Double Naught Spy
New member
Most combat is urban now right?
Is it? Is that why troops are complaining that their M4s aren't effective at the long ranges they have to be shooting them?
Most combat is urban now right?
Should be looking for a reliable bullpup configuration that fires a a round that does a lot of damage up close and out beyond 500. Most combat is urban now right? Bullpup is a different manual of arms, but a longer barrel in a shorter package? Seems the best possible outcome.
I think bigger bullets tend to work better, but defining "effective" depends on where you set your standards.
Just compare the 5.56 or .308 capabilities of today with those of 100 years ago.
Is it? Is that why troops are complaining that their M4s aren't effective at the long ranges they have to be shooting them?
The Chinese PLA has been using a bullpup design since 1997. The original QBZ-95 fired the Chinese specific 5.8mm cartridge. It's ballistics were similar to the 5.56 and the 5.8 appears to be more squat, almost "fat" if you will. The reasoning behind this was that troops can carry more ammo in a battle load.
The upgraded QBZ-95s that were issued after 2004 and the QBZ-03 (non-bullpup) were built in both 5.56 and 7.62x39 calibers. I have seen on the CCTV documentaries that the QBZ-03 even has an interchangeable upper that can be swapped from 7.62x39 to 5.56 with just a few turns of a knob. No tools required. The PLA has fought it's own War on Terror for quite a while now, starting with the Viet border raids to Islamic insurrectionists in Xinjiang. It seems that for the regular trooper, both calibers are used equally in urban combat and police work. Squads, within both the PLA and the Wujing (armed police) have designated marksmen equipped with modern bolt-action and semiauto 7.62x54R for dealing with threats at longer range. Unlike American and western SWAT teams, Wujing are organized by squad and fire team just like a combat troop. And they also do regular street patrols, with full kit.
Look even farther back. The .58 caliber minie balls used in the US Civil War were undeniably effective fight stoppers. I don't think anyone hit with a minie ball kept on going. The .45-70's used after the rifled musket was replaced also packed tremendous stopping power. Only problem was ammo capacity and speed of reloading in combat.
Bigger bullets always work better in conventional terms. The .58 minie only has to travel at 1200 feet/sec to slam something with the force of a sledgehammer. Smaller bullets, to compensate for their lighter mass, has to have high velocity. Incidentally we have a running thread now in the hunting forums about using tiny bullets at blistering high speed to whack whitetails with hydrostatic shock as the main lethal mechanism.
But if you can choose between a longer or shorter rifle and everything else is equal? Hypothetically of course... shorter is better
The .45-70's used after the rifled musket was replaced also packed tremendous stopping power. Only problem was ammo capacity and speed of reloading in combat.
The problem there is the aspect of "hypothetically." When has there been longer and shorter rifles where everything else was equal?
In this case, not only is it not going to be equal, but the military is expecting higher performance which will introduce a lot more unequal aspects.
Polymer.I see now they are considering those plastic cases bullets without any brass. I forget what they are called