More Marines Will Test Lighter Polymer-Cased Ammunition as Experiments Expand to Fleet
9 May 2021
Military.com | By Gina Harkins
The Marine Corps has been testing the performance of a polymer-cased .50-caliber ammunition in a lab environment, and leathernecks soon will get a chance to see how the lighter rounds hold up in the field.
Marines at the schools of infantry on both coasts, Advanced Machine Gunners Course, and 1st and 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalions will likely be the first to try out the new round for the "Ma Deuce" M2 machine gun, said Kelly Flynn, a Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman. Officials then want members of I and II Marine Expeditionary Forces to test the round on static and maneuver ranges, she said.
The evaluations, which are set to start later this year and run into 2022, could determine whether Marine Corps and Army mounted combat units will swap the traditional brass .50-caliber round for a lighter polymer version. The lighter casings cut the weight of the machine gun rounds by about a quarter, Brig. Gen. A.J. Pasagian, head of Marine Corps Systems Command, told reporters Thursday.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/05/09/more-marines-will-test-lighter-polymer-cased-ammunition-experiments-expand-fleet.html
