XM806 lightweight .50cal machine gun

[Ratamacue]

http://www.gdatp.com/Products/Gun_Systems/Individual_Crew/XM806.asp

Is this thing a joke? Cyclic rate of fire of 265rpm? 40rpm sustained? That barrel is so thin it looks like it might as well be made out of aircraft aluminum when you're throwing .50cal slugs through it. I can understand the idea of reducing fire rates and recoil in favor of more accurate burst placement, but this looks like a failure waiting to happen.

On the plus side, the quick-change barrel and fixed headspace and timing would make life alot easier. And the lighter weight will make it a bit more friendly to dismounted ops. But I still hope I'm never in a turret behind this thing.

[Migs]

Maybe for a true lightweight .50 cal?....idk
but with Cyclic rate of fire of 265rpm might as well make it semi-auto

[Chulo]

40 shots per minute (sustained, with barrel cooling or replacement after 400 rounds)
Think about it, 10 full minutes of .50 wizzing over your head. Rate of fire vs. Sustained fire.

[KEEPER0311]

F*ck that piece...the Ma Deuce shall live for ever!

[Ratamacue]

Think about it, 10 full minutes of .50 wizzing over your head. Rate of fire vs. Sustained fire.By contrast, an M2 can essentially fire however many rounds you need without barrel change. And 40 rounds per minute is not much more than you can put out with a rifle. That's not what's needed in a machine gun.

[Zarak]

Semi-automatic carbines and (basically) semi-automatic machine guns. Apparently, in the future, ammunition is incredibly scarce, and suppressive fire is useless.

Maybe they're planning for a war against Skynet.

[18SASS]

By contrast, an M2 can essentially fire however many rounds you need without barrel change.

Its also easy to ruin a M2HB barrel pretty quickly. A rate of 550 rnds per minute with a 3000rnd barrel life...

Hence the CQB option fron FN & Manroy

[derf]

A lightweight version, weighing a mere 60 lb (27 kg) was also developed.


62pounds / 28 kg max.

Word limit.

[Frens]

lightweight and .50BMG in the same phrase doesn't sound so good...

[KEEPER0311]

lightweight and .50BMG in the same phrase doesn't sound so good...
QFT. The weight itself is a reassurance.

[JC0352]

Heavy is good, heavy is a sign of reliability

Stupid project gun is stupid. M2's been doing the job just fine for a long time.

[GregHJ]

The Pentagon is so full of crap on this one. They scrapped the XM312 system precisely because of of the 250 rpm firing rate and now they spend millions on a replacement that has the exact same firing rate. Why don't they just come up with new M2 designs. bet you could take out a quarter of the weight by using composites. It's a tried and tested system that's been with us since WWI.

[rhino]

rate of fire lowered to minimize overheating maybe?

was it proposed to mount that thing in armoured role? sounds like someones idea to give more of a punch/range to dimounted troops without all the waight that goes with M2
at 40lb a detachment can houl the thing while the M2 requires a section
40rpm of .50 is hell of a lot, especially when engaging light armour

[Waterman]

It kinda sounds like they were looking to make a smaller/lighter weapon that would have a similar rate of fire to the Mk19 and Bushmaster. Something that could be used fire support in a lighter package (and less ammo requirements) than the M2.

Other than it being something that could be carried into remote areas that vehicles don't go (mountains of Afghanistan) to provide heavier fire support that the usual infantry carried weapons...I am not sure of the need.

[koalorka]

So it weighs 40 lbs and has the lethality of an airsoft gun. ****, that's is even better than the new IAR POS.

[rhino]

So it weighs 40 lbs and has the lethality of an airsoft gun. ****, that's is even better than the new IAR POS.

:petting:yeah, a .50cal

[Breiflabb]

Aren't most .50s mounted? I don't see the big deal in getting rid of those 20kg, when the gun is just sitting on top of a humwee anyway.

[Virus]

Aren't most .50s mounted? I don't see the big deal in getting rid of those 20kg, when the gun is just sitting on top of a humwee anyway.

Besides on top of vehicles, guard posts/towers/whatevers at FOBs/COPs. I'd rather they do to the M2 what they did to the soon to be new m240, make the receiver out of titanium n ****.