"US Army ups its order for short-term M4 replacement " Topic

— in 7.62 mm

"The Army has quintupled its order for an interim service rifle in 7.62 mm, which it needs to pierce enemy body armor and the current 5.56 mm round just won't do.

The Interim Combat Service Rifle, first referred to in a May 31 request for information that sought 10,000 rifles from commercial, off-the-shelf sources, has now shifted to a Commercial Opportunity Notice asking for 50,000 of the rifles in 7.62 mm.

The request is specifically to meet a "potential gap in the capability of ground forces and infantry to penetrate body armor using existing ammunition."

The new post went online Aug. 4 and is giving industry until Sept. 6 to submit proposals and sample rifles for testing…"
Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

7×56.95mm Ribeyrolles
6.5mm Carcano
6.5mm Arisaka
.276 Pedersen
7.92 Kurz
7.62x39mm
.280 British
4.85x49
7.5x39 CEAM

It seems to me the US Army is willing to hobble along for a few more years perpetually wavering between the 5.56mm and 7.62mm, deathly afraid of committing itself to a new caliber that could be made obsolete in a few years by radical new developments like caseless ammo, "dial your payload" liquid/binary propellant ammo or Electro-Thermal propellant, if they don't come up with a laser or particle beam gun.

For a more in-depth analysis :

PDF link

Patrick R – fascinating information!

Many thanks!!

Amicalement
Armand

I'm amused that the 6.5 Grendel is broadly comparable to the 6.5 Arisaka and 6.5 Carcano.