Fair enough, but that's why I got a Glock to replace my 1911, instead of a Sig. To be very clear: I frekkin hate Glocks! They have the worst trigger in existence! I also never liked the look and feel of Glocks, it's too plastic. But I still trust Glock more than Sig, so I was forced to go with Glock.
You say fair enough then you pull this.
No one put a gun to your head and made you choose. You chose the Glock. Go to any gun shop there are loads of brands who will happily sell you striker fired handguns that aren’t Sig or Glock. You weren’t
“forced” much like out years ago debate on DI AR15 vs Piston HK416. You made a choice based on an emotional response and are using that as a bias.
They had other issues reported in 2017-2018, beyond the drop test, including ejecting live rounds and stoppages with ball ammo. Sig had to make adjustments to fix them.
Glock lodged a formal protest with the US Army, arguing that it's 19X should've been selected. In hindsight, the suspicion is that the standardized tests the Army used were biased (because Sig immediately had problems which had to be fixed.)
The US Army likely selected "Sig" because it's an American company now, which has its own advantages. Plus, Sig's offer was obviously cheaper.
Many pistols have issues with choices of ammunition so do many rifles.
The MHS competition was not just about the pistol it was ammunition, suppressor and holsters.
The GAO looked into Glock’s protest and denied it. They found that the Army had done the due diligence and even if Glock was right about Sig under estimating maintenance costs the windows still made the Glock more expensive.
Like I said, on paper, it looks great. The rifle + the caliber + the SAW + the new optic with integrated ballistic computer = a good package. I've been arguing against the 556 for a while (if I remember correctly, you were pro-556 the whole time, until your Army listened to me! lolz)
B.S. think a book shelf fell on your head.
First M4A1 and 5.56x45mm will still be in the US Army system for decades to come along side this. Your claim was about the bogus theory of “man killing rounds” mine counter was that then and now even with this 5.56x45mm will still put someone in the ground with a properly placed hit more than 6.8x51 with a improper. The perception the emotions are what you were arguing then and now. 5.56x45mm,5.45x39mm and 5.8x42mm are intermittent calibers. They don’t instantly kill neither does 7.62x39mm or 7.62x51mm or 6.8x43mm or 6.5x39mm or 6.5x48mm or 6.8x51mm, .300norma, 8.6 Norma. They kill by the same primary means then and now exsanguination, Blood loss Hypovolemic shock. Military rounds by convention are generally restricted from use of hydro shock or expanding rounds unless it’s part of the rounds flight dynamics. Unless you shoot someone with a weapon that is “anti material” in nature IE a 10mm or higher like say a 12.7mm class HMG you are generally dependent on the number of holes you poke in people and the placement. Put a bullet in someone’s thumb they will never open a jar the same way but they will likely live to open plenty of them. Put it in they head they might not. Put a dozen into there chest they probably aren’t getting back up. You were pushing myth just like how a certain Politician recently claimed a 9mm round to the chest will rip your lungs out. The US Army is moving to 6.8x51 because of Armor. Chinese, Russian and third party body armor that is meeting at least level 3 NJ standard design to stop 5.56x45mm NATO and other intermediate caliber rifle rounds. The 6.8x51mm was chosen to try an enable shooting through that armor at 300m as opposed to less than 100m. If the other guy can’t shoot you but you can shoot them you have the advantage.
What remains to be seen, is whether it's implemented and executed well by Sig. e.g. how long Sig's barrels last with these high pressure rounds, and how reliable the recoil reduction system in the SAW is etc. Issues like this take time to show up, especially if the testing system is biased.
At the moment Sig’s contract is under protest by True Velocity which has caused a stop work order on Sig for XM5 and XM250.
However here is what we know. First barrel life not a big issue. The army seems to be looking at four round types
A sub pressure training round derived from Commercial .277 Fury operating at 70k psi. With shorter range for training at existing firing ranges that are less than the ammunition’s possible maximum range of about 1km.
A full range training round for longer ranges but basically .277 fury commercial with range to 1km.
These will be the rounds that are most commonly fired being sub pressure it won’t wear the barrels to anywhere near the same degree.
In event of war infantry forces going to the front will likely get fresh weapons or at-least fresh barrels. They will be using full pressure ammunition in the form of.
The EPR the steel cored penetration round at full 80k psi this is the combat round and will wear barrels.
And third a special purpose round presumably a level IV killer. That has a harder presumably Tungsten cored penetrator. This would be reserved for special war needs.
The XM5 and XM250 though not “quick change barrels” are fairly easily rebarreled commercially available XM5 that have made it to market have a reinforced chamber and barrel.
As to recoil reduction that is three fold. The first is the Spring system. The second is the Suppressor. The Sig designs use blow through suppressor. The blow through decreases heat buildup and the suppressor acts as a muzzle break and controlling the release of the gas. Unlike a rocket nozzle that focuses that gas to propel it, muzzle breaks reduce the thrust. A good suppressor is going to reduce felt recoil by as much as 40%.
Meaning that most of the recoil is in a automatic weapon bolt travel. (For general unawares readers not necessarily for you Mosin) the weight doesn’t hurt either.
The third aspect is operating The XM5 is short stroke piston like the HK416,G36, QBZ191. Unlike the HK system the XM5 is adjustable. Now as you and I know when you put a suppressor on a gas operated rifle you get some gas blow back that’s where the flow through comes in as it allows more of that gas to exit out the muzzle end via three vents . This combined with having designed the ammunition and weapons means that Sig tuned the normal setting of the XM5 and XM250 specifications to the Specific ammunition. Ergo it’s not as overgased as most combat rifles unless the user put it in the adverse setting. Upside softer shooter than you might expect downside more susceptible to issues like mud.
Specific to the XM250 is the combination of Short recoil operation and piston operation. However all the entries to the NGSW including both the True Velocity and Textron rifles had this. As do the 8.6norma MGs from Sig and GDLS/Lonestar future weapons/True Velocity the old XM806, XM307, XM312, XM25/XM29, Neopup and the Chinese QJY201. I think there is even a new rifle on the commercial market that uses it. If this part of the recoil reduction aspect fails then the gun is jammed.
The USMC/USSOCOM Lightweight Machine Gun-Medium is actually the big brother of the XM250 just built for 8.6mm Norma and with a true Quick change barrel system. Has been in evaluation since 2020 with units delivered.
Despite showing up later than the True Velocity/Lonestar Future weapons originally General Dynamics LWMMG Sig’s version of the idea actually passed safety certification.
As such I think a lot of the press on Sig’s “Engineering” is a lot of malarkey.
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