New Sig 6.8mm Army Contract for LMG/Rifle

[Magiccarpetrides]

https://www.sigsauer.com/press-releases/sig-sauer-selected-by-u-s-army-for-next-generation-weapons-with-new-ammunition-technology-lightweight-machine-gun-rifle-and-suppressors/?utm_campaign=NextGenWeapons&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

[DaveTN]

They are switching to a 6.8?? That would be ignorant. Of course that’s the government for ya.

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

They are switching to a 6.8?? That would be ignorant. Of course that’s the government for ya.

They said 6.8 hybrid. They said it was lighter with less recoil in a high pressure chamber but with greater penetration. I can only think of caseless ammunition which is not a new thing.

[DaveTN]

6 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

They said 6.8 hybrid. They said it was lighter with less recoil in a high pressure chamber but with greater penetration. I can only think of caseless ammunition which is not a new thing.

Quote

However, the Army’s NGSW requirements call for any submissions to use a special 6.8mm cartridge, known as the XM1186, which has a traditional configuration. This new round promises to have better range, improved accuracy at longer distances, and greater armor penetration capability over the existing 5.56x45mm ammunition the service uses now. The Army's 2020 Fiscal Year budget request says the service is also developing a "special purpose" variant of the 6.8mm round, known as the XM1184, but does not explain how the two cartridges differ. 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27159/this-gun-paired-with-new-6-8mm-ammunition-could-be-the-armys-next-standard-issue-rifle

It's a .243 lite. 

They are making their way bock to the 7.62 NATO; they never should have left.

[E4 No More]

24 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

It's a .243 lite. 

They are making their way bock to the 7.62 NATO; they never should have left.

So how's that a hybrid?

[DaveTN]

7 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

So how's that a hybrid?

Maybe this... I don't know; I don't think they know what they are doing. 

"The Army's 2020 Fiscal Year budget request says the service is also developing a "special purpose" variant of the 6.8mm round, known as the XM1184, but does not explain how the two cartridges differ."

[E4 No More]

Just now, DaveTN said:

Maybe this... I don't know; I don't think they know what they are doing. 

"The Army's 2020 Fiscal Year budget request says the service is also developing a "special purpose" variant of the 6.8mm round, known as the XM1184, but does not explain how the two cartridges differ."

I saw in the article that you posted that there was a cartridge that had the bullet inside the case to make it shorter. It seems that would decrease case volume a lot and thus necessitating a different powder, I suppose. But I can't see how that could be considered a hybrid.

[Erich]

8 hours ago, E4 No More said:

I saw in the article that you posted that there was a cartridge that had the bullet inside the case to make it shorter. It seems that would decrease case volume a lot and thus necessitating a different powder, I suppose. But I can't see how that could be considered a hybrid.

The CT rounds were one of the possibilities primarily pushed by one supplier. But not an absolute requirement as long as it hucks the required projectile downrange. Their big ask is its 20% lighter. The hybrid comes in based on how they are fusing different materials together to lighten the cases. In that article the Sig had steel and brass cases, and there was mention of polymer cases.

This article did a little explanation of testing that led to the candidates falling between 6.3 to 6.8, before they settled on the 6.8. Had some pictures of poly hybrid cases. I would love to know how they combine different materials to support such high pressures.

https://uklandpower.com/2018/10/19/the-us-armys-next-generation-squad-weapon-programme/