🇺🇸 New rifle, light machine gun headed to close combat troops

[GOYABEAN]

The Army plans to field in 2023 a rifle and light machine combination that will replace the standard issue M4 carbine and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon for its close combat force.

They’re not alone, both the Marine Corps and Special Operations Command have been included in the years-long testing and experimentation phase and will have the option to adopt the new-caliber weapons.

That new caliber, a special, Army-designed 6.8mm round, is the biggest change that shooters will see. The Next Generation Squad Weapon program had industry competitors build the weapon around the round.

This past year, Sig Sauer won the $4.7 billion weapon contract and Vortex Optics and Sheltered Wings working together won the $2.7 billion NGSW-Fire Control.

Once fielded, the M5 carbine replacement and the M250 SAW replacement, will allow users to shoot farther, faster with more accurate shots that are more lethal than the current 5.56mm round used in the two legacy weapons.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-...combat-troops/

[wanneroo]

It's gonna be a big change and major upgrade for the troops.

[GunLawyer001]

Finally, I can have my AR-15 without hoplophobes whining that it's a "weapon of war using the same bullets our troops use".

Nah, they'll still whine. That's what they do.

A shame that our govt can't surplus-out those hundreds of thousands of old M-4's to the civilian market for $800 each.

[akley88]

A shame that our govt can't surplus-out those hundreds of thousands of old M-4's to the civilian market for $800 each.

i would so be on board with this. how many can i buy at 1 time.

[GOYABEAN]

Finally, I can have my AR-15 without hoplophobes whining that it's a "weapon of war using the same bullets our troops use".

Nah, they'll still whine. That's what they do.

A shame that our govt can't surplus-out those hundreds of thousands of old M-4's to the civilian market for $800 each.

Book a flight out of the Country possibly Afghanistan or pretty soon Ukraine I'm sure they'll be plane loads of inventory 🍿

[Brick]

Hmmmm. The last 6.8 I saw ballyhooed had about the same performance as the 7X57. Curious how they chose this as opposed to 6.5mm and 7mm which have already have proven cartridges with known long range applications!

[eagleclaw]

The part of the article :

That close combat force includes infantry, scouts and combat engineers who support or deploy alongside infantry and scouts.

The rest of the force will continue to carry the M4 and M249 for the coming decade or longer.

I suspect as time goes on the list of close combat force MOS(s) anticipated to get this new weapon will shrink until they eventually scrap the whole program.