Originally Posted by
Bergeron
I can even see working with those ballistics to create a DMR/precision semi-auto.
I just can't see broadly and generally equipping everyone in a squad with a 135 gr @ 3k+. That's gonna be bulky, heavy ammo that'll be substantially more blasty and higher recoil than the current guns. Unless there's a tremendous increase in marksmanship training, hitting at longer ranges will be more difficult, even if the exterior and terminal ballistics will be improved.
As a filthy civilian, I also don't understand the fear of armored troops. I doubt anyone's gonna take even one or more long-range 5.56 hits and just shrug it off, marching remorselessly through the gunfire.
I've done requirements analysis in weapons design before, and the only requirements I've ever seen hinted at for this effort was to engage PKMs at long range and defeat substantial armor at range. If there's somewhere I could find a more thorough analysis and listings of requirement, I would be interested to read such.