M240 on way out

[Vrenn]

Effective at ranges out to 2,000 meters, the SIG Sauer MG 338 machine gun has a greater range than the M240 platoon-level machine gun. It has a rate of fire of 600 pounds and is chambered in the hard-hitting .338 Norma Magnum (8.6x63mm) round, and yet it weighs in at just around 21 pounds. SIG Sauer MG 338 Machine Gun: Coming to U.S. Military? - 19FortyFive
Quite the upgrade and can also fire 7.62 NATO.

I'm certain it's a heavy bastard to hump as well. The military should have invested more research and development into caseless ammunition. I mean, I am all for greater ability to reach out touch someone with all small arms, but the .338 NM is overkill, both for the operator's shoulder and the Muji's torso it disintegrates. Still, it's pretty fucking cool . . . a moose hunting machine gun.

No, it's not really overkill as long as you have a good base mount. But I have sited in a Remington 338 Win Mag. After 20 rounds I had enough. I gave it back to my boss zeroed in and never looked at another one. It was punishing. I might not mind taking a shot or two but not twenty and certainly not full auto. And the Norma Mag is even worse. It's not going to replace the M240 due to those reasons. If you need more fire power in a portable gun,don't..

 

[Oddball]

I'm certain it's a heavy bastard to hump as well

Surely you don't have to be a dominant male homosexual in order to own a gun in America.

The military should have invested more research and development into caseless ammunition.

Without a case or cartridge, you are essentially limited to a black powder muzzleloader or musketball type of weapon from the Revolutionary or Civil War era.

The brass cases or cartridges are ejected automatically and become an “evidence” problem in automatic and semi-automatic rifles and pistols. Revolvers and bolt or lever action rifles avoid the automatically ejected brass evidence problem.

In a battlefield situation, I don't think that shell casing "evidence" is much of a concern.

 

[Vrenn]

I'm certain it's a heavy bastard to hump as well

Surely you don't have to be a dominant male homosexual in order to own a gun in America.

The military should have invested more research and development into caseless ammunition.

Without a case or cartridge, you are essentially limited to a black powder muzzleloader or musketball type of weapon from the Revolutionary or Civil War era.

The brass cases or cartridges are ejected automatically and become an “evidence” problem in automatic and semi-automatic rifles and pistols. Revolvers and bolt or lever action rifles avoid the automatically ejected brass evidence problem.

In a battlefield situation, I don't think that shell casing "evidence" is much of a concern.

Yah, they might get suspicious of a military shooter in Basic that fires once, chased down the brass and cleans his finger prints off the brass and the gun before he fires again. Everyone would wonder exactly what he did before he joined. I doubt he would be tasked with handling the full auto medium weapon like the M-60 or M-240. It would take him all day just to run through the belt.

 

[harmonica]

..a mediocre weapon in the hands of a trained motivated Marine/soldier, is better than a great weapon in the hands of a half-trained, non-motivated Marine/soldier