New Cartridge Developments and Implications for Dismounted Infantry Soldiers

[stanc]

I don't envision a .338 as a dismounted weapon because of ammo weight, only a vehicle-mounted replacement for M2 with more ammo capacity.

Okay, but other people are advocating it for dismounted use, as is the manufacturer:

[video=youtube;JNB7khjOSXc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNB7khjOSXc[/video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNB7khjOSXc

The "stretched" 6.5mms being experimented with are mostly, in my opinion, simply exercises in N.I.H. syndrome. Ego and emotion, again. There's no fame, glory, careers, or development dollars in going with something off-the-shelf.

Gee, and I thought I was cynical.

Paul makes very strong arguments for keeping 5.56, but I look at it as a judgment call. We survived WWII and Korea with much more limited personal ammo capacity, and our resupply now is at least as good as it was then. ... There is a balance to be struck between carry quantity of ammo and capability, and that balance is a judgment call open for interpretation.

Of course it is. And I'm certain that the logistics of a one-caliber system could be managed. I just think that, all things considered, a two-caliber system is probably a better way to go. Just how much better, I'm not sure, and I'd really prefer a cartridge more like the 5.45x39 than the 5.56x45.