12-03-2011, 08:53 PM
LRRPF52 Wrote:...203's and similarly re-packaged GL's are limited to 400m effective range, and most grenadiers can't make hits under stress much past 200m...If I understand the ballistics correctly, the 40mm grenade effective range is driven by a very low muzzle velocity. Increasing the velocity even a little bit would make the recoil too much for shoulder firing. I'm also guessing that the elavation needed for 200 meters is about fifteen degrees and goes to about 35-40 fro 400 meters. These high elevations both make precise aiming a challenge and give plenty of time for the wind to have its way with the projectile.
That's part of reason behind the question about 20-25 mm grenades. The smaller weight projectiles can be launched at a higher velocity while keeping recoil manageable. And yes, the "Star-Trek" aiming devices are big and clumsy today. They should become more compact with time for two reasons. First, the electronics will become more compact. The second and more important reason is that folks will realize that too much is being asked of fancy technology. When this happens, the feature count will drop to something more like a basic range finder and ballistic computer to get the elevation solution displayed in the reticule. The hardware for basic laser range finding and sight elevation computation takes up very little space and weight as suggested by the existence of commercial riflescopes doing just that.
Hence the 20-25mm grenadier has a chance of getting a weapon that weighs about the same as the M4 with its claptrap and can carry 4-6 times as many rounds as can be carried for the 40mm. This means that he can afford to shoot a few more grounds making the first round hit question less important. Further, he and his buddies are likely to see where that grenade lands and explodes, so better references are available to getting a second round hit. The second round hit probability gets even better if his weapon is a repeater so the second shot is taken while the wind remains more or less the same.