M118 long range

[Doug Casner]

Cheechako, Where ya at buddy? Got my March rifleman yesterday got an article about M118 long range. THE .556 Wasnt cuttin the mustard at long range so they started building M-14s in 7.62 and shooting the M118 long range. It shot 12 in. to 18in. groups at 600 yds. Thats aluminum stocked M-14S not the guns they shot 600 yds. with at Lake City. They just looked like a heavy barrel with an action attached. Sounds like that stuff will still shoot. They need that extra punch in Afganistan where a 600 yd. shot is common. Thats stuff is just what we talked about the other day. Doug

 

[Cheechako]

Doug

I haven't seen the March AR as yet. I've never felt the 5.56mm was an adequate long range cartridge but I've been chewed out so many times by so many 5.56mm shooters that I learned not to talk about it anymore. It is one of the legal PALMA cartridges and I don't see how it competes at 1000 yards against the 308W. They must be far better shooters than I am.

Ray

 

[Doug Casner]

Ray, The article says the M118 with the 175 gr. bullet has as much energy at 600 yds. as the 5.56 has at 100yds. That pretty well says it all. Doug

 

[Larry Elliott]

I just read that article today, and was not surprised at all that the Afghans quickly discovered that a 5.56 might be able to hit someone at 500 or 600 yards and might even give him an scratch or little puncture wound. Poking holes in paper isn't the same as poking holes in people or animals that need to be put on the ground either to save the hide of our folks or kill a game animal humanely. The "modern" thinking that nobody shoots at anyone past 200 or 300 yards that came about after WW II or Korea worked okay in SE Asia (maybe), but surprisingly there are lots of places that aren't SE Asia.

They've lightened the ammo load of the troops, and made up for it by having them pack everything they own on their back. I read something recently that the average infantryman or Marine packs over 100 lb around with him. The "lightweight" M4 weighs as much all rigged out as an M1 or M14 and a round from the M4 won't make someone fall over like a round from the M1 or M14. I'm not sure it takes a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Maybe the people who make decisions should be people who actually have field experience? That that will ever happen is not something I'll likely live long enough to see.

 

[alinwa]

My son was in Afghanistan with 3/7 Kilo at Sangin this last year and these boys FOUGHT carrying 125-150lb. Running, jumping full-on active firefighting none of this bellied down behind a dune stuff.

Crazy.

He's not even 20yrs old and a brute and he figures he'll need both knees replaced.

 

[Bnhpr]

Cheechako, Where ya at buddy? Got my March rifleman yesterday got an article about M118 long range. THE .556 Wasnt cuttin the mustard at long range so they started building M-14s in 7.62 and shooting the M118 long range. It shot 12 in. to 18in. groups at 600 yds. Thats aluminum stocked M-14S not the guns they shot 600 yds. with at Lake City. They just looked like a heavy barrel with an action attached. Sounds like that stuff will still shoot. They need that extra punch in Afganistan where a 600 yd. shot is common. Thats stuff is just what we talked about the other day. Doug

I thought this was the idea behind the 6.8 spc?

 

[mike in co]

the bottom line is we need both..short range high fire power and long range knock down with accuracy.
ar15/ar10 has both covered.. article in question is just adding life to some m14's by giving them modern furniture.
the design of the ar15/ar10 allows it to outshoot vintage mil guns WITH LESS MAINTENANCE in a lighter platform.
again issue guns not bolt action rifles......

 

[alinwa]

It won't be long before they realize that even the .308 is a bit weak at long range and we'll be back to the .30 Gov't 06, the finest cartridge ever designed. Not that I have any strong feelings on the subject...

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/11/cartridges-logical-30-06.html

You GO 'Hermano!!!!!!

LOL

al

 

[nicholst55]

Realize that probably 60-75 pounds of that weight is body armor (SAPI plates); I only had to wear that crap once while I was in the sandbox (as a contractor), but that was enough - and I wasn't doing any running or fighting!

 

[buffalobob]

First off

Alinwa, I apologize for being mean to you. If you have a son in service then you are somewhat better than a three day old runover possum. I have some videos of my sons graduation from infantry school mixed in with my other stuff. Sorry about your son's knees but at least he made it home.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Microcystis?feature=mhum#p/u/44/ZLMwqT81L0w



Secondly

it won't be long before they realize that even the .308 is a bit weak at long range

I guess you have never seen a person killed at long range with a 308.

Poking holes in paper isn't the same as poking holes in people or animals that need to be put on the ground either to save the hide of our folks or kill a game animal humanely. The "modern" thinking that nobody shoots at anyone past 200 or 300 yards that came about after WW II or Korea worked okay in SE Asia (maybe),

Google up Americal Sniper school, Lones Wigger or Virgil Umphenour and learn something. If you are of jarhead persuasion then they had a couple of guys who were mediocre. One was named Hathaway or something or the other was Maweiner or something.