Textron Systems NGSW Rifle and LMG

[LRRPF52]

That is what scares me. In the past there have been too many cases of a General or Public official going with the political career wise safe choice as opposed to what would have best served the troops with boots on the ground. We cannot predict when, where or who will be in the next conflict, so hedging all the possibilities so that our guys/girls will have the best to work with will make any decisions now even more uncertain.

The one good thing about my age is that even though I suffered through the mistakes of the past, I most likely will not be a part of those of the future. God bless the troops and God help the decision makers!

The more I study the development of small arms and cartridge designs, the more I’ve come to the realization that every so often in a century, someone will come up with an idea about a new weapon and or ammunition concept. More often-than-not, that idea will not be implemented for various reasons. Over time, someone will pick up that idea and carry it over the finish line when the right number of personalities and technological maturity intersect for whatever reasons, be it stellar alignment, some other supernatural force, or coincidence.

Take the Small Caliber High Velocity Rifle concept as one example. You know when that concept was envisioned? In the 1800s. It even got support from the Army’s Chief over Ordnance, Brigadier General Flagler:

March, 1894:
The US Army’s Chief of Ordnance, Brigadier General Daniel W. Flagler, orders the construction of experimental cartridges to determine the military suitability of calibers smaller than 0.30". Eight barrels are made, divided evenly between .22 and .20 caliber, with rifling twists of 1 in 6" and 1 in 5.5" respectively.

In an article, the founder and editor of Shooting and Fishing magazine, Arthur C. Gould, dubs Reuben Harwood’s .22-20-55, the “Hornet”. The nickname sticks, and it is hereafter advertised as Harwood’s Hornet. (It should not be confused with the later Winchester .22 Hornet.) J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. even announces its intent to chamber rifles for it. (However, it is believed that Stevens never made it a production line item.)

January, 1895:
Brig. Gen. Flagler instructs Frankford Arsenal to fabricate 250 .22 cartridge cases and 300 bullets. 250 of the bullets are 118 grain, while the remainder is split evenly between 112 grain and 120 grain bullets. Based on data developed by Springfield Armory’s Lt. Tracy C. Dickson, the cartridges are tested in modified Krag rifles. Performance of the .22 cartridge is 2,600 feet per second with the 120 grain bullet. (It is not known whether the proposed .20 caliber cartridge was ever fabricated or tested.)

5.56x45mm Timeline



We can also look at the 6mm Lee Navy cartridge of that time period, which would push a 75gr at 3300fps, although it was issued with a 112gr bullet going 2560fps from a 28” pipe.



It wouldn’t be until the late 1950s before the SCHV Rifle concept and ammunition would actually gain enough traction-against Army Ordnance institutional resistance, and become the standard service rifle cartridge for the US military.



Never resting on “good enough”, the Army wanted something more with the ACR competition in the 1980s. Instead of adopting a new rifle and cartridge, we adopted the optics and some other peripheral designs that were submitted during those trials, including the Elcan, ACOG, variations of the Colt ACR furniture for the SOPMOD stock, and the flat top upper receiver design for the M4 taken from the Colt ACR:




This is why I think something will be adopted out of the NGSW program, whether it’s the optics, the LMG version, or even the whole shebang. Lightening the ammunition load when scaled for palletized munitions is what really makes the bean-counters’ panties get tight-and rightfully so. If we can reduce bulk weights like that, it allows for better fuel efficiency for Air Mobility Command, easier transport by land-baed vehicles, and of course the soldier’s load (as long as the magazines don’t contribute to an overall same or heavier weight).

You can start to see how the big picture will tempt the General officer level to push for adoption, without the soldier’s load being taken into consideration the way Joe Private First Class and Corporal Bad A** might look at it. We’ll see soon enough what happens.