This is an excerpt from an email exchange among Virginia State Rifle Team members, which was published as a stand alone article in The Bullet:
"In my opinion the black rifle will be the dominant system (completely dominant) in five years. The .30 gas guns have had roughly 50 years of development. The black rifle
was ignored until about 6 or 7 years ago.
Already the records are starting
to fall to the new rifle. The .30 guns are obsolete and will die off sooner
or later, no matter what is done with the rules. The mouse gun is easier to
shoot, and kids like Joe Bartoli and Jim Ward who are juniors shooting in
the high 480s will be shooting 498s by the time they are thirty.
I suspect that the match results will reflect nearly complete dominance of
the newer rifle in less than five years. This is long overdue, as the
McNamara types running today's military will never buy a bigger heavier
rifle (in terms of caliber). The next system (in development) is a 20mm
grenade launcher and 5.56mm rifle system, which will have a laser range
finder, infrared and passive night vision capabilities, and cost about $20K
apiece, the days of the citizen soldier are fast drawing to a close (SO
they say).
The rule concerning the scoring plug for .22 cal vice .30 caliber is
unimportant in the long run. The black rifle is going to eliminate the .30
caliber guns as surely as automatic transmission displaced the standard and
central air conditioning became the norm in home construction. It is a nice
rule for me as I benefit from it, and I honestly think it fair. But the
days of the .30 caliber rifle are waning, no matter what we do with the
rules. Personally I think that I can overcome the .30 advantage in this in
order to become distinguished, as I am competing with those who are not
masters of the .30 just as I am not yet a master of the .223.
I will be at Rivana this weekend and DO NOT invite anyone to shoot me with
either rifle from any position, at any range. I do invite anyone to engage
me in conversations concerning the impugnability of the obsolete and antique
M1/M14/M1A. The infantry trophy team scores are only the beginning soon
there will be no evidence of the big rifles in the record books. It was a
fine rifle in its day. That day is OVER! Long live the M16A2 and its
perverted match service rifle aberrations!
yours in marksmanship
Michael the opinionated"
There it is! Your rebuttals are invited!
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Ni ellegimit carborundum esse!
Yours In Marksmanship
michael