Archive for the ‘Guns’ Category
Saw this at the General Dynamics booth at the 2010 SHOT Show:
XM806 .50 Machine Gun at 2010 SHOT Show
Weight 40 pounds (weapon only), 62 pounds (ground mount system)
Recoil 325 pounds
Dispersion Less than 1.1 mils, one sigma radius
Range Lethal and suppressive out to 2,000 meters
Ammunition .50 caliber (M33 ball, M8 & MK211 API, M903 SLAP)
Feed System Belt feed, M9 link (compatible with M2 feed system), Left hand feed, right hand eject of cases and links
Rate of Fire 265 shots per minute (cyclic), 40 shots per minute (sustained)
Reliability 6,000 MRBF (threshold) / 10,000 MRBF (objective)
Dimension 8.3Wx7.3Hx64.5L max. inches (56.7L charged)
Environmental Operationally insensitive to conditions
Applications Two-man portable emplaced with no sandbags, Unmatched vehicle mount options for a .50 caliber weapon
Safety Fires from open bolt position
New Flat-top Steyr AUG/A3 SA USA
I checked this out a bit at last year’s SHOT Show (didn’t get a chance to shoot), but it’s finally shipping. More info over at GunPundit.com:
New Steyr AUG.
Corps helos to get new machine guns
Eventually, all Marine and Navy assault support rotary wing aircraft will be equipped with the M3M FN Herstal GAU-21 .50-caliber machine gun.
For the Corps, it is now in use on the ramps of the CH-53E Super Stallion, a heavy-lift helicopter, as well as the ramp and windows of the CH-53D, the Super Stallion’s predecessor. But officials at Naval Air Systems Command also are working to integrate a door-mounted GAU-21 onto the CH-53E and the UH-1Y Venom, the Corps’ newest light-utility helicopter.
Cpl. Thomas D. Martinez aims at a makeshift target on the desert outside of Al Asad, Iraq, during a test fire with the GAU-21 ramp-mounted weapon system.
Back in 2006 MO noted the first of these joining the Marines:
“The 7.62 round used in the M-240G is too small,” said Harquail, a 26-year-old native of Sea Side, New Brunswick, Canada. “The rotor wash from the aircraft affects the rounds’ trajectory. The .50-caliber is a heavier round. You need a heavy round with a higher volume.”
The rate of fire is over 1,000 rounds per minute compared to about 700 for the M2-based GAU-16.
In addition to putting more rounds down range, the new gun, with a maximum effective range of 21,000 feet, is more accurate due to a new recoil compensation system that also reduces the wear and tear on helicopters. When you fire the GAU-16, the shock rattles all the way down to the airframe, which causes a strong vibration and makes accuracy difficult, said Col. Harry Hewson, the program manager for Marine light/attack helicopters. The new system absorbs that shock in the mount, he said. NavAir also is working to install laser sights for night use.
Pics as the Firearm Blog.
Also: British adopting AR-10 style sharpshooter rifle by Lewis Machine & Tool.
Forgot to mention that I’m running a little contest over at GunPundit.com. The winner receives a one-year subscription to Outdoor Life magazine.
Head over and leave a comment on the post to register.
Cross-posted from GunPundit.com
U.S. Army Spc. Peter Hurlock qualifying with the M16 in Korea. April 14, 2009. (U.S. photo by Staff Sgt. Christophe D. Paul/Released)
A couple of posts by C.J. Chivers:
How Reliable Is the M-16 Rifle?
and
The M-16 Argument Heats Up, Again
Good overall views of the issue, though the increasing use of 77-grain Mk 262 ammunition with the Special Forces and the poor showing in US Army dust chamber tests against a trio of piston guns were not mentioned.
Also, he writes about the M855 not “fragmenting” as well as the M193. Didn’t he probably mean “tumbling”? Though they do sometimes fragment, I thought that was not the design intent.
Anyway, it’s nice to see decent coverage of this issue where it might get a little more visibility.
5.56 NATO Dimensions
Steve at The Firearm Blog notes British soldiers also complaining about 5.56mm NATO
In the Telegraph:
A survey of more than 50 servicemen who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan concluded that the 5.56mm calibre rounds used by British soldiers ‘tailed off’ after 300 metres yet half of all Helmand firefights are fought between 300 and 900 metres.
This seems to make sense and be perfectly reasonable. After all, our Special Forces found out pretty much the same thing in 2001. A lot of them switched to the heavier Mk 262 from the M855 green tip.
But then there’s:
Taliban marksmen use powerful 7.62mm ammo for their AK47 machine guns, according to a report of the study in The Sun.
If they’re trying to argue that AKs firing 7.62 Russian are outshooting guys with 5.56mm SA80 rifles, they’re going to have to do a lot of convincing. Since they use the term “machine gun”, maybe they mean the 7.62x54mm used in the PK-series. But then they’re arguing apples and oranges.
Yes, the 5.56 leaves some things to be desired. Particularly out of shorter barrels.
Yes, a heavier intermediate round such as the 6.8 SPC or the 6.5 Grendel would probably do better in a wider range of circumstances, particularly at longer ranges.
Yes, full size rounds like the 7.62×51 fired from a full-length rifle pack quite a wallop.
But let’s not whine about 5.56 at medium to long range and then extol the 7.62 Russian or medium machine gun rounds in the media.
Gun Prices Soar As Afghanistan’s Postelection Crisis Continues
The reliable measure of stability in many countries is the value of the currency or the price of equities, bread or fuel — but not in Afghanistan: here the key indicator that nearly every Afghan keeps tabs on is the price of a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. And the bad news is that the market is bullish. The stepped-up Taliban offensive and mounting discord over the outcome of last month’s election have seen the price of a Chinese-made AK smuggled in from Pakistan rise to $400 from $150 in just three months. “People are arming themselves,” a Western official in Kabul noted with alarm.
Of course, the rising prices could be influenced by things in addition to uncertainty about the election. If the perception is that insurgents are becoming bolder or that the US may be having second thoughts about fighting in Afghanistan, that could easily drive Afghans to spend a little extra on some additional household weapons. Or maybe they realize it’s just a matter of time before Mexican drug gang violence is blamed on Afghan assault weapons. (via Uncle)
