What's in the name?

[sp10122]

Aha

21 mate that's a rifle grenade....bit different. The new bit of kit is an integrated grenade launcher similar to a 203.

As Voodoo pointed out we now have the AG36, I think it's a 40mm job.

Have a butchers at this


http://www.defencepicturelibrary.mod.uk ... de=Preview


Also, I beleive that the L85 designation came from the in-service year. Similarly the same ocurred iwith the LAW 80. 1980 was the in-service year and 94mm is the calibre which it why it has two names (now its known as LAW 94). No doubt I've got that the wrong way round but it's been a long time since basic skill at arms!

[Twenty One]

SP,MoD confirms 203 grenade launcher.

http://www.mod.uk/dpa/infantry_boost_no ... ditors.htm

Another site that might interest you:

http://world.guns.ru/assault/as22-e.htm

[Twenty One]

For future Marines have a look here:

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/action5/indexmain.htm

and anyone else who maybe interested.

[lew]

21, just flicking through the modern firearms site, you posted...under USA there is a new rifle called the XM8 so I clicked on it, and what did I see a HK G 36...

Seriously guys go and have a look, I think HK may have a case for copy write...


lew


p.s. If some one clever could post the pics on the forum it would be much appreciated...

[chunky from york]

At he end of WWII the Army looked into the use of rifles by all sides during the conflict. They came to the conclusion that the German Sturmgefher spelling (Assault Rifle) also called MP44 and Stg45 and developed against Hitlers express wishes, was the way to go. So did the Russians and developed the AK 47.


A range of only 300m was needed as most firefights had taken place at ranges less than this. A physically smaller cartridge was needed, so more could be carried. Thus came about the 'Intermediate' cartridge, half way between a sub machine gun (pistol) round originally with a 4mm calibre.


Enfield then developed the ER1 (Experimental Rifle No 1) [try it in a search engine or have a look at a real one at the School of Infantry Museum at Warminster] this had a bullpup layout ie the magazine behind the trigger group and looks very much like the SA80.

Everyone thought this was the dogs bollo**s BUT the USA had millions if not Billions of .30 cal bullets left over from WWII and Korea. They were also the chair thingy of the committee set up to decide the new NATO calibre for rifles. Using their influence they forced the 7.62 calibre ( .30 ) on to everybody.

Enfield tried to modify the ER1 into the ER2 firing 7.62 but it was a disaster. A 7.62 round going off an inch away from your right ear caused one to say 'oh dear, that was painfully loud' and deposit the weapon on the floor. But not in those words.

So the ER series was scrapped and the USA adopted the M!4 ( basically an M1 Garand with a removal magazine) a fine weapon that cost a fortune to manufacture and is still favoured by some American Special Ops people. the Brits adopted the FN FAL (Fusil Automatique leGuere) spent a fortune converting it from metric measurements to imperial and Lo the SLR

A fine reliable weapon, especially with the 30rrn mag from a Bren attached, though a bit heavy and a fair recoil. BUT hit someone with a 7.62 NATO round and they don't get up.

Then of course Vietnam happened and the grunts thought the M14 too heavy and along came the Armalite ( difference between an M16 and a an AR15 ? in America the AR15 is only single shot. So Elmer bullied NATO into adopting the 5.56mm round and the Armalite magazine as standard.

The ER1 was dragged out of the Museum, but instead of letting Enfield get on with it. It was given a name 'The Defender'
and entrusted to a committee with heckler and koch being told when they got the contract to manufacture 'keep you nose out and build as drawn. we don't want suggestions thank you, the committee knows what it is about)

[chunky from york]

Lew it is te HK grenade laincher.In the American nomenclature XM is experimental nodel and is used for weapons being trialed.

[rabby]

Lew it also said at the bottom the differences.

Technical description.
The XM8 is a derivative of the Heckler-Koch G36 assault rifle, and thus it is almost similar to that rifle in design and functioning. The key differences are the NATO-standard magazine housing that will accept M16-type magazines, the set of Picatinny rails on the forend, telescoped buttstock of adjustable length and a different scope, mounted on the Picatinny rail, built into the detachable carrying handle.

So all they have done is take the G36 and slightly customise it, can't anything wrong with that.

[voodoo sprout]

All the otherquestiosn seem to have been answered, but the designs for the XM8 are shown here. Personally I wonder what it has over the G36, all of the options listed are already available with the G36 without develoment costs, bar the XM29 job. The main advantage seems to be that an article mentioned it can be quickly rechambered and with a new magazine housing, allowing it to fire 7.62 Soviet (to allow people to pinch the enemies ammo, same principle as the SR47). Oh, and the G36 is German, which I suppose rules it out completely .