Army Finally Picks and It's SIG

[Moped]

The Army has finally picked it's new rifle and Squad Automatic Weapon, to go along with it's new pistol.  

Rifle: https://www.yahoo.com/news/army-picks-replacement-m4-saw-230105091.html

SAW: https://www.yahoo.com/news/army-chooses-sig-sauer-build-225152088.html

 

[Chucktshoes]

This is going to be interesting. 

[Defender]

One of the reason I went with 5.56 was i reasoned that ammo would be prevalent.  I've long been tempted by 6.8 though.

[Garufa]

6.8 what exactly?

[Defender]

18 minutes ago, Garufa said:

6.8 what exactly?

6.8mm ammo

[OldIronFan]

Military designation will be 6.8x51 
Sig has a commercial version that is .277 Fury

[GooseGrim]

19 minutes ago, Garufa said:

6.8 what exactly?

They gotta be talking about the new polymer cased stuff seen here:

True Velocity's 6.8mm Polymer Cased Round Primed for Wider Use :: Guns.com

 

Which would be awesome for reloaders if the cartridge specs were released and could be 3d printed.

[Defender]

5 minutes ago, OldIronFan said:

Military designation will be 6.8x51 
Sig has a commercial version that is .277 Fury

googled this and the one on Sigs web page is 8k!  Dang, I may as well buy 3 of them, lol.

https://www.sigsauer.com/mcx-spear.html

[GooseGrim]

SAAMI Specs are up on the cartridge already, looks like it's not polymer cased after all:

Microsoft Word - 277 Sig Public Introduction Orig 2020-11-11.docx (saami.org)

[Chucktshoes]

Nope. Steel base, brass body, connecting washer. 
 

It’s designed to stuff something with similar energy to a .30-06 with 6mm ballistics into a .308 case. 

[Grayfox54]

About damned time! I never did like the M-16 or the 5.56 cartridge.  

Sig makes excellent firearms. I'm glad they got the contract. I think I heard ( correct me if I'm wrong) that these weapons will be built in the U.S. Good for our economy as well. 

My understanding is that the 6.8 cartridge is on par with the .270 Winchester. A classic hunting cartridge capable of taking most any game in North America. It should serve our troops well. 

[Omega]

1 hour ago, Chucktshoes said:

Nope. Steel base, brass body, connecting washer. 
 

It’s designed to stuff something with similar energy to a .30-06 with 6mm ballistics into a .308 case. 

Yea but, is it reloadeable?  If not then that sucks for us wanting to stay with military calibers.  But, I would guess that there will be plenty 5.56 surplus.

[OldIronFan]

removed comment

Edited April 20, 2022 by OldIronFan

[Grayfox54]

2 hours ago, Omega said:

Yea but, is it reloadeable?  If not then that sucks for us wanting to stay with military calibers.  But, I would guess that there will be plenty 5.56 surplus.

I'd think that would depend on how thick the brass is. I think one of the advantages of the bi-metal case is the brass section can be thinner? You also have to take into account the steel base. Looks to me to be about 1/2" long. You would probably need specific dies made for that cartridge to full length resize. But I do think it can be done. 

[Omega]

I suppose it is not a question of can it be reloaded but will it be practical to do so, right now I would say no, specially with the expense of the brass and the proprietary powder.  But when they fully field the caliber I guess things may get a bit cheaper, and more experimentation can occur in the field.

[Johnny Rotten]

They need to edit their comments in that article, Russians dying daily 

 

The decision to pursue an intermediate caliber round came out of the Small Arms Ammunition Configuration Study, which emerged from concerns about body armor improvements among Russian and potentially Chinese troops.

 

where's the saw?

[DasVidaniya]

6.8 X 51?

 

New mags for everyone!

 

[Chucktshoes]

15 minutes ago, DasVidaniya said:

6.8 X 51?

 

New mags for everyone!

 

Works in regular .308 mags AR mags. 

[Grayfox54]

Give it a couple of years. When there's a semi-auto civilian version and ammo readily  available, I could very well see myself buying one.  

[Garufa]

Runs up to 80,000 psi.  I guess that helps explain the steel case head along with extraction advantages.

SIG has found themselves a very lucrative contract.  How much battering can a weapon take in military usage at those pressures?

Edited April 20, 2022 by Garufa

[Erik88]

Kinda strange that Sig won both the handgun and long gun contracts. I remember the RFP for handgun was written in such a way that it was obvious Sig was going to get it. 

Sig quality does not impress me. My experience has not been great. 

[Omega]

12 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

Kinda strange that Sig won both the handgun and long gun contracts. I remember the RFP for handgun was written in such a way that it was obvious Sig was going to get it. 

Sig quality does not impress me. My experience has not been great. 

We just got through inspecting and putting Loctite on the sights of the Regiment's Sigs, lost a few sights due to them coming loose.  

[Badshot57]

As an infantryman I've never been a fan of the idea that knew body armor used by our adversaries warrants a new more powerful caliber than the 5.56NATO. Since the time it arrived it's proven on the battlefield especially in the 21st century where it's done it's actually job in suppressing the enemy which is all it's really asked to do so that those artillery and aviation guys and gals that I love so much can blow the enemy straight to hell. Oh yea and I never heard the enemy celebrate getting hit by one either. 

Just my little spill on it but none the less I love shooting and I love weapons so I'll be excited when I get my hands on a XM5 and see what it's really about. 

[Trekbike]

So does this mean that the media and politicians will no longer be able to claim the AR15 platform is a "weapon of war"? 

[Moped]

11 hours ago, GooseGrim said:

SAAMI Specs are up on the cartridge already, looks like it's not polymer cased after all:

Microsoft Word - 277 Sig Public Introduction Orig 2020-11-11.docx (saami.org)

This explains the squarish box mags. I though they looked more 7.62, than 5.56.

Another question… Will the rest of NATO follow suit?

Edited April 21, 2022 by Moped