How could or should the 6.5 mm Grendel be improved?

[stanc]

I think it's more subtle than just lack of money...

Judging by history, money has often been an excuse, but never a reason. A couple of examples:

- After the War Between the States, military budgets had been slashed to the bone. Despite that, the Army adopted TWO new rifle cartridges. The first, in 1865, was the .58 Rimfire. The second, in 1866, was the .50 Government.

- In 1936, during the Great Depression -- a period that makes today's economy look like boom times in comparison -- the M1 Garand rifle was adopted.

Whenever they really want something, they always manage to find the funding.

Add all of the above together and what you get is massive inertia and reluctance to consider change, which makes getting anything different adopted - whatever its merits - a real struggle.

Which is probably the way it should be. If it weren't for this conservative nature, the troops could've been saddled with disasters like the SPIW, the HK G11, or the OICW.

Technical arguments can't prevail - it will take very senior officers and/or senior politicians to be convinced and tell the military to make the change.

I agree. History demonstrates this to be true.