SOCOM And The Marines Are Looking For A Brand New Long-Range Machine Gun

[rangerrebew]

SOCOM And The Marines Are Looking For A Brand New Long-Range Machine Gun
By Jared Keller
on May 15, 2017


U.S. Special Operations Command, in coordination with the U.S. Marine Corps, is looking into sources for a brand new lightweight machine gun from weapons contractors, according to a sources sought listing published last week, one that can bridge the gap in distance and lethality between the 7.62-mm light machine gun and the .50 caliber M2.

In the listing, first reported by Guns.com, SOCOM specified the need for 5,000 lightweight medium machine guns that can fire belt-fed .338 Norma Magnum rounds from a polymer shell casing at a rate of 500 to 600 rounds a minute and “sufficient accuracy to engage area targets and vehicles at 2,000 yards.”

http://taskandpurpose.com/socom-marines-machine-gun/

[Maj. Bill Martin]

SOCOM And The Marines Are Looking For A Brand New Long-Range Machine Gun
By Jared Keller
on May 15, 2017


U.S. Special Operations Command, in coordination with the U.S. Marine Corps, is looking into sources for a brand new lightweight machine gun from weapons contractors, according to a sources sought listing published last week, one that can bridge the gap in distance and lethality between the 7.62-mm light machine gun and the .50 caliber M2.

In the listing, first reported by Guns.com, SOCOM specified the need for 5,000 lightweight medium machine guns that can fire belt-fed .338 Norma Magnum rounds from a polymer shell casing at a rate of 500 to 600 rounds a minute and “sufficient accuracy to engage area targets and vehicles at 2,000 yards.”

http://taskandpurpose.com/socom-marines-machine-gun/

Something tells me this is going to be one of those things that they can never get quite right, but that sucks up gobs and gobs of money.  I'm really skeptical off accuracy and reliability at that distance while cutting weight.

[driftdiver]

Something tells me this is going to be one of those things that they can never get quite right, but that sucks up gobs and gobs of money.  I'm really skeptical off accuracy and reliability at that distance while cutting weight.

Depends on your definition of lightweight.   Something that a soldier can carry  or something thats mounted.   The round seems a good choice but a bit light for 2000 yds.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Depends on your definition of lightweight.   Something that a soldier can carry  or something thats mounted.   The round seems a good choice but a bit light for 2000 yds.

If it's mounted, then I'm not sure why the weight is all that important, or why the .50 cal isn't good enough.  So I'm going to assume man-portable.

I suppose I could see why SOCOM would want something like that, because they task-organize weapons as it is.  I'm just not sure about the Marines, because it would seem that such a weapon would have to replace something else, but the 2000 meter accuracy requirement is just not something that's going to be relevant in a lot of tactical situations.  They're calling it a "lightweight" MG, so it doesn't sound like it would be replacing the M2's carried by the heavy machine gun platoon of the battalion weapons company.

Sounds to me like it would be replacing the M240B 7.62 within the weapons platoon of rifle companies.  That's a really nice gun and extremely reliable, if a bit heavy.  I'm just not sure you can increase the size of the rounds, improve range, and decrease weight, all while maintaining reliability.  To some extent, weight and reliability are connected.

[driftdiver]

If it's mounted, then I'm not sure why the weight is all that important, or why the .50 cal isn't good enough.  So I'm going to assume man-portable.

I suppose I could see why SOCOM would want something like that, because they task-organize weapons as it is.  I'm just not sure about the Marines, because it would seem that such a weapon would have to replace something else, but the 2000 meter accuracy requirement is just not something that's going to be relevant in a lot of tactical situations.  They're calling it a "lightweight" MG, so it doesn't sound like it would be replacing the M2's carried by the heavy machine gun platoon of the battalion weapons company.

Sounds to me like it would be replacing the M240B 7.62 within the weapons platoon of rifle companies.  That's a really nice gun and extremely reliable, if a bit heavy.  I'm just not sure you can increase the size of the rounds, improve range, and decrease weight, all while maintaining reliability.  To some extent, weight and reliability are connected.

Maybe they want a M240B chambered in the .338 round.  That would give them a little more of the range they have said they need in places like Afghanistan.

[Doug Loss]

I think it's more likely they're thinking about this:

General Dynamics Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG)

[driftdiver]

I think it's more likely they're thinking about this:

General Dynamics Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG)

I want one