20Oct04

The USMC is quietly converting over to the Mk262 5.56mm round for rifles (no belt-link yet), system wide. The Mk262 is manufactured by Black Hills and uses a 77gr bullet. This round is displacing current inventories of the 62gr "penetrator" (green tip) round.

The inadequacy of the 55gr hardball in both range and penetration has long been acknowledged. The 62gr successor provided little improvement in either category and terminal performance that is actually inferior to the round it replaced.

This new Black Hills round is yet another interim fix, while the Pentagon decides on a new rifle caliber. Penetration, however, is, with the Mk262, much improved. Range is slightly improved. The jury on terminal performance is still out. Some say it is about the same. Others claim significant improvement.

The USMC deserves a lot of credit for moving forward on this, instead of just continuing to sit on their hands, as the Army is doing. Like all steps forward, the Mk262 is far from perfect, but improvements are significant enough to justify making the change, and making it now, while it is still likely to help troops currently engaged in fighting.

Good show!

/John