Marines Getting New 50 Cal Rounds: Lighter And With A Polymer Caselet

From Defense News:

The round in a Marine’s .50 caliber machine gun weighs about 114 grams. MAC Ammunition out of Bay St. Louis, Miss., has produced a round that weighs about 92 grams.

It’s 25 percent lighter because instead of a full brass casing, and it’s made partly with a polymer caselet (which you can see in the photo just below the link on each round).

It’s designed to work just like the round Marines use now.

“There’s no new training,” said Clint Smith, a retired Marine officer and executive consultant for MAC. “When the Marine picks up a can of ammo, it’s lighter and the operation of the machine gun is the same.”

The commandant has said he wants to lighten the Marine’s load. This round is being tested now at Marine Corps Systems Command.



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