Posted on 05/14/2010 10:58:12 AM PDT by C19fan
Recognizing the differences between conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is now selecting a contractor to upgrade the 22-year-old Remington bolt-action rifle to become a more effective killing machine. The Army will pour about $5.6 million into upgrades to the M24, with the new gear expected to be delivered to troops by this fall. The M24's barrel is being modified to shoot heavier .300 Winchester Magnum rounds, instead of the 7.62mm NATO ammunition, which should extend the rifle's maximum effective range by hundreds of yards to a maximum of about 1400 yards. The suppressor will reduce the noise and flash of the gun so snipers can stay in their hiding positions much longer after they fire.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
I thought they had some bolt action .50 BMG rifles?
switching to .300 Win mag! woohoo! That’s change we can believe in right there.
There are. Not sure why one would uses this versus the 0.50.
Overkill. Looks like the belly shooters want something they don’t need. No adult leadership. Shooting 300 win mag will burn the barrels out in around 2,000 to 2,500 rounds. Contrast that to 7.62 boat tail and you are looking at a barrel life of 5 - 6,000 rounds. Most of our shooting is done in urban areas, less than 300 meters. There very few opportunities to identify and engage a target at 1,000 meters. The probabilities of hitting the target at 1,000 is very poor. Big waste of money. By SR-25s and keep the M-24 as is.
They already have a limited number of win mag rifles. SOCOM snipers can have pretty much anything they want, particularly Delta. Having something and having what you need are two different things. They don’t need win mag.
Not in the 'Stan.
.300 win mag rifle isn't much different than a standard hunting shooting .308 or 30.06. Sniper heavy barrels will add weight over a hunting barrel but it's still under 10 lbs. A .50 runs upwards of 30lbs making it not very portable.
SR-25s cost way more than M-24s even M24s newly chambered in .300 win mag. I’m a fan of the .300 personally. I think the extra range and energy will come in handy and; furthermore, in my own personal experience, the Army cares not a bit about barrel life.
the Army cares not a bit about barrel life.
Yes they do. This ammo doubles if not triples the LCC of the rifle. The only advantage is an increase in bullet stability between 800 to 1,000 meters. Number of combat shots at that distance - can be counted on one hand. Its a bad trade, particularly with real cuts coming to defense. Stay with what works and can be afforded.
There’s a big difference between .300 and 7.62 nato imo. The ammo they’re using is a 220 grain boattail hollow point leaving the muzzle at about 2,850 fps. That’s potent. M118 special ball uses a 175 grain projectile and leaves the barrel at 2,600 fps. The increased weight and velocity will significantly decrease wind deflection and extend the range well beyond what is normally seen with 7.62 special ball. Looks like the .300 projectile has a .618 Ballistic Coefficient versus the M118 rounds .502 BC. .618 is a big improvement IMO. I think this is a a good move. The .300 WM will shoot better than most snipers.
bigger better faster more. That’s how we roll in America.
As someone else pointed out, in the 'Stan, you can't always count on short range shots. Even if you miss at 1000 meters, you're close enough to startle him, make him duck, prod him to displace.
Besides, now-a-days, you can get a medal for NOT shooting. Soon, if Lord Barak has his way, we won't need a military at all. Unicorns will protect progressives from all those mean ol' right wingers. And all the pink soldiers can clamp their mouths on each other's wedding tackle, and there will be Peace on Earth.
As someone else pointed out, in the ‘Stan, you can’t always count on short range shots. Even if you miss at 1000 meters, you’re close enough to startle him, make him duck, prod him to displace.
If hadji is at 1,000 meters with an AK-47 what possible threat does he pose? Drop an mortar round on his ass. All snipers are in radio communication. Their first and most important role is to surveil and report what they see. Better to take out hadji with a mortar or drone and keep the sniper’s hide hidden. It ain’t all about belly shooting.
I hope you are not on my trail ;-)
You know what they say, might as well not run, you’ll only die tired.... : )
My program was to equip with an AR-15 lower with swappable uppers.
.223 barrel for out to 300 m
.308 barrel for up to 800 m
.338 Federal for 800+ m
Sniper kit only has to carry two extra receivers and another 100 to 200 rounds. BTW, most snipers I have spoken to about this arrangement say “pass ... too much weight”
I mention all of this because the “obvious” solution is often not acceptable. The reason .308 was chosen was be cause it had good kill vs range. I should point out that you can lengthen the .308 barrel and get .300 win mag performance out of a .308. This is how the M44 (7.62x57r) is able to achieve good performance. Though as a new system, normally only held 2 to 3 MOA. Might have to repackage into a bull pup to keep the length manageable though.
However, special situations require special solutions.
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