EQUIPMENT / GREEN BULLETS <<
in multiple weapons — the two 5.56 rounds in both the M4 and the M16, and the 7.62 M80 round in an M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. All three rounds are used today. In all test firings against a sheet of 3/8-inch mild steel plate at 300 meters, the M855A1 came out on top. Test centre videos also show the EPR to be equally superior against concrete masonry units — similar to cinder block. The M855A1 was able to penetrate such a block up to about 75 meters with the M16, and up to about 50 meters with the M4. The M855 was unable to penetrate the blocks at those ranges. Wood said soldiers have been told to turn in M855 cartridges and switch to EPR. February, he added, was the first time there had been more expenditure in theatre with the EPR than with the M855.
A question of trust
The round is effective, Woods said, and testing at Aberdeen has shown that to be true, against realistic testing targets. However, the round cannot be effective against enemy combatants unless soldiers use it in their weapons, and they need to trust that it works before they use it. Staff Sgt. Jason Hopkins, of the Manoeuvres Centre of Excellence, Fort Benning, Georgia, has served four years in Afghanistan and two years in Iraq. He has seen combat, and confirms that while there he has used his weapon against “soft targets.” He was one of the soldiers at Aberdeen who test fired the new round and says he is convinced.
“We were a little sceptical, as we are with any change in the military,” Hopkins said of the EPR. “But coming here and shooting it and seeing the performance of it – I’m sold on it. The trajectory and the ballistics
are just as good as the M855 and the penetration is far superior to the M855. It looks like just a more consistent round. With the M855 you may not always get the same thing but everything we’ve seen with this EPR has been dead consistent every time.” As far as the new
round’s accuracy, Hopkins said, “It’s on par if not better.” Woods said testing shows the EPR does produce a tighter shot group by about two inches at 600 meters.
As far as the “stopping power” of the new round is concerned, Hopkins clarified what that term means to him and confirmed his faith that the round would do its job when he might be required to use it. “Stopping power is incapacitation of a target so he cannot engage me or continue his mission,” Hopkins said. “I haven’t used the EPR in that situation yet, but I’ve used the M855. It’s an effective round. But I believe the M855A1 will be more consistent.”
Word of mouth Private 1st Class Scott Lafferty, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne
Division, has served once in Iraq. He was also a tester at Aberdeen. He said he is going to tell other soldiers what he learned at the test event. “I’ll report how we’ve shot both different kinds of rounds and how the M855A1 is superior – although they can test for themselves,” he said, adding that a weapon’s effectiveness is dependent on a soldier’s training. “I am confident the bullet will do what I’ve seen here today.” ■
The US has sent over 30 million rounds of the new
M855A1 EPR bullets to Afghanistan in the past year.
The US uses the M4 rifle in all operations and on the firing range. It is a shorter version of the M16.
Photos: US Army winter 2012_13 |
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