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Replacement for M249 SAW
- Thread starter 0311
- Start date
I'll believe it when I see pics of troops using it, not before. DOD does this kind of thing all the time. They put out contracts to bid on but end up dumping whatever it is a large portion of the time.
-Mike
-Mike
From what I have seen/read/heard the main problem with the M249 is in building clearing - its to bulky for clearing rooms with etc.
Even talking with my cousin who was a SAW gunner he even relayed how much of a hassle the gun was in MOUT training.
the new paratrooper ones are much smaller, and easier to use indoors.
the army and marine corp leadership need to decide what type of friggen weapon they want. do they want a automatic rifle, or do they want a light machine gun?
id much rather lug a m249 around with a 200 round box attached to it then have a automatic rifle, like the new IAR. what the hell is a machine gun going to do with 30 rounds in it?
the IAR is going to be a diaster if they try to put it in the same role as the SAW.
*nods* Again, going from what my cousin had told me what he had to endure with the M249 when he was in about 10 yrs ago or so.
I fully agree they need to figure out what they want and having a 30rnd magazine for a weapon to be used like a lmg is flat out stupid. Then again anything I say or comment on about what they will do/want it for is pure speculation.
someone will know more then me, but it doesnt even look like you can change the barrel out on the IAR in the middle of a firefight. what are you supposed to do after you fire 200 rounds and the barrels turned white and the guns starting to catch on fire? time to pull out the m9 i guess...
ive seen over 5 SAWs get destroyed by people who "forgot" to change the barrels out. it can cause massive damage to the weapon when the barrel overheats.
PS: if the US military wants to look at its small arms, and see the most obvious one to shit-can, the M9 is at the very top of the list. its a great gun, but the round it fires is a sad, sad story.
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So right.
And I have never been a fan of 9mm. I love my .45 ACP and kind of like the ballistics of the .40 S&W. Loved shooting but didn't like the muzzle flip I got when shooting my P239.
+1 the whole point of the SAW was an upgrade from the M-16 A-1 in the Automatic role. It gave the infantry squad sustainable LMG fire in a more maneuverable package then the M-60, and the uber-cool ability to use the M-16 magazine as a back-up when the SHTF. If they want to go backwards they should just break out some NOS A-1 trigger groups and install them on a few M-16's and all will be good, no need for a whole new weapons platform if you wand a 30 round capacity LMG.
I had read that the holes for the pins holding the upper and lower together were wearing prematurely, and that some folks in sandy places were using zip ties to hold their SAW together. Any truth to this rumor, or is it just your typical BS?
using m16/m4/stanag mags in the weapon is unreliable, your right, its a very SHTF solution.
ehhh i never heard of that before. if the weapon is coming apart that bad i would say it would be taken out of service. the SAW doesnt break down onto a upper and lower like a AR does either.
It was a rather sketchy rumor that I heard, so I hadn't put much credence into it.
i have seen the IAR in action, its actually quite impressive, i mean it looks more like an assault rifle so theres not a target on the saw gunners head. also this uses teh same round as the m16 so the ammo in the squad can be interchainged. couple that with its maneuverability and you have something to be surely efective
DickWanner
Banned
SAW fires a standard 5.56 Nato...
Because the DOD has not committed to a change in caliber, which would be a huge logistical undertaking.
Just looks like a beefed up 416. Unless it takes a SAW magazine, I don't see the point.
Read something somewhere about them using HK box mags with it, I think, which are apparently very reliable. I dunno. Doesn't seem like it would even fall into the same category as a SAW if it can't sustain fire for more than 30 rounds before needing a reload. It just wouldn't fill the same role.
*edit: hmm... no, it was in that Defensetech article. When they said 'box-mag' I think they were just referring to HK's 20-30 round standard magazine. That doesn't seem right.
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Exactly what I was thinking. A heavy barrel M16-equivalent with a 30 round magazine can't lay down suppressive fire like a SAW.
