LaEscopeta
Member
A number of counties that are maybe not the best of buddies with the United States have standard military rounds that are similar to the 5.56x45 mm NATO round the U.S. uses (Russia and other former USSR and Warsaw Pact counties use the 5.45x39 mm round, the People’s Republic of China uses the 5.8x42 mm round)
Is it feasible to modify the U.S. small arms currently in service to allow them to function as they do now with 5.56mm NATO ammo, but also work decently with 5.45x39 mm and 5.8x42 mm rounds?
The possible advantage of the above is US troops overrunning an enemy using 5.45x39 mm or 5.8x42 mm rounds can pick up the enemy’s ammo and use it in their own weapons, allowing them to press forward an assault without waiting for resupply. But enemy troops will not be able to fire captured 5.56x45 mm NATO rounds in their weapons.
If it is not feasible to set up US rifles and light machine guns to fire all three rounds, perhaps it is possible to have one set of bolts/barrels that work with 5.56mm NATO and 5.45x39 mm, and a second set designed to work with 5.56mm and 5.8x42 mm. The idea being units deploying where they might encounter 5.45x39 mm will have weapons set up to use that ammo, and units deploying where there is 5.8x42 mm will swap out parts before leaving to be able to use that ammo. The idea is NOT to have US troops have to change or modify their weapons in the feild to fire captured ammo.
Taking the above concept one step further, could US weapons be modified to use enemy magazines and ammo belts, as well as the mag/belts currently in use?
(The above idea comes from the urban legend explaining why the Japanese military starting switching their standard ammo from 6.5x50 mm SR to 7.7x58 mm Type 99 just before WWII. The new bullets have a slightly larger diameter than the standard bullets used by potential enemies of the Japanese (.303 British, .30-06 American and 7.62x54 mm Russian) and the new 7.7 mm Type 99 Arisaka rifles could fire all three of the foreign bullets. The legend says the Type 99s could fires captured ammo but in fact this is not true; case differences do not allow it. )
Is it feasible to modify the U.S. small arms currently in service to allow them to function as they do now with 5.56mm NATO ammo, but also work decently with 5.45x39 mm and 5.8x42 mm rounds?
The possible advantage of the above is US troops overrunning an enemy using 5.45x39 mm or 5.8x42 mm rounds can pick up the enemy’s ammo and use it in their own weapons, allowing them to press forward an assault without waiting for resupply. But enemy troops will not be able to fire captured 5.56x45 mm NATO rounds in their weapons.
If it is not feasible to set up US rifles and light machine guns to fire all three rounds, perhaps it is possible to have one set of bolts/barrels that work with 5.56mm NATO and 5.45x39 mm, and a second set designed to work with 5.56mm and 5.8x42 mm. The idea being units deploying where they might encounter 5.45x39 mm will have weapons set up to use that ammo, and units deploying where there is 5.8x42 mm will swap out parts before leaving to be able to use that ammo. The idea is NOT to have US troops have to change or modify their weapons in the feild to fire captured ammo.
Taking the above concept one step further, could US weapons be modified to use enemy magazines and ammo belts, as well as the mag/belts currently in use?
(The above idea comes from the urban legend explaining why the Japanese military starting switching their standard ammo from 6.5x50 mm SR to 7.7x58 mm Type 99 just before WWII. The new bullets have a slightly larger diameter than the standard bullets used by potential enemies of the Japanese (.303 British, .30-06 American and 7.62x54 mm Russian) and the new 7.7 mm Type 99 Arisaka rifles could fire all three of the foreign bullets. The legend says the Type 99s could fires captured ammo but in fact this is not true; case differences do not allow it. )
