Is this the composite 6.8 military cartridge long rumored?
SAAMI has accepted several new rifle cartridges, including the 6.8 True Velocity Composite which pushes a 150-grain bullet to the velocity of 2,700 fps.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...le-cartridges/
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads...2022-01-28.pdf
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I'm waiting for the reloading data and dies for the composite round...Originally Posted by JHC
They're showing 150gr for SAAMI, but the load they have been showing around for the last few years (most recently in a great Guns and Ammo feature story) is a 135gr @ 3000fps from a ~20" barrel. 135x3000fps is also the reported velocity of SIG's 6.8x51 from a 16" barrel.
This is in line with the copper and steel EPR construction 'General Purpose' 6.8 VLD the Army has developed, which estimates put at 125-135gr based on modeling.
A ballistics guy on another forum I'm on estimated the G7 BC as 0.29. At 3000fps, paired with the VLD projectile, you end up with pretty insane performance:
There’s no way that (or anything with those ballistics) ends up as a general issue carbine, even for “close combat forces”. As a precision rifle or GPMG cartridge, it looks extremely convincing.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
What’s really wild is that at 65kpsi, TVs 6.8 is the lowest powered entrant. SIG is running it’s similar sized case at 80kpsi, and Textrons CT is rumored to be in the 80-100kpsi range.
The driving factor behind this ‘return to battle rifles’ is the difficulty of penetrating Level IV ceramic/uhmwpe armor. Already these plates can stop legacy M993 7.62x51 tungsten core at 2850fps.
So to be able to defeat Lv IV plates at combat ranges, a projectile is needed that has a longer tungsten core + a high impact velocity. Which is what gave rise to 6.8 NGSW.
I like to geek out over ammo designs, and all this 6.8 stuff is fascinating. I’m ready to see designs, even in 5.56mm & 6mm, that leverage 80kpsi ammo, and the bolt-barrel materials and designs that’ll hold up to heavy use of such ammo.
I’m just also super skeptical of everyone lugging around .270 Magnums as GP carbines. This seems like it could be a hellacious belt-fed gun, and something that was 13.5-18” barreled that hung a suppressor and a scope of sufficient accuracy could give great volume and distance in precision efforts and roles. But a M4 replacement? Doubt that.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
The original plan was for a 6.8mm LMG - SAW. The rifle got scabbed on later.
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The pie-in-the-sky program LSAT program has been around for 20 years... this is a derivative, and it seems they are sloowly giving up on composite cases? in spite of glowing reports from the people in charge of the program.
The Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program is a derivative, seeking a new 6.8mm round with uber ballistics to defeat new body armor, while exploring new materials for cases, bolts and barrels to survive the 80,000 PSI and friction and flame erosion (for AUTO fire!!)s and still keep weight down. They are working with all sorts of tricks to try to keep felt recoil down too.
The SIG team seems to me like the one with the most down-to-earth approach, but I expect A LOT more development and time before anything like this is fielded in large numbers... the technology is not there yet to make it all practical and sustainable. And it remains to be seen if it ever going to be.
Certainly, a round with 7.62 NATO recoil (or more) is not going to replace a general purpose carbine for short range.
And while a longer tugnsten core at higher velocity and with good BC could defeat advanced body armour, this is only up to a certain range (200 m?) due to velocity decay. AND you'd need vast amounts of tungsten to throw dowrange to begin with.
I agree, the technology is super promising and would really shine in a 5.56-6mm zone weapon.
But the 6.8 rifle...I suspect will prove similar to the M14.
The ideal near term situation would be for the 6.8 TV to be selected, paired with SIG's 12lb LMG. And then have the US upgrade the M4A1 to a modern AR15 style M4A2, possibly equipped with the new NGSW-FC smart optic developed by Vortex.
I would love to hear real end-used feedback about that 6.8 belt-fed, as well as the new Vortex optic.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
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