New Army "Caliber Configuration Study"

[stanc]

I still like that with the 65G the high BC gives you range in the mountains and the high SD gives you penetration in the city.

So let's walk through this scenario based on your example above: Your convoy is ambushed on a narrow mountain road by a savvy enemy who "crosses the T." Your heavy weapons mounted on your vehicles are somewhat neutralized by that tactic because they can't easily fire over the vehicles in front of them. However, your infantry dismount and fan out with their 65G ARs and LMGs and their man-portable air-burst grenade launchers.

With the range afforded them using their 65G ARs and LMGs (with 4x optics, firing 123gr slugs twice the weight of 5.56, or 84% the mass of 147gr 7.62N, with less drop and drift) they pin down anything in sight. The harassers now become the harassed. This capability, combined with shoulder-fired, laser-ranged, air-bursting 40mm grenades to reach the mortar and HMG crews in cover, counters the ambush until air and artillery arrive.

In this scenario, I've got a 65G Unified Cartridge to ease strategic supply issues, combined with air-burst grenades to round out the capability, making a 7.62N MMG unnecessary. Workable?

Minor point: With lead-free bullets, 6.5 Grendel ball rounds would most likely be no heavier than ~110gr. (Note that the 7N6-type, FMJ projectile in the Wolf steel case ammo is only 100gr.) I don't know what effect this will have on long range ballistics.

Important point: Notice that joker31 said "they fired mortars from behind mountains." In that case, the mortar crews would be doing indirect fire from positions not viewable by the ambushed unit. Which mean the latter would be unable to place direct fire (from rifles, machine guns, and grenade launchers) on the enemy mortars.

Very important point: Dismounting and fanning out on a narrow mountain road would be problematical, at best. Reference the following video. (Caution: It's not exactly easy to watch.)

[video=youtube;-Un9xd1WJ_s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Un9xd1WJ_s[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Un9xd1WJ_s

Even when there is room for dismounts to fan out, it'd be extremely tough to do when the enemy has the high ground, and is raining down fire on the patrol.

[video=youtube;yyjpL0e5X28]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyjpL0e5X28[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyjpL0e5X28