Thread: At least it's a nice colour green - NZDF choose AR to replace Steyrs

Originally Posted by R93

Unfortunately not everyone in the Army is capable of being a dedicated marksman.
I shot in every competition I could during my career because I enjoyed it and it got you out of some dull boring everyday stuff and away from the battlion.
Rugby was another bug bear to Plt commanders and the like��

It was also the only time due to cost, the Army put anything into shooting apart from the yearly AWQ that everyone had to do.
Shooting used to be a hi priority when I first joined and before I left some years later training and time doing it was very limited.

Pretty much the same faces were present every year in most of those competitions.

A mere handful compared to the potential selection base of shooters.

I do not have an opinion on what caliber should be used unless it is role specific.
5.56 is adequate for its general role imo.
Changing caliber for individual weapons would have to be done elsewhere in the world for us to consider it.

The first priority in any contact is to try and gain fire superiority. Win the initial fire fight.
Deliberate shooting has no use or place in the first instance.
Rounds in volume on the ground do.
Therefore the amount of a munitions a soldier can carry has to be considered. Not only does he carry for himself but he will likely be carrying ammo and mines for other assetts.
I believe first line ammo is still 280 rounds and 2 grenades minimum so a change to a larger caliber would increase weight or reduce amount carried, so which ever way you look at it there would be substantial changes needed and quite frankly above any pay grade I would have made had I stayed in longer.

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Yep still at 280 rounds but given the typical combat load is 2xfront line you can see how the weight builds up. The DMW on the other hand has a first line of 140 rounds which as a designated marksman is fine but as we know any member within the section must be capable of assaulting just like the other rifleman so they end up caring a min of 2 frontline, which you can imagine gets rather heavy very quickly.