10-18-2015, 06:51 AM
BluntForceTrauma Wrote:Jim Schatz mentions a U.S. Army study that states, "near-peer threats are moving towards a common, intermediate caliber to maximize fire-power and efficiencies for the squad in an attempt to increase lethality at close ranges and accuracy at long-range."Yeah, I saw that. From what I've read about the Chinese 5.8mm round, its performance seems to be little better than 5.56 NATO. In any case, I'm not sure if it is anything to worry about. AFAIK, its use is limited to the PLA, and the probability of a ground war with China is near zero.
But if the Russians truly are working on a new 6mm "unified" cartridge, that could be an interesting development (not that there's much chance of a ground war with Russia, either). I've long wondered if a properly designed 6mm round might be able to deliver a substantial increase in range, without the significant weight penalty that concerns Paul so much. IIRC, the old 6mm SAW round was only a tad heavier than M855 Ball.