USMC Awards Infantry Automatic Rifle Contract to HK

[Gunreference1]

USMC Awards Infantry Automatic Rifle Contract to HK

Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 4:34 PM

Las Vegas, NV --(Ammoland.com)- Heckler & Koch was awarded a competitive contract to produce the U.S. Marine Corps’ new Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR).

The formal “Full Rate Production” announcement by the Marines caps a competition that began more than three years ago.

Designated the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, the lightweight, 11.62 pounds weapon with ancillary equipment, is a variant of the highly successful Heckler & Koch HK416 used by military, law enforcement, and special operations units in the U.S. and throughout the world.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.ammoland.com/2012/01/13/h...tomatic-rifle/

Steve

[Richard Simmons]

So it's going to replace a beltfed? Betamags?

[old Grump]

It still isn't a real gun. It shoots gopher getting bullets.

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Isn't that basically an M16?

[btcave]

Probably an H-Bar for sustained automatic fire.


http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...tomatic-rifle/

Okay I’m a rifleman with 1st LAR about to deploy at the end of this month and I’m issued the M27 IAR. I’ve been using it the entirety of my work up once I returned from my first Afghan deployment in which I was issued the SAW. And let me say this. Marines Love This Weapon. This weapon is SubMOA meaning at 100 meters a shot group is smaller than a 2 inch group, we’ve used this rifle not only as a suppressive weapon but also as a DMR. The M27 is incredibly accurate. At 100 meters I’ve put 10 rounds in a group the slightly larger than the size of a quarter. On fully automatic I put another 10 rounds in a group 8 inches in diameter. Next the weapon is incredibly easy to maintain, after putting 700 rounds through the weapon the only carbon needing to be cleaned was the gas piston, barrel, chamber and a slight carbon ring on the bolt face.

For negatives we HATE that there has been no word of issuing out 100 round magazines. My unit issued every IAR gunner 22 30 round magazines. To make matters worse the supposed “good” magazines which are supposed to feed better and reduce jams stick to the magazine well. You press the magazine release but alas the magazine is stuck there and must be yanked out. Due to this we Marines feel that this weapon should NOT replace our SAWs but the M16A4s and later on the M4.

Note one of the reasons why this replaced the M249 SAW was that the weapons is way more accurate. The argument is why send 100 rounds of suppression when a Marine only needs 1 round to kill. Marines place a high regard to accuracy and well aimed shots. Do most of us ground pounders agree to this? No, I loved my SAW in a firefight. It just felt safer throwing more rounds then everyone else.

All in all Marines want this weapon. We love it. Just give us 100 round Magazines like Beta C Mags or replace the M16s and M4s and keep the SAWs instead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M27_Inf...utomatic_Rifle

In May 2011, General James Amos of the Marine Corps approved the termination of a Limited User Evaluation (LUE), and the replacement of the M249 LMG by the M27. Fielding of the approximately 4,500 M27 units is expected to complete in Summer 2013, for a cost of $13 million. M27 gunners will be equipped with around 22 of the 30-round magazines already in use with the M16 and M4 Carbine. Twenty-two magazines will approximate the prescribed individual combat load of a M249 SAW gunner, and although the M27 gunner is not expected to carry all 22 magazines, they are provided to the units so that a determination can be made at the unit level on what the individual combat load should look like. It will undoubtedly vary by unit, based on the evaluations conducted by the four infantry battalion and one light armored reconnaissance battalion that were issued quantities of the M27 for the LUE. Though program officials are aware that switching from the belt-fed M249 will result in a loss of suppressive fire capabilities, Charles Clark III, of the Marine Corps' Combat Development and Integration office cites the substantial increased accuracy of the M27 as a significant factor in replacing the M249.

[Solidus-snake]

Well, Surefire had better be getting their asses in there with their new 60- round mags.

22 30rders is crazy...

ETA : Well now heres a good hauling method I suppose. Still, your looking at 4 of these strapped on you

[IMG][/IMG]

[Gunreference1]

Isn't that basically an M16?

The main difference I see is the M27, an HK416 variant, uses a proprietary gas piston system where the original M16 used a direct gas impingement system. Jyst my $0.02.

Steve

[MJ1]

11+ pounds for a rifle? Not SAW but a rifle, it better serve beer too. Time to dig out my M14 and a basic load for a cuddle.