Will the M4/AR-15 platform remain dominant?

[Adolf Hamster]

Swap the word armourer for over priced civilian contractor...

No i forgot to mention that it will be caliber convertable but they wont bother to buy any of the kits and just get a batch of rifles in each calibers so that over the years they end up being a canniballised hodge podge of parts.

 

[Lozart]

Swap the word armourer for over priced civilian contractor...

Don't let @CKinnerley hear you say that!

 

[TheFull9]

Plenty of raf camps (usually the smaller ones) already have civilianised armouries, makes sense after all being the defining place that objectively differentiates the military from civvie street...

 

[mcwimbo]

Don't let @CKinnerley hear you say that!

Note i said over priced not over paid ?

 

[clumpyedge]

I may have not read correctly but I think I saw that the US are switching calibre/rifle?

 

[Crazy_Crystal]

I believe that is the case, however the us DoD can be slower than the MoD when it comes to bringing in a new standard. the recommendation of a few reports that they have commissioned seems to suggest a calibre of around 6.5mm and they seem to have a desire for a completely new design that isn't available yet. although they have set a date of around 2020 which is not that far away.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/05/07/new-rifle-bigger-bullets-inside-the-army-s-plan-to-ditch-the-m4-and-5-56/

 

[Rogerborg]

They should upgrade to 6mm spherical ammunition.

 

[Crazy_Crystal]

haha, well known for its ability to drop an honest target with a single round ?

 

[Rogerborg]

Look, it'll be fine as long as everyone plays war honestly.

I do wonder if flechette rounds will ever be seriously considered.  I mean, considered again.

 

[Keldon]

Look, it'll be fine as long as everyone plays war honestly.

I do wonder if flechette rounds will ever be seriously considered.  I mean, considered again.

Are they not banned to members of the UN as its okay to kill but not to intentionally to maim. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

I do wonder if flechette rounds will ever be seriously considered.  I mean, considered again.

it keeps perenially popping up, the number of crazy guns spawned from various projects to increase hit probability is amazing.

thing is they almost always end up as some rube goldberg contraption like the g11 or an94 and end up just not justifying the switch.

dont think the americans are likely to change too far from the ar platform, it'll just be minor changes. it'd be interesting to see if they take a leaf out of inrange's WWSD project and go for an ultra lightweight build, after all the lighter the rifle the more things like peq boxes, m203's, bipods, grips, flashlights etc you can hang off it and still have a manageable gun.

 

[Rogerborg]

dont think the americans are likely to change too far from the ar platform

The Marines seem to have decided to switch entirely to the M27, which is essentially an HK416.  It looks similar to the M4 / AR and takes STANAG mags and 5.56 rounds, but internally is a rather different beast.  I'd suspect they'll go with that platform, chambered in their new kill-o-calibre of choice.

There's some grumping about the extra cost over the M4, but really it's trivial compared to the cost of training and retaining the finger on the trigger.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

The Marines seem to have decided to switch entirely to the M27, which is essentially an HK416.  It looks similar to the M4 / AR and takes STANAG mags and 5.56 rounds, but internally is a rather different beast.  I'd suspect they'll go with that platform, chambered in their new kill-o-calibre of choice.

There's some grumping about the extra cost over the M4, but really it's trivial compared to the cost of training and retaining the finger on the trigger.

i consider the 416 as being "close enough" to consider it the same, it's certainly much closer to an m4 in-use than many other designs including any of the bullpups out there.

 

[Lozart]

There's some grumping about the extra cost over the M4, but really it's trivial compared to the cost of training and retaining the finger on the trigger.

According to this article https://www.military.com/kitup/2018/01/05/m27s-and-head-toe-gear-overhaul-way-marine-grunts.html the cost of the M27 has come way down thanks to volumes of sale!

 

[clumpyedge]

Look, it'll be fine as long as everyone plays war honestly.

I do wonder if flechette rounds will ever be seriously considered.  I mean, considered again.

(speaking of flechette rounds) Wasn't there a thing in WWII where Hitler said that the use of shotguns in trench warfare was unethical/inhumane...(oh the irony)?

 

[Adolf Hamster]

(speaking of flechette rounds) Wasn't there a thing in WWII where Hitler said that the use of shotguns in trench warfare was unethical/inhumane...(oh the irony)?

twas ww1, the germans complained about the american use of shotguns, the american's response was along the lines of "lol says the guys using flamethrowers and mustard gas"

 

[clumpyedge]

twas ww1, the germans complained about the american use of shotguns, the american's response was along the lines of "lol says the guys using flamethrowers and mustard gas"

Ah thanks! I knew I hadn't made it up (just got the wars wrong)!

 

[Rogerborg]

i consider the 416 as being "close enough" to consider it the same

Hmm, it appears that you can drop a 416 upper receiver straight onto an M4 / AR-15 lower, so I'll cheerfully concede that point.

Heckler and Koch's lawyers may beg to differ though.

 

[Lozart]

Hmm, it appears that you can drop a 416 upper receiver straight onto an M4 / AR-15 lower, so I'll cheerfully concede that point.

Heckler and Koch's lawyers may beg to differ though.

Colt vs HK....sounds familiar!

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Hmm, it appears that you can drop a 416 upper receiver straight onto an M4 / AR-15 lower, so I'll cheerfully concede that point.

Heckler and Koch's lawyers may beg to differ though.

i'm meaning when you consider the difference compared to say an ak, or any of the current issue bullpups, to me the 416 is just a fancy piston driven ar with an hk trigger group.