After some 53 years in service, could the M16-series be on its way out? Keep reading…
Source: FOX News
Army researchers are testing half a dozen ammunition variants for a new prototype assault rifle that fires a larger round in order to introduce a possible M16/M4 replacement by 2020, according to Army Times.
The goal is to create a new light machine gun and inform the next-generation individual assault rifle/round combo, the report says. The weapon designs that are being tested will be “unconventional,” officials said.
Intermediate calibers being tested include the .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, .264 USA as well as other noncommercial intermediate calibers, including cased telescoped ammo, Army officials said.
Stay tuned…
I’ve always wondered why they didn’t use at least a 6mm or 6.5mm/ ( .257 caliber) instead of the 5.56 NATO. I always assumed it was because of some politicians who didn’t know crap & benefitted monetarily.
A 6.5 is a 264 diameter,
6.35 is a 257 diameter.
They will still need the 5.56 rifle for women, and they have the 7.62 for the more masculine women!
The military is using 9mm pistols now instead of the 45s? Why? One 45 round compared to four 9mm rounds to get the job done.
Deplorable Robert: you are right on! Thanks for stepping out of the PC box and telling the truth.
You are both idiots. There are just as many men as women in the army that can’t shoot worth a damn. As for a pistol in 45acp or 9mm those are for REMFs that don’t go out the wire.
Please read Guns & Ammo June under Reader Blowback page 8. 9mm versus .40 & .45 this should be the beginning of an education you need desperately. Do not fight it with all of your preconceived stupidity. Just embrace it as the new reality. Peter G. alaBAMA
Gen Curtis LeMay saw a 5.56 vaporize a watermelon on a farm in Maryland in the early 60’s. That’s one of the reasons it was selected.
For taller people the AR M4 is a toy gun to hold. Unless you have a dot sight or scope, the iron sights are poor. The butt plate / collapsible stock never sits on the full shoulder. 5.56 round made to wound / mangle to use more troops and materials treating their troops. As with the 9 mm hits are better than power. Ammo cost and weight become issues. NATO acceptance otherwise we would shoot 10 mm pistols and 7 mm mag long guns
I certainly hope so.. I would like to see a US made version of the AK-47 in 7.62×39 that runs forever with Millions of rounds available everywhere.
Right on Rich B,
You’re never out of ammo if you can shoot what the bad guy is shooting…..But then that works both ways a?
Of course, some accuracy would be nice. AKs aren’t quite my “bullseye within a bullseye” choice.
Combat doesn’t require a “bullseye”. What is necessary is to neutralize the enemy. In regard to accuracy, a AK is very sufficient out to 200 yards, i.e. consistent target acquisition and contact. An 8″ steal plate for target shooter or center mass for others.
Compare the 6.5 Grendel to the 7.63×39 or the 300 blk. The Grendel kicks it butt! at 500 yards there is 3 times the energy and it carries over 500 FP of energy to past 800 yards.
but the grendel won’t feed from a belt feed machine gun.
What ever round they chose , it will be years till they are available in any quantity to us. The 5.56 has been a good round to put down range in mass quantity for a very long time any replacement will have to be a little heavier and a little harder hitting to do any good the 6.5 Creedmoore would fit that bill but the .308 or 7.62 already fits that bill. So what is the the real reason for the switch?
I would vote for the 6.8. The mentality for smaller rounds (e.g. 5.56 and 9MM) was that the Marine or Soldier could carry more ammo. I really liked the M14 and hated the early M-16’s. I also was not a fan of the M9 and with ball ammo, it was all but worthless. I had to carry the M9 but I also carried a .45. If you hit someone with a .45, they go down. The .45 got its start when the Marines and Army were fighting the Houcks and they had .38’s and that would not knock them down.
5.56 and 9 mm could be from the liberal mindset that we don’t want to kill anyone, especially if they are an enemy. Interesting the article states this new weapon will be unconventional- that might be code to say the caliber won’t be practical as Rich B says above. In the event a weapon fell into civilian or adversarial hands, it wouldn’t be readily used against troops when it required reloading. Where did these conspiracy theories come from in my head?? Yikes!
I thought that’s what they were trying to use the 300 AAC Blackout for. The calibers mentioned in the article seem to be War for long-range silhouette then a combat cartridge.
There are several commercially available 7.62 X 39 that have AR style platform with optimized barrels for better accuracy than the standard AK but use AK magazine
I was always impressed with the 5.56 wound data, but every day I hit the streets for 26 years, I wished I had a 7.62 in the rack for barricaded situations. As for the m-16, it was very ergonomic and fast to reload, so I cannot say I had any problems with the platform, just the round.
The army and DoD in general are unlikely to move toward a cartridge that takes up significantly more space than the current 9mm and 5.56mm options. Less because of PC non-sense and more because of battlefield statistics that point to massive amounts of ammo expended per hit (not kill, just a hit). Shooting under stress and the nature of suppressive fire mean that having LOTS more sort-of capable ammo available for the same weight is a fair trade in most circumstances. If anything, expect the military to opt for an even smaller cartridge for small arms. This is not a decision that will be driven by those with the most experience in combat after all, but by accountants. If you really want to know what we will get, look at what our NATO allies start experimenting with. By treaty we have to utilize a common round.
Switching to 7.62×39 is as easy as swapping the upper on the M16/4. You could stolen have your accuracy with that casing, or how about 300 black out? The weapons platform can, and most likely will, remain the same. Different barrels could be available for different shooters and tasks.
Switching to 7.62×39 is as easy as swapping the upper on the M16/4. You could stil have your accuracy with that casing, or how about 300 black out? The weapons platform can, and most likely will, remain the same. Different barrels could be available for different shooters and tasks.