View Full Version : USSOCOM Takes Delivery of new Sig Sauer MG 338 Machine Gun
One bad a$$ looking MG is is too. .338 Norma Magnum? Seems very niche round for them to adopt no? Is there anything else already in the inventory that could fill the gap between 7.62 and .50?
"Sig Sauer announced this week that the U.S. Special Operation Command has certified and taken delivery of the company’s new MG 338 machine gun system.
Chambered in .338 Norma Magnum, the MG 338 is billed on being able to deliver effective fire at ranges out to 2,000 meters, closing the gap between 7.62 NATO weapons like the M240 and .50 cal BMG platforms such as the M2 heavy machine gun. Weighing only 20-pounds, the MG 338 uses Sig-produced ammunition as well as the company’s suppressor design to create an all-Sig product.
“The safety certification of the complete Sig Sauer MG 338 system and delivery of the system to USSOCOM is historically very significant,” said Ron Cohen, the New Hampshire-based company’s President and CEO, in a statement. “For the first time in decades, the U.S. Military certified a new machine gun, ammunition, and suppressor at the same time, bringing innovation, portability, and increased lethality to our ground forces, with all components coming from one company.”
https://www.guns.com/news/2020/01/16/ussocom-takes-delivery-of-new-sig-sauer-mg-338-machine-gun?
I'd be interested to know the requirements that drove this design.
Grand58742
01-16-20, 15:44
Sig has been on a roll lately with new toys.
Taken delivery as in (1) a few for testing and evaluation or (2) a large purchase for operational use?
Taken delivery as in (1) a few for testing and evaluation or (2) a large purchase for operational use?
Operational use, with a weapon weighing substantially less and "The 300-grain belted magnum round is touted as having a recoil similar to a 7.62mm NATO round while still being lethal out past 1,700 meters. At 1,000 meters, the round is still capable of defeating Level III body armor and penetrating soft-skinned vehicles, thus considered a bridge between the current 7.62mm offerings and .50 BMG."
It converts to .308 as well.
BoringGuy45
01-16-20, 17:54
Operational use, with a weapon weighing substantially less and "The 300-grain belted magnum round is touted as having a recoil similar to a 7.62mm NATO round while still being lethal out past 1,700 meters. At 1,000 meters, the round is still capable of defeating Level III body armor and penetrating soft-skinned vehicles, thus considered a bridge between the current 7.62mm offerings and .50 BMG."
It converts to .308 as well.
Are they talking about the .338 Norma round, or this particular machine gun? If they're talking about the round, I don't see how that's physically possible. If it's the gun, seeing how the recoil system is, that's another story.
That looks dumb with the (comparatively) tiny M4 buttstock on it. But I guess aesthetics don't mean much.
What is that in the picture like a 25 round nut sack?
FromMyColdDeadHand
01-16-20, 19:30
Yamn.... wake me when they get the minigun version up and running...
Why not just go with a 338 Lapua? Granted, it would be a different round than the 338L sniper rounds, but at least the chamber is the same.
I can see that the Norma is bit more 'modern'- shorter, fatter for longer bullets at the same OAL, but another round? And the SIG 277 pussycat or whatever round?
Grand58742
01-16-20, 19:36
Yamn.... wake me when they get the minigun version up and running...
Why not just go with a 338 Lapua? Granted, it would be a different round than the 338L sniper rounds, but at least the chamber is the same.
I can see that the Norma is bit more 'modern'- shorter, fatter for longer bullets at the same OAL, but another round? And the SIG 277 pussycat or whatever round?
According to the .338NM wiki page, they can more easily load 300 grain low drag bullets without affecting the OAL of the round as might happen with a .338 Lapua
Averageman
01-16-20, 19:38
Mounted coaxially in the Abrams this would shine.
I'm thinking I would want something more robust as a coax, might work with a heavier barrel.
BoringGuy45
01-16-20, 20:18
According to the .338NM wiki page, they can more easily load 300 grain low drag bullets without affecting the OAL of the round as might happen with a .338 Lapua
From what I've read, it seems like the .338NM is more or less the next evolution of the .338 Lapua.
hotrodder636
01-16-20, 20:19
Sig has been hitting some contracts out of the park.
Agreed, that M4 stock does look way out of place and kinda stupid but that is just looks, not function.
I know in the article it stated that the .338 Norma Magnum was a ‘belted cartridge’. I didn’t think that was the case, and looking at various pictures, it doesn’t appear to be either. Am I missing something?
Needs more rainbow titanium...
Grand58742
01-16-20, 21:18
From what I've read, it seems like the .338NM is more or less the next evolution of the .338 Lapua.
It kind of reminds me of an Ackley Improved type of deal with that steeper shoulder, though the cartridge has a shorter OAL.
MountainRaven
01-16-20, 21:55
One bad a$$ looking MG is is too. .338 Norma Magnum? Seems very niche round for them to adopt no? Is there anything else already in the inventory that could fill the gap between 7.62 and .50? [/url]
338 Lapua could, but there are no machine guns in 338 Lapua in inventory.
The benefits to a 338 magnum-class machine gun are there - basically the weight of an M240 with the reach of an M2 - so I think the acquisition is well justified. And I don't think there are enough 338 Lapua rifles or ammunition in inventory to make the change in cartridge anything but maybe a speedbump.
