Background info here: Wiki - Individual Carbine

 

Basic Rifle features:

-Semi-automatic capability

-Full-automatic capability

-Fully ambidextrous

 

Key Factors:

-Ability to mount existing optics and accessories using MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) attachments

-Ability to mount suppressor

-Sustained rates of fire

-Ice, mud, dirt, sand, water testing

-Cost

-Contractor ability to produce 2000 carbines per month and surge 4200

-Consistency of performance over lifetime of use

 

Optional features:

-5.56x45mm compatible (Particularly the M855A1 'Green' Bullet)

-7.62x51 compatible

-Other ammunition types are open to bidding, but the cost of supplying the ammo will be placed on the contractor...

 

Competitors:

Colt Defense* - Enhanced M4 Carbine (Piston driven) (Link)

ADCOR Defense - Bear (Link)

Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal - SCAR-L (Link)

Remington Military - ACR (Link)

Heckler & Koch - M416 (Link)

 

*Should no other carbine be selected, Colt's enhanced carbine will be procured by default.

 

Former Competitors:

Colt Defense - CM901

Smith & Wesson - M&P 4

Knight's Armament - SR16 (Link)

 

Recent News:

Army Times Article (11/25/2011) - Link

Defense Review Article (11/29/2011) - Link

here we go again......

"The winner of the competition must be a "measurable improvement" over the M4 carbine to replace it; otherwise, the program will instead convert all M4 carbines to the enhanced version." >>> I'm guessing "enhanced" version is a piston gas system ?? When did that happen? Who decided that ?

It will be colt because the bean counters will nix any good solution

I have no interest whatsoever in a retrofit system sych as the HK, CD, or ADCOR. This only leaves the SCAR and ACR. I can certainly understand why a CO. like KAC pulled out. They spend a TON on R&D so to be asked to hand that over to competitors wouldnt sit well with me either. I have been fairly close to the dev of piston driven AR retrofits and I have seen enough that it will never be a route I would go as a retrofit. I think all these co that do that are on the wrong path. A completly new upper design that fits an AR lower and uses very little if anything at all of the existing AR upper is the way to go. Designed ground up as a piston upper, not a retrofit trying to make parts work in a way they were never designed to.

HK416 will lose out due to price

"The winner of the competition must be a "measurable improvement" over the M4 carbine to replace it; otherwise, the program will instead convert all M4 carbines to the enhanced version." >>> I'm guessing "enhanced" version is a piston gas system ?? When did that happen? Who decided that ?

 

ARDEC and NSRDEC decided it based on testing and common complaints of the platform. But if no clear winner emerges, the new carbine for the US Army is gonna be a piston driven Colt.

I have no interest whatsoever in a retrofit system sych as the HK, CD, or ADCOR. This only leaves the SCAR and ACR. I can certainly understand why a CO. like KAC pulled out. They spend a TON on R&D so to be asked to hand that over to competitors wouldnt sit well with me either. I have been fairly close to the dev of piston driven AR retrofits and I have seen enough that it will never be a route I would go as a retrofit. I think all these co that do that are on the wrong path. A completly new upper design that fits an AR lower and uses very little if anything at all of the existing AR upper is the way to go. Designed ground up as a piston upper, not a retrofit trying to make parts work in a way they were never designed to.

 

Cost-wise, a piston upper is a good way to go since you only need to replace half the rifle... performance though, is another issue entirely. Even during the Dust Tests (SCAR vs. XM8 vs. 416 vs. M4), the guns built from the ground up to use a piston system (SCAR/XM8) did a bit better than the 416.

 

Then there is the issue of ergonomics. I think, given that most troops operate from within vehicles, that the buffer tube design typically found in the AR platform is pretty restrictive for the platform. You really can't fold the stock with it, and if the stock/buffer tube assembly is damaged, then the entire rifle goes with it. This may come up in the Practical Testing portion of this competition.

I remember reading and speaking with a few in the know that the "dust tests" had some fairly serious flaws. These surrounded 2 different batches of magazines. 1 good batch, 1 bad batch. And IIRC rifles that didnt do so well in test one did FAR better when retested with a good batch of mags......but that test is never really referenced and little known. So I look at that entire test with a bit of reserver about its results. What I cant understand is how people charged with carrying out such tests could not see an issue with testing rifles with different "controls".

I remember reading and speaking with a few in the know that the "dust tests" had some fairly serious flaws. These surrounded 2 different batches of magazines. 1 good batch, 1 bad batch. And IIRC rifles that didnt do so well in test one did FAR better when retested with a good batch of mags......but that test is never really referenced and little known. So I look at that entire test with a bit of reserver about its results. What I cant understand is how people charged with carrying out such tests could not see an issue with testing rifles with different "controls".

 

I've heard rumblings of this too. That the majority of all failures in every weapon was traceable to magazine issues (including the XM8/416/SCAR). However, even with those removed, the failure rates were still the highest in the M4. Something like 640 malfunctions were due to the weapon, and 240 due to the magazines.

 

Regardless... the Army is quite set to go to a piston design.

Beretta ARX-160 will win!!!

AK47

I really dig that Beretta. They promise it will be out for the civy market. It realy looks like a well thought out rifle. I cant wait to get hands on!

Beretta ARX-160 will win!!!

 

Sick little rifle.

Ah, the ARX-160! I've been lusting one since I saw the full videos of it during last year's SHOT. I need to start putting money aside for one now.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/02/20/fnac-fn-advanced-carbine/#comments

 

FN Has unveiled their new SCAR for the IC...