Army Awards SIG NGSW Contract

[LRRPF52]

[Fess]

Thanks for the info! I recall seeing a fair amount of battle footage from Afghanistan where the M249 but no 7.62 weapons were visible. It seems that I was not seeing the whole picture.

[LRRPF52]

Thanks for the info! I recall seeing a fair amount of battle footage from Afghanistan where the M249 but no 7.62 weapons were visible. It seems that I was not seeing the whole picture.

[LRRPF52]

For a small arms development though, the M250 seems to be the most interesting at 12lb.

I just wish they could have gone with lighter weight ammo for the Joes.

I think there will be very heavy initial pushback on the M5 due to reduced round count, high recoil, but cool factor also will play into perception.

We have never successfully fielded a single caliber system for rifles and machine-guns.

[BluntForceTrauma]

YouTube video with former green beret having one of the best discussions yet about the 6.8 NGSW HERE.

Oh, and I rest my case....

[biodsl]

"The ultimate Afghanistan battle rifle."

[Double Naught Spy]

"The ultimate Afghanistan battle rifle."

Always prepared for the last war...

[LRRPF52]

[Happy2Shoot]

I didn't watch 25 minutes of the video, but from what I saw.

Green Beret? Really? Not sure I care what he has to say about what is good for the average Joe in the regular service. His world view is highly specialized.

He wants a light weight, belt fed machinegun that is very accurate. How much weight are you really saving as a percentage of total loadout? 5%? I bet the total load for a regular Joe is significantly different (more) than a Green Beret. 2 long barrels with mass to soak up lots of heat before you have to switch barrels, bipod, 800 - 1200 rounds, optical sight, binos, 2 to 3 man team . Less weight means more jump and recoil. Accurate? What is this a machine-sniper-gun? Cone of fire at 1000 yds is 20 to 40 feet, Good! Anyone outside the Marine Corps ever heard of a "combined arms dilemma"? Machineguns don't kill that many people. Never have. What they do, is get people to sit the fuck down while you get closer to them or call in indirect fire.

If I was special, and in an 8 man team, with 200 to 1000 enemy fighters within 30 minutes of me, no reinforcements for 2 to 4 hours, completely outside of the umbrella of artillery, I guess I would want a light weight machinegun.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Machineguns don't kill that many people. Never have.

I don't have firsthand experience, but what I seem to remember reading is that in WW2, for example, the German MG42 was THE killing machine, and all the riflemen supported it. (Not including mortars and artillery.)

Machine guns acquitted themselves quite well in WW1, I believe, and against mass attacks in the Pacific and in Korea.

Modern warfare is, of course, continually evolving. Don't know how useful they were in Vietnam and the latest wars in the Middle East.

However, according to the the video I posted above, the 6.8 NGSW was developed in direct response to the Taliban tactic of attacking at long range with PKM machine guns.

So, again, based on my limited knowledge, I might dispute your claim that "Machine guns don't kill that many people."

[Happy2Shoot]

70% of casualties from WWII and Korea were from shrapnel. That leaves 30% for everything else.

[Happy2Shoot]

If someone is attacking from from a distance greater than 600 yards, call for artillery, or motars, or helos, or fixed wing. If you went outside of covering fire you were wrong

[LRRPF52]

If someone is attacking from from a distance greater than 600 yards, call for artillery, or motars, or helos, or fixed wing. If you went outside of covering fire you were wrong

Depends on the ROE. After changes in the WH and Pentagon, they restricted indirect fires considerably to minimize collateral damage on civilians.

At least half the guys in SF come from Infantry CMF before going to Selection and Q Course. Most of the rest were Combat Engineers, Combat Medics, Forward Observers, Cav Scouts, Commo guys, and other CMFs. Quite a few former USMC 0311s, 0321s, 0331s, and 0341s as well.

SF operated in larger units most of the time throughout OEF and OIF, often alongside ANA, ANP, Iraqi Army, Iraqi Commandos, US Infantry units, and NATO or coalition SOF and Infantry units.

Force structure for dismounted patrols usually included SAWs or Mk.46s, Mk.48s, M240s, M110s, and SCAR-Hs, on top of M4A1s in some iteration of SOPMOD.

For Iraq, small elements might see a sniper operations section left behind for overwatch in a building providing coverage for other units doing cordon and search, HVT seizure, or static surveillance/recce for insurgents.

[LRRPF52]

[Zeneffect]

Well worth the watch, even if you don't enjoy a guy who likes to larp