It has only taken the Military 50+ years, and several major conflicts, to figure out that a .223/5.56 and a .308/7.62, are not enough to get the job done!
Now they are finally realizing that there needs to be "more tools in the tool box". Unfortunately, a box full of tools that are not really what you need for the job, and not what anyone really knows how to use, are pretty much worthless! I am glad to see the move beyond .223/5.56 and a .308/7.62, but in true military fashion, which makes military intelligence an oxymoron, the jury is still out on how well this will all go?
"Low End"
.223/5.56 – you can't hunt anything but varmints in most states with a .223/5.56. yet it is supposed to be effective at stopping the enemies of this country? A lot of people have forgotten about the 6.8 SPC, and what it represented. Now days, whether you want to talk .224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, they all significantly outperform the current .223/5.56. Will that change the M4 caliber, NO! A change based on that scale will never happen IMHO, whether it is really needed or not.
“Middle of the Road”
.260 or 6.5 Creedmoor – great performer and a much-needed addition. Contrary to many debates, the winner will be picked based on anything other than which one "performs best" (they perform equal). As of now, it looks like that will be the 6.5 Creedmoor with the M110A1. This will greatly enhance the capability/performance of the M110 family of rifles.
.308/7.62 – for now, it will always have a home because of its use in the MG family. It is a “ballistic dog”, so it needs to go the way of the Dodo Bird when it comes to anything else. Like the M4 and .223/5.56, I can’t see a change to the MG Family happening based on the scale of everything that would go into it.
“Magnums”
Make room, because this area is starting to get real crowded!
.300WM – a step up, but unfortunately this round will probably never go away because it is a “true Red, White, and Blue creation”. There are plenty of other rounds that can “do the job better”, but with the M2010 and Mk13 Mod 7, it will not be going anywhere anytime soon.
.300 NM – Phenomenal round! SOCOM has figured it out, but I am not sure that anyone else will? With the SOCOM ASR program, this one will hopefully stick around, and gain in popularity.
.338 LM or .338 NM – Nice to have a .338 in the stable, but IMHO the question is, “do you need a .338 magnum, when you have a .300 NM”? The PSR/MSR utilized the LM, but the ASR is calling for the use of the NM. So do you go with NATO and the LM, or do you go with the NM? Answer, who has the best connections inside of the community!
“Big Boomers”
.50 BMG – will always be around once again because of the MG family, but does it really have a place in the sniper role? It can have a “niche role”, but does the application in the real world really work out?
.375 – not really on the official DOD radar screen yet, but if you look at what the Applied Ballistics crew is doing, it will probably only be a matter of time IMHO!
Apologies for the sidetrack, but this is in response to the “who’s who” of rounds being discussed.