Testing, testing...

[stanc]

Muzzle velocities of 2600 ft/sec won't hack either the trajectory or the ho-ho test.

Uh, what does a cake have to do with it?

Your plots of a week or so ago focused solely on the 1 kilometer game.

Of course their focus was on the 900-meter fight. That's the primary reason increased numbers of 7.62x51 weapons are employed.

The .277 bullet in fact did not do as well even at that long range.

:confused: Huh? Max trajectory height was only 6 inches difference relative to 7.62 M80. At 900 meters that wouldn't even be noticeable.

These cartridges will need to do at least as well as the current M80 in the 0-300 meter and 300-500 meter games.

No problem. The 300-meter trajectories are virtually identical to that of 7.62 M80.

Any new cartridge will need to have at least 2750 ft/sec muzzle velocity to be competitive in the shorter game and to satisfy the TALAR (that looks about right) test that the senior decision makers are sure to apply.

If that's so, then we may as well stop now, and eat ho-ho.

To get that kind of velocity will require either reducing caliber to 6-6.35mm, or increasing cartridge size too much. Either way, it won't be worth changing.