Mattis pushed for 6.8mm ammo

Before Marines in Afghanistan received enhanced 5.56mm rounds last month, an influential four-star general advocated behind the scenes for an option that packs even more punch: 6.8mm ammunition…

The Corps first considered fielding 6.8mm ammo in 2007, after rank-and-file members of Special Operations Command designed it with their command’s approval to address deficiencies with the standard 5.56mm round, Eby said. Neither SOCom nor the Corps fielded it, in part due to the cost and logistics it would have required to make the change.

For now the Marines are going with the SOST 5.56.

I’ve also heard that at one point the Marines were looking at the SCAR and had some 6.8 versions put together for testing.

UPDATE: Comment:

I keep hearing that it’s simply too difficult for the mightiest armed force on earth to field a new rifle round, even if it’s demonstrably superior. So there’s no point trying.

I’m sorry but that’s indistinguishable from what comes out of the rear end of a male cow-type beast.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nekolas Portella, a member of the Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team, inspects construction at a school outside Badra, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2010. The inspection is being conducting to ensure the school's maintenance following the completion of its construction a year ago. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Brien Vorhees

Staff Sgt. Portella apparently likes Magpul PMAGs. I’ve been seeing more and more of them in US military photos lately.

I love how they demonstrate use of the integrated carrying handle and call the forward assist a “special feature.”

Part 2 below:
(more…)

Pics as the Firearm Blog.

Also: British adopting AR-10 style sharpshooter rifle by Lewis Machine & Tool.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 14, 2009) The Honor Platoon aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) practices for a burial at sea. Carl Vinson is conducting carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Megan L. Catellier/Released)

Love those M14s.

When I first spotted the picture, I thought it was a staged photo op shot because, well, they’ve got no mags. But they’re practicing.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct. 27, 2009) Army Sgt. Brad Paxton and Sgt. Tim Brooder, assigned to Superior Training for Superior Response (STSR) and Goose Creek Police Department, provide instruction on how to utilize the high/low technique to maximize spread of fire toward aggressors to students assigned to Naval Weapons Station Charleston. (U.S. Navy photo by Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Juan Pinalez/Released)

Get a load of the rifles they’re using.

Story here: NWS Charleston New Police Officers Complete Tactical Training

Gen. David Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command fires a sniper rifle during his visit to Camp Moreheadl, Kabul, Afghanistan. Petraeus visited Camp Morehead to view the operations and greet members of the commando training school. Photo by Senior Airman Brian Ybarbo

I don’t know what kind of rifle that is. Anyone?

Happy Thanksgiving, MO and GunPundit readers.

Not sure how much blogging I’ll do over the weekend. You all watch some football, eat some turkey, spend some time with friends and family, and have a great holiday.

Those of you on duty who can’t do any of the above because you’ve got a mission: You’ve got no idea how thankful the rest of us are that you’re doing what you do. We’re thinking of you.

Some Post Veterans Day Thoughts at Empty Cases.

Fretting about the FN 5.7 reportedly used by the Ft. Hood killer, because gun control advocates call it a ‘cop killer’.

Despite the hand wringing over the ability of armor piercing ammo, to, um, pierce armor, it doesn’t seem likely that any of the victims were wearing armor at the time of the incident. So that hand wringing, like so much of it in the press, is pointless.

For what it’s worth, this gun seems like a curious selection for someone who was planning to do this. Did things go differently than he planned? Had he originally planned to do something different?

Anyway, while some worry about the dangerous model of gun he used, the rest of us will know it’s the man who is the problem, not the tool. After all, it wasn’t the ‘cop killer’ gun that made him shoot the wounded again.

UPDATE: Confederate Yankee notes that Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who was wounded while fighting Hasan, might be the first law enforcement agent ever hit by this ‘cop killer’ gun.

UPDATE 2: Wow. This ‘cop killer’ thing is getting more attention than I would have thought, given that it has no basis in reality. Should have known better.

Anyway, the ‘cop killer’ aspect, even as portrayed by the antis, only comes into play if armor piercing ammo is used. I don’t know for sure, but I haven’t seen any reports indicating that Hasan actually used AP ammo, which isn’t available through normal civilian outlets. Hasan is, of course, military, but that doesn’t mean he had access to the military and LE only armor piercing ammo. Remember that his gun was a civilian purchase.

For what it’s worth, not only is the Five-seveN an odd choice for this sort of thing, but it would probably would be LESS lethal with AP ammo against unarmored targets.