folks that havent’ got good trigger control but good steady aim-
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