Congress Wants to Know Why Soldiers, Marines Don't Use the Same Rifle Ammo

ballistics wise they are very similar rounds. The Army designed the M855a1 so that the round would match the ballistics of the M855. Initially they said that the rifle wouldn't even have to be rezeroed, though that was proven false. The 855a1 has better penetration by far, also.

I have to agree with SFC Smith with this one. Each mission requires certain skilled soldiers. Your not going to give a ground unit a MK 11 SWS for close combat! That just wouldn't make much sense. I get what the article is saying, but the deadliest weapon you could have put in my hands was a little white pill! It all depends on how close you can really get to your target. Some targets need to be taken out from a pretty far distance, others you u need a whole platoon pretty much to tactfully flood them out of certain areas or structures. Or you send in an INTELIER like me and hand them a drink. Lol... weapons are only as good as there handlers and the main objective.

Just a little something we say where I'm from. Don't take just a machete when you go into bear country.

I agree with all the statements, but being a Navy ground Combat Support and Service support element that is always attached to Marine elements, will say the missions and the way the Marines move in and hold ground is different. The way Marines use Combat Support and service elements is not the same as with Army, Marine elements move in with GCE (Ground Combat Element) and set defense on the move and Army maneuvers differently. This is the main concept of every Marine is a Rifleman. This being said is why Marines like the old Ammo for distance standoff and force protection of ground support elements. We used the Army Ammo (in AFG 2012) as we had elements assigned to Army JSOF and they replaced some of the Navy/Marine Ammo they expended and replaced with Army Ammo. We discovered The difference when some of the SOF dets came back to main body elements assigned to Marines. This was found out after having some shoot on ranges, the GM's(Gunners Mates) and Marine Cadre the Gunny (A marine sniper) noticed difference in Ammo and it was distance and accuracy. You need to remember Marines shoot at 200, 300 and 500, the Army shoots popups From 5-300 meters, and you can qualify with out hitting the 300 that many times, I know I did. I have done both shooting courses as we use the Marine 300-500 to qualify,and Ammo would make a difference.