Wednesday, April 12, 2017

More range, more firepower

If reports are accurate, it appears the U.S. military is no longer satisfied with its rifles shooting 5.56 ammo. Apparently Afghans toting old school rifles like the Mosin Nagant have revived the notion that size does matter:
According to multiple sources, what started out as a directed requirement for a 7.62 NATO Designated Marksmanship Rifle for issue to Infantry Rifle Squads has grown in scope to increase the Basis of Issue to all personnel in Brigade Combat Teams and perhaps beyond. The genesis of this requirement is overmatch. The troops feel like they’re in a street fight with a guy with longer arms. The 7.62x54R cartridge gives the enemy those longer arms.
Coincidently (or maybe not), I'm seeing more gun retailers increasingly pitching similar rifles in .308 or 7.62x51 to the U.S. civilian market. Just yesterday, I got an email ad flyer suggesting "Now is the time to build that .308 AR Rifle you have always wanted."

2 comments:

  1. That 54R must have grown over the years. Curious.

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  2. Hey Doug;

    I like the SOCOM 16 personally although a modern version of the AR-10 is nice. I can understand wanting the larger caliber especially in the places where there is distance and although I am a big fan of the mousegun, Having something that can reach out for long distance is an attractive option.

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