[Steve_in_29]

Hmmm I seem to remember a certain knowledgeable(?) person on here telling me this couldn't happen?

BREAKING: USMC Begins Process To Issue M27 IAR to Every Rifleman; Issues RFI To Industry - Soldier Systems Daily

Earlier today MARCORSYSCOM issued “Request for Information (RFI) M67854-17-I-1218 For Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM), Quantico, VA Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR)”. They are very clear at this point that is solely an initiation of market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 and is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP). To be clear, issuing an RFI is a natural step in the acquisition process.

This action comes after a short duration experiment last Fall during which, an entire Marine Infantry Battalion was equipped with the IAR instead of their issue M4s. The experiment was obviously a success. At the time there was still no requirement but apparently, they’ve worked that out and lined up funding to make this happen.

 

[sweersa]

Great news for Marines!

 

[Steve_in_29]

This was something a Major from HQMC hinted at to me many years ago back when the IAR was first issued to partially replace the SAW as being the ultimate goal.

 

[LoneStarJack]

Well...would this explain why HK is pumping $30 million into their Columbus plant to increase manufacturing capacity here in the USA??

This is good news for the USMC and potentially HK!

 

[Wild Bill]

Great news for H&K and the Marine Corps!

 

[AGG-closed]

Great news for Marines!

And us!!! :biggrin:

Tony

 

[Shockwave]

Hmm, weird, not April 1st, just checked, wow things are getting crazy around here.

Shockwave

 

[sweersa]

And us!!! :biggrin:

Tony

Agreed! And HK too!

 

[fargo007]

The butthurt is going to flow like an effing fire hose.

"we could rebuild every M4 to boutique grade specs with only this amount of $$$, 34 separate purchase processes that all have to be coordinated, and a thousand monkeys each with a bag of hammers to put them all together."

The way the specs are written, there's no chance a DI rifle can compete for this tender.

MTBF and barrel life alone spell it out.

 

[LoneStarJack]

Bear with me....here it goes.

I've been following the gun forum chatter on this on the AR forums and .... butt hurt abounds. Kind of pathetic watching people who are supposed to understand ARs bitch and moan. The point is simply this: a high-quality piston-system AR offers our Marines the best of all worlds if they need to put a lot of rounds down range, need to shoot it suppressed, etc. this is the weapon. Will they be shooting full auto all the time? Of course not! But if they do....

Some particular pussies are whining about how much it weighs. Leathernecks are not going to worry about that when they don't have to worry about unclogging their DI ARs after putting 15 mags of ammo downrange quickly and risk having them choke up and need to be field stripped.

Talk to the guys who have used the HK416 in the real **** and you will quickly learn why they are the preferred weapon of choice. As Ferris Buehler put it:

 

[USMC91-99]

Well...would this explain why HK is pumping $30 million into their Columbus plant to increase manufacturing capacity here in the USA??

This is good news for the USMC and potentially HK!

My exact thought when I read the notification about the Marines looking to replace the M4.

This is also screams Mattis!!

 

[dragnet]

Makes me wonder if the 433s will see any US armed forces use. Marines seem to get most anything they want after a bit of fussing about.

 

[LoneStarJack]

I wish this forum had a "like" function, @dragnet

 

[G3Kurz]

This is an RFI (Request for Info) not a RFP (Proposal).
Anyone who believes Colt, FN, Beretta, SIG, etc are just going to sit by and watch the USMC issue a sole-source contract for 11000 rifles to HK does not understand the process, the FAR and DFAR and reality. The Marines are collecting info as part of the normal process, to see if anyone can meet the specs, to "check that box" so they can say they asked.
Could the Marines write an RFP and Performance Spec that would eliminate other bidders? - possibly. The HK IAR set new records on performance compared to other bidders.
But it is not that easy and other gun makers in the US are not that stupid or lazy.
This is a first step and the path to a sole-source contract is filled with mines.
This is open to anyone who can meet the specs and provide best value pricing to the govt.
Not long ago HK lost the follow-on M320 contract to a low bidder that met the specs. The same could happen with the M27. The same happened to the M4 (from Colt to FN), the M240 (from FN to Colt) and others.
HK better be on their A game on this.
G3Kurz

 

[Steve_in_29]

Yep, they have to check off the boxes is all. Just like when we hired people Civil Service, where there had to be an "open announcement" of the position and we did it. The announcement opened and closed the same day, as there is no law about how long it had to be open for....just that it had to be announced. Gee surprisingly the only person that managed to get their resume in during the open window was.....the exact person they wanted to hire for the position.

Just like here...they asked for a certain set of specs so narrowly defined and most likely under a time constraint, that unless another manufacturer has a weapon meeting them already in production, it will go to HK.

 

[Steve_in_29]

My exact thought when I read the notification about the Marines looking to replace the M4.

This is also screams Mattis!!

Don't be ridiculous, a certain someone here clearly stated not too long ago that SecDef Mattis wouldn't have that kind of pull.

 

[Klaustrophobia]

Bear with me....here it goes.

I've been following the gun forum chatter on this on the AR forums and .... butt hurt abounds. Kind of pathetic watching people who are supposed to understand ARs bitch and moan. The point is simply this: a high-quality piston-system AR offers our Marines the best of all worlds if they need to put a lot of rounds down range, need to shoot it suppressed, etc. this is the weapon. Will they be shooting full auto all the time? Of course not! But if they do....

Some particular pussies are whining about how much it weighs. Leathernecks are not going to worry about that when they don't have to worry about unclogging their DI ARs after putting 15 mags of ammo downrange quickly and risk having them choke up and need to be field stripped.

Talk to the guys who have used the HK416 in the real **** and you will quickly learn why they are the preferred weapon of choice. As Ferris Buehler put it:

I just started visiting a certain other rifle-based forum last week while researching a rifle buy. Man, you guys weren't exaggerating the HK hate boners going on outside of here.

 

[Steve_in_29]

I just started visiting a certain other rifle-based forum last week while researching a rifle buy. Man, you guys weren't exaggerating the HK hate boners going on outside of here.

I'm getting attacked in the thread I posted on this in the HK sub-forum over on ARF because I'm a meanie.

 

[G3Kurz]

Don't be ridiculous, a certain someone here clearly stated not too long ago that SecDef Mattis wouldn't have that kind of pull.

Care to fill us in on who this person might be? Why not just post the name?
G3Kurz

“Hmmm I seem to remember a certain knowledgeable(?) person on here telling me this couldn't happen?”

“a certain someone here clearly stated not too long ago that SecDef Mattis wouldn't have that kind of pull.”

 

[MP5_smg]

Someone at TFB claim that the Marine might just go with a DI M4A1 variant with better/beefier barrel and more robust gas tube, to save cost. Although the M27 is an excellent IAR, it is too expensive ($3000.00 without optic - please correct me if I'm wrong), and the Marine is on a tight budget.

That's the tricky part... How can HK reduce cost yet still maintain the exact same quality and meet the same requirements? Hopefully the new factory they're setting up here will help.