[Richard Marcinko]

Sometimes a lesson is learned by a harsh experience. Other times a lesson can be learned through example.

[XM8 Assault rifle]

It's a job yeah, but it's a job I would like to have.

[Richard Marcinko]

Don't forget that if he did ###### off a lot of officers in high positions, would they have decided to prosecute him on the only factor they could find. I mean if the grenade story is true, although it may not be the biggest crime in the world, compared to what other crimes happen, could they have not decided that if this was the way they could get their own back on him by setting him up and dragging a skeleton out of the closet, could that be it?.

[XM8 Assault rifle]

During the browsing the U.S Army home page I found a link (link below) to an article about the development of the OICW.

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5169

In the article it states that the U.S Army's Testing And Evaluation Command has ordered 200 XM8 rifles for advanced testing as part of a reorganisation into the R and D of the OICW. The XM8 is a further development of the kinetic energy weapon technology used in the OICW for use in a lightweight assault rifle, and if testing is successful, it could mean that the OICW system could be released earlier than expected in 2006.

What are your thoughts on this development. Does this sound the death bell for the M16 and M4 in the next few years, or will they still be standard issue to any soldier regardless of the release of the OICW or XM8.

Share your comments.

[Fav gun?]

The idea behind the post was that the 7.62mm round would stop a man with the same or hopefully fewer rounds than the 5.56mm in BOTH CQC and medium to long range combat. Yes it will go through a target at close range but it will drop the target on the ground with hopefully as few rounds as possible which is the main factor in a combat situation and the conservation of ammo. I'd rather use two 7.62mm rounds and drop the target permanently than fire 4 5.56mm rounds at the target, then having him get up again and return fire as what did happen in the firefight at Mogadishu in 1993.

I also agree with Marcinko and Parabellum on the lethality question of the M4 in medium to long range engagements and the fact that the 5.56mm round allows an infrantryman to carry more ammo. But let's not forget that training is the key to warfare, and what counts is the ability to hit the target in the right place no matter what round you are firing and what weapon you are using.

[Fav gun?]

In addition to the question of lethality of the 5.56mm cartridge, if you read Mark Bowden's book 'Black Hawk Down', there is a passage when one of the Delta Force shooters, (I forget which one) fire 4 rounds of a 5.56mm Tungsten round at one of the militia, who gets back up again and starts firing. His buddy who is carrying a M14 rifle fires one (that's ONE) 7.62x51 round at another Somali who falls down on the ground DEAD and this is in close quarters!.

7.62mm will always beat 5.56mm in combat situations, whether CQC or long-range, although a lot of armies don't seem to realise this. The British Army changed from the 7.62mm SLR to the 5.56mm SA80 and has found this out to their cost, especially with the so-called "reliability" of the SA80. Hell even HK spent £92 million trying to re-design it but you can't make gold out of iron even if you had all the money you want.

So remember guys - choose 7.62 (it's worth it)

[HK's MP7]

In addition to comparisons with the FN Herstal P90, a few units that use the P90 have stated that if the weapon or magazine is dropped from a medium height, then the magazine will not feed the rounds properly, therefore disabling the weapon

This maybe hearsay, but who knows.

[Fav gun?]

Although the firearm used does depend on the situation here goes.

Pistols - A HK Mark 23 Mod 0 "SOCOM" pistol with an Insight LAM or a UTL.

A HK USP Variant 9 with a Insight UTL and Tritium sights

SMG - A HK UMP45 with a Surefire M900 vertical foregrip and a Aimpoint

Comp2 sight.

Assault Rifle - A G3KA4 with Trijicon ACOG 3.5x Scope

A M4A1 with vertical foregrip, ACOG scope and a supressor.

Sniper Rifle - Accuracy International AW50F and 10x scope

HK PSG-1 with 6x42 Scope