New Army "Caliber Configuration Study"

[BluntForceTrauma]

propel a 7g or 8g projectile so that it outperforms 7.62mm to 1,000 metros. . . . The cartridges mentioned above should at least match the range of a PKM.

7grams is 108grains and 8g is 123gr. The 6.5 Grendel ALREADY matches the "range" — the external ballistics — of the PKM. The question is whether the terminal performance of its 123gr bullet is acceptable relative to the PKM's 147gr bullet. And that terminal "acceptability" is somewhat arbitrary.

I'm comfortable with a 65G LMG having 1452 rounds for the same weight as a PKM's 1000 rounds. I say this because the external ballistics are a match and because I think, terminally, a 6.5mm 123gr in the head is gonna ruin your day almost as much as a 7.62mm 147gr in the head.

John