Posted on 01/10/2005 11:16:50 AM PST by 45Auto
The Shrike 5.56 LMG(Light Machine Gun) upper, by ARES Defense Systems, LLC, is in production and currently available for pre-order(both in select-fire and semi-auto-only configurations), and the ARES Defense Systems site is up and running. If you remember, DefRev reported on the Shrike 5.56 and ARES Defense Systems some time ago.
If it works as advertised, the Shrike 5.56 just might throw the Squad Automatic Weapon(SAW)/LMG market right on it's ear. When fitted to a standard M16 or M4 lower, the Shrike, coming in at about 8 lbs, turns said weapon into a lightweight SAW/LMG that is supposedly every bit as or more reliable than...
its much heavier competition in the "squad automatic weapon" category. The FN M249 Minimi for example, currently in use by our armed forces, is significantly heavier and more cumbersome, even in its new MK46 MOD 0(for the Navy SEAL's) or M249SPW configurations. "SPW" stands for "Special Purpose Weapon", by the way.
The MK46 MOD 0 and M249SPW both weigh 12.6 lbs. The Shrike 5.56 set-up even appears to be about 2.5 lbs lighter than the universally-acclaimed Ultimax 100 LMG/SAW, made by ST Kinetics of Singapore, and roughly 7 lbs lighter than the Israeli Negev Commando LMG/SAW, made by IMI(Israel Military Industries). Only time will tell if the Shrike's performance under harsh battlefield conditions can equal that of either the Ultimax or Negev, both of which are supposed to be highly reliable and durable under adverse conditions. Again, ARES Defense Systems is taking orders right now. Both full-auto and semi-auto(pre-ban and post-ban) uppers are available. I believe this product will prove to be a very big deal in the small arms/tactical firearms market, if it works as advertised, and is reliable and durable. I've spoken with the designer on a number of occasions, and have been waiting a long time for the Shrike 5.56 to be available to the public. It should be noted that DefenseReview.com has no financial stake or interest in the Shrike 5.56. We just really like the concept and significant promise the system has demonstrated.
Check this out!
I agree. the .223 Remington/5.56mm round was a political decision made 40 years ago. The .223 round is lighter then a .38 Special. Our troops are not the petite Asians that the M-16 was mainly adopted for. When we get back to using .30 caliber, we will be doing our troops a long delayed favor. Until then, 5.56 at 60-85 grains is criminal.
Exactly. Though many have tried, that venerable round is hard to beat in the field, hunting or battle.
That is not correct. The round is designated 6.8 Rem SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge) and is purely a USSOCOM project.
Mean Rounds Before Failure of the 60 is about 2000?
Thanks. I emailed Impact and I'll let you know how it turns out. My son's SAW is printing really low and he's concerned.
I tried Tapco as a first effort and the guy who was trying to take my order had no idea what I was trying to tell him. I asked if they could contact someone who could help me out and he didn't want to do it.
He did ask me if I wanted a catalog.
It arrived in the mail today.
I don't think the FAL tool will help because the SAW has that hooded sight.
Basically the SAW's "Big Brother" in 7.62mm.
Even in 5.56 NATO that would look good on my coffee table.
I love ballistics yak.
Like yourself, I think it's important to keep the round compact so that lots of ammo can be carried, and a bigger bullet is called for. I like the .257 projectile, 100 gr FMJBT going 3000 fps as would be the case with a 250/3000 Ackley Improved. Still a relatively compact round with a powder capacity about 35% more than the 5.56 NATO, and a bullet with the sectional density and ballistic coefficient of your .243 variant; the 6mm-223 Remington, only going 300 fps faster! That saying you could even get a 90 gr projectile to seat with the 6mm-223.
That said, the 7.62x39 Soviet necked down to toss a .257" 100gr projectile should give the same results.
Thanks...
I see also above that Uncle Sam is looking at a .270 equivalent round. That would work for me too. Even more reach out and touchability and more bullet weight. I have both .243 and .270 bolt guns and think either would be suitable (but of course it would have to be auto these days). Sounds like whatever you gurus come up with would work better than what we have. 5.62 just doesn't seem to have enough umph!
I just read that .270 in the .30 Rem case report in the link from "Rifle Shooter". Mikey likes it! Basically the same formula, but I like the faster round just a little bit better.
For individual rounds, yes. This thing does prolonged full-auto. When you're making a belt-fed number of holes in something, the size of the holes doesn't make as much difference. Sometimes quantity does matter, and 5.56 gives you a lot of quantity.
Nice thing about the Shrike is it provides both belt-fed and magazine-fed capability in an M4-upper package. If you're going with 5.56 for any reason, a Shrike is a great way to go (except the $5000 price tag).
Those collectors REALLY want this thing. Go visit www.subguns.com and peruse the NFA board. They're fighting over the first few that have been released so far.
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