Soldiers Give the Army’s New Rifle Optic Low Ratings
BY Herschel Smith
4 hours, 48 minutes ago
A 1-8×30 variable magnification direct view optic built by Vortex Optics subsidiary Sheltered Wings, the XM157 incorporates advanced technologies such as a laser rangefinder, aiming lasers, environmental sensors, ballistic solver, compass and a digital display overlay, all of which are designed to “increase the probability of hit and decrease the time to engage” with a computerized assist, according to the Army’s fiscal 2025 budget request.
The XM157 also features wireless connectivity that will purportedly allow it to integrate with heads-up displays like the Army’s current Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, or ENVG-B, and future Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS, do-it-all goggles, allowing soldiers to survey the battlefield from cover using a live video feed from their weapon optic.
“The XM7 with mounted XM157 demonstrated a low probability of completing one 72-hour wartime mission without incurring a critical failure,” the Operational Test and Evaluation report adds.
Despite the documented issues detailed in DOT&E report, the Army is still plowing ahead …
But of course they are.
Hmm, let’s see. A brand new ceramic cartridge with essentially no real logistical chain to speak of, chambers that will now see 85,000 psi, and a new optic that can’t go three days in the field without malfunctions.
Well, maybe some general got rich off of this boondoggle.
I’ve told y’all what we need to do, and I think most of you agreed. Issue fighters a range finder, get a decent LPVO and spend a lot of range time, switch over the barrel and BCG in existing M4s to 6mm ARC (and for heaven’s sake, ditch the 14″ barrel and use an 18″ barrel), and use Amend2 magazines because in my experience they work well with 6mm ARC.
Now see there, I didn’t even make millions of dollars fixing the problems for you.
Get a decent LPVO, switch over the barrel and BCG in existing M4s to 6mm ARC (and for heaven's sake, ditch the 14" barrel and use an 18" barrel), and use Amend2 magazines because in my experience they work well with 6mm ARC.https://t.co/ViFili9aMq
— CaptainsJournal (@BrutusMaximus50) February 12, 2025
On February 12, 2025 at 12:23 am, Beast5 said:
The weak link isn’t the rifle, round, barrel length, or gadgets. It is quality and quantity of training and ammunition. Buying a fix is an American red herring. There is no fix but hard work on the range.
Barrel length- Hits to 300m. Past 300m, take cover, maneuver, or employ other weapons systems, i.e. machine guns, drones, main guns, fire or air support. Everyone in the world lives in a building and battlefields consistently devolve into rubble cities. Don’t carry a musket into a close quarters battle. Barrel length, weight, and gadgets matter when you have to clear a room and then do it again for 12 more hours.
Training-49 rounds twice a year doesn’t cut it. Start with 2000 rounds per Soldier annually and see if that gets 70% expert badges without cheating. Do 40 iterations of live fire shoot houses annually and weed out the people who shouldn’t be in the military in the first place. Currently, there aren’t enough ranges to get that kind of throughput, so some actual effort would have to be applied to building new ranges. Apply the same logic to all the other weapons systems.
Ammo-Start producing 1MOA ammo instead of 4MOA bulk junk. There is already a huge logistical tail for the 5.56, and probably vast bunkers full of it. When WWIII starts, there will be no manufacturing or resupply because there will be no electricity. It’s a salvo competition down to the lowest rifleman.
And we’re just talking the future battlefield we think we can imagine.
On February 12, 2025 at 1:32 am, Big Country Expat said:
Something I talked about some time ago was the ‘combat round’ versus the ‘training round’
According to reports, the troops (if and when) would use a standard brass cased ‘training round’ which has a chamber pressure of about 50k psi, whereas, as you mentioned, the bi-metallic combat round has a chamber pressure of 85k psi.
BIG difference between training and combat
The ‘combat round’ (faaar more $$$) will hardly get used, and when and IF they deploy into the shit so to speak, the troops start firing the IRL 85k rounds, the recoil is going to be significantly harsher, thereby screwing up marksmanship.
Nevermind the male v female dynamic.
Chicks who can handle a 6.8 Fury Training Round will probably cry when they have to fire the ‘beast round’, never mind being able to hit the target….
Bad JuJu man…