[LastResort]

I've been following the development of the new Individual Combat Weapon in current development. XM29 Integrated Air Burst Weapon and the Lightweight Assault Rifle that is meant to be phased in first. Both are neat and look to provide some really impressive features, but I personally had hoped for a large step forward in the actual round used in the rifle itself. Specifically, I figured a caseless ammunition would be standard issue sometime in the next decade, but that does not appear to be the case. HK had a preproduction model that went through testing in the Advanced Cobat Rifle program in 90's. It has some incredible features including a jaw dropping cyclic rate of 2000 rounds per minute when firing in a 3 round burst with no recoil until the final round is sent. This is due to a sliding breach/magazine/barrel system. The breach is a rotating assembly that is fed from horizontal stack of 45 bullets on the top of the rifle it self. Believe it or not, but an extra two magazines are stored on either side of the main magazine, yet the whole assembly (with 145 bullets) weighs in at less than 10 lbs. A final prototype was rummored to have 3 90 round magazines.

More info on the HK G11:
http://remtek.com/arms/hk/mil/g11/g11.htm
http://remtek.com/arms/hk/mil/g11/caseless.htm
http://www.hkpro.com/g11.htm

What do you guys think? Not likely to ever be deployed?

 

[llamase]

More bullets isn't always better. With out brass to take the heat, the gun will overheat very quickly. Caseless cook off, and there is another disadvantage of caseless rounds price. Caseless is too expensive.

 

[LastResort]

The spec that the weapon was designed to required that it had to carry 100 rounds, and weigh less than 10lbs according to this. I agree that cook off is a possibility, but 'everyone' claims that this has been addressed. I would also think the high cost associate with caseless is more due to the fact that almost all existing rounds are considered R&D pieces.

 

[fatcat]

Last I read, they shelved the XM29, this true? I would rather them issue XM29's than that ugly ass pice of shit XM8.

 

[Adler]

Both the XM29 and XM8 have been shelved and probably for good. The XM29 was to heavy when you add in all the ammo the soldier would have to carry, plus it was too expensive. The XM8 failed soem importantt tests and is shelved because of that.

The G11 is wayyyy to expensive for its benefits...plus its ass ungly and is permanently shelved and destined to a fate of onscurity next to the MBA rocket ammo pistol.

 

[fatcat]

THEY SHELVED THE XM8?!?! HAHAH I was scared I would get stuck with that ugly ass airsoft look alike when I joined the Marines! I dont trust plastic guns with steel bolts... After some time the bolts start to dig into the recevers just like on the Carbon-15's by Bushmaster and with sand in them it only makes it happen faster.

OH, Could you show me a link to this info? I have to see it for myself... and send it to my Dad who hated the thing as much as I did.

 

[jamz]

Phased-plasma rifle in the 40-watt range :mrgreen:

 

[fatcat]

:? Il stick with my lead flinger...

 

[Mndfusion]

hey casless ammo may put a dent in overall brass production, we sure wouldnt want that...J/J

I really like the casless idea, you leave no brass fingerprint and I think the G11 looks cool.. And Its ammo was tested a lot, and it worked in final phases of development well. They even droped it from airplanes in crates without chutes and it survived.

 

[Shad]

Phased-plasma rifle in the 40-watt range :mrgreen:

I'm not a fan of those. Don't like the trigger pull

 

[Janq]

Last I read, they shelved the XM29, this true? I would rather them issue XM29's than that ugly ass pice of shit XM8.

In this months Popular Mechanics at page 24 there is a mini article referencing the XM-8 and XM-25 (formely combined as on unit under code name XM-29) and they state that the XM-8 has been shelved while the XM-25 will be "ready for deployment in 2008".
Additionally they have a mini review of the FN SCAR 'Light'.

- Janq

 

[WRXplatinum]

Holy God is the XM-25 a ugly fucking gun.

 

[Mndfusion]

[
Additionally they have a mini review of the FN SCAR 'Light'.

- Janq

and they make it in 762x39, hellyea!