Why New Guns Can’t Shoot Fast
BY Herschel Smith
1 month, 3 weeks ago
He makes good points, but unsaid is the difference between static lines of conflict versus fire and maneuver warfare, and especially expeditionary warfare (US Marines).
Ammunition and weight matter more than anything else.
On August 19, 2025 at 10:10 pm, Justin Bischel said:
An issue only touched on is that we’re running up against the maximum weight that our infantry can carry for any length of time. Body armor and helmets that actually protect are wonderful, night vision is a game changer, but our men pay for it with a lifetime of pain. Back problems, knee and hip replacements, and hopefully the VA does their job.
On August 24, 2025 at 12:25 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Justin BIschel
You’ve touched upon an important issue in the burden being carried by our infantry and other ground troops. Although certain parts of the Army and Marine Corps seem at times to get the idea of true light infantry and how to equip and use them, most of the time, the U.S. military misses the bus on that one.
That comparison was in stark relief particularly in Afghanistan. Their tribesmen who have lived in the mountains their whole lives, are extremely mobile for foot soldiers, due to being the real deal as light infantry. I don’t have exact figures for what the typical mujahedin carries, but I can pretty much guarantee you it is significantly less than our standard Army or Marine ground-pounders do.
And with the advent of drone/counter-drone technology coming to a battlefield near you, I don’t see the loads getting any lighter… but they’ll have to at some point, because absent some sort of technological advance to help the overburdened foot slogger, something’s got to give…
To see real light infantry in any western nation, I think you’d have to go back to something like the Selous Scouts or RLI during the Rhodesian bush wars of the 1970s, who were some of the finest light infantry ever fielded by a modern military.
On August 26, 2025 at 9:34 am, Grunt said:
Go down range and have someone fire an M-60 machine gun over your head at 550 rounds per minute. I guarantee you will agree that is fast firing enough!