I started doing some round comparisons for alternate history purposes.
A thing that comes up a couple times for soldiers loads is the 10kg ammo load.
The first thing I noticed was that the basic load of 210 rounds for a US Army infantryman is nowhere near 10kg. It's more like 3.2kg.
Why isn't the basic load the full 10kg?
The answer kind of lays with the Browning Automatic Rifle, M1918 type. The 13 magazine basic load for a BAR gunner is very nearly ten kilograms (9.43kg).
It then occurred to me that the 10kg limit is the basic load plus the ammo everybody carries to feed the squad gun.
Hey, grunts, chime in here.
Click here to submit $0.00 US for a lifetime subscription
Posts
Comments
Erin sent me. I'm not a grunt (I was Army aviation back in the early 80s, and was assigned an M60 GPMG for a time) but I keep tabs on the goings on in the military (I work for the Navy, currently). I see that the Marine Corps has opted to replace the SAW with the M27 IAR back around 2011 (http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20110629/NEWS/106290315/Marines-swap-firepower-accuracy-IAR) which uses a longer, floating barrel for increased accuracy and feeds from 30 rd. STANAG magazines. As the article suggests, the lighter weapon allows for easier fire and maneuver, although a change in tactics comes about. It also allows the entire squad to use any ammo they're carrying without having to strip it from belts or acquire the alternate weapon (should the SAW cease to function for whatever reason, you're kinda hosed for using the belt). The Army is looking to the LSAT LMG, which uses a different type of ammo than the 5.56mm (http://www.army.mil/article/68710/New_light_machine_gun_aims_to__SAW__Soldiers__load/) but I've been unable to see any info on the adoption of the new weapon as of yet. It is also lighter than the SAW, but there's the problem with ammo incompatibility. IMO, the Marines have a good idea, going with accurate and on target fire rather than suppressive fire, and changing tactics, though I'm sure there'll be a bit of push-back for that.
ReplyDeleteSo, you never carried a basic load plus extra ammo for the squad and thus don't know?
DeleteThey didn't cover this in tanks either. :)
What I'm trying to find out is if it's SOP to carry 10kg of ammo as a grunt regardless if it's for your weapon or not. That lets me fill in my sketchy idea for 7mm NATO equipped troops in Vietnam.
I asked an infantry friend who recently came back from the sandbox. Infantry still carries 210 rounds for their own rifle. "The gunner and the assistant gunner would carry sufficient ammo i have never heard of individuals carrying extra for the crew served weapon"
DeleteWe usually carried a belt or two of 7.62mm for the M-60. Sometimes a belt and a three clip of 60mm for the mortar. The assistant gunner would be carrying the tripod if we were using one (depending) and two belts for sure.
ReplyDeleteI was a Medic, so I carried 180 rounds on my LBE and another 60 in my pack then my kit. Nothing else. The other guys carried 300 plus 2 100 round belts for the 60.
ReplyDelete