I don't trust Sig to do anything right and follow through with production of reliable and durable products.
The Barrett MRAD is being adopted in 6.5 creedmore, 300 norma mag and 338 norma mag.
FromMyColdDeadHand
01-17-20, 05:51
I don't trust Sig to do anything right and follow through with production of reliable and durable products.
I’m waiting for the Legion Version with the multicolor G10 grips....
I don't trust Sig to do anything right and follow through with production of reliable and durable products.
This, I am wondering which of the decision makers are about to retire and start new careers at SIG.
MountainRaven
01-17-20, 19:49
Yamn.... wake me when they get the minigun version up and running...
https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7abA4a0QCXtSxGN2/giphy.gif
Makers of the Famous Minigun Give Us Our First Look at a .338 Magnum Gatling Gun - The Drive (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31873/makers-of-the-famous-mingun-give-us-our-first-look-at-a-338-magnum-gatling-gun)
vicious_cb
01-17-20, 19:53
This, I am wondering which of the decision makers are about to retire and start new careers at SIG.
Same. General Dynamics had a .338 NM machine gun for years...and Sig suddenly just suddenly wins the contract out of nowhere.
If this comes to pass and the .mil starts fielding more gun systems in .338NM, shouldn't that eventually trickle down as lower cost ammo options (and brass for reloading) for the civilian market? If so, it would seem like choosing NM over Lapua for a LR rig would make more sense?
This, I am wondering which of the decision makers are about to retire and start new careers at SIG.
Agreed.
Coal Dragger
01-18-20, 16:32
This, I am wondering which of the decision makers are about to retire and start new careers at SIG.
LOL, not sure if SIG is a big enough firm to offer the kind of stupid money a Colonel or General expects for being a shill. I guess they must.
SIG: “Welcome aboard General, nice to have you, as part of a welcoming package we’ve taken the liberty of applying our signature rainbow titanium finish to every surface in your new office!”
LOL, not sure if SIG is a big enough firm to offer the kind of stupid money a Colonel or General expects for being a shill. I guess they must.
SIG: “Welcome aboard General, nice to have you, as part of a welcoming package we’ve taken the liberty of applying our signature rainbow titanium finish to every surface in your new office!”
They’ve been on quite the run since the 320 on scoring contracts. I’d like to believe that its on merit, but c’mon, nobody’s THAT good, or even THAT cheap. We even bought their optics. Sig’s been “making” optics since when ? Last week?
I want in on the hookers. You can keep the cocaine.
Correct me if I’m wrong isn’t the one common factor in all of these contracts sole source of ammo provider?
Like if I were .MIL to me that seems retarded.
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IIRC, when SIG won the M17/M18 contract that included supplying all the associated ammo. I'm surprised that didn't include the holsters and mag pouches as well.
FromMyColdDeadHand
01-18-20, 21:49
That Gatling gun would be pretty sweet on a drone.
What else besides the M17/M18 has Sig won recently? I must have missed a few. The sole-source ammo supply thing seems to be because they've worked out a good partnership with Winchester to help supplement their own ammo production. Not a terrible idea for either party to team up like this, and it seems to be working.
This doesn't seem nearly as sketch as when HK was winning every competition they entered for several years, including the ones where they had to change the requirements in order to even let them take part.
What else besides the M17/M18 has Sig won recently? I must have missed a few. The sole-source ammo supply thing seems to be because they've worked out a good partnership with Winchester to help supplement their own ammo production. Not a terrible idea for either party to team up like this, and it seems to be working.
This doesn't seem nearly as sketch as when HK was winning every competition they entered for several years, including the ones where they had to change the requirements in order to even let them take part.
Pretty much everything. Go to SSD and type Sig in the search bar, it’s ridiculous.
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Pretty much everything. Go to SSD and type Sig in the search bar, it’s ridiculous.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just did, at least for the last year. Most of them seem to be P320/M17/M18 related adoptions, hardly surprising follow ons from the Army's selection. The rest are a mix of rifles, ammo, and optics. Most of the orders seem to be relatively small or for trials rather than full adoptions.
What else besides the M17/M18 has Sig won recently? I must have missed a few. The sole-source ammo supply thing seems to be because they've worked out a good partnership with Winchester to help supplement their own ammo production. Not a terrible idea for either party to team up like this, and it seems to be working.
This doesn't seem nearly as sketch as when HK was winning every competition they entered for several years, including the ones where they had to change the requirements in order to even let them take part.
SURG
M17
M18
MCX
MPX
Tango 6T
Some cans
716
2022
.300 Win Mag sniper ammo
Some of these are DoD contracts meant for foreign sales (2022). They’re also balls deep in the NGSW and NGSAR programs with the .277 Super Overmatch Ultra-Magnum, but we don’t know where those programs will go yet. And of course, this .338 machinegun.
They’ve also been getting a lot of LE and foreign military contracts.
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