It would not be a bad idea to send a few of these "toys" to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian military could conduct real combat tests. That would be the best advertising.
The round’s currently cost so much because they are only used now as specialty hunting and sniper rounds. Once they are massed produced, the unit cost will go down.
Which would require demand signals that do not currently exist and even if it did it would take years of significant investment for production to be get to a point where the round is “affordable”
@@smartdevilevil 338 lapua is not a very common round at all and is mostly found in sniper rifles and some cases DMRS, like the video says, it bridges the gap between 762 and 50cal with better ballistics and range, its very effective with hunting big game where as 308-30.06 arent as effective with large game, im talking like african large game
I am Heavy Weapons Guy... and this is my weapon. She weighs one hundred fifty kilograms and fires two hundred dollar, custom-tooled cartridges at ten thousand rounds per minute. It costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon...for twelve seconds. Oh my God, who touched Sasha? Alright...Who touched my gun!? Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe, maybe. I've yet to meet one that can outsmart bullet.
To be fair, Norma Magnum is very expensive in Match form, but if adopted for MG use by SOCOM, let alone the USMC, the cost of ball should fall a fair bit. Still very expensive, but could reduce it by an order of magnitude.
I honestly think that these new .338 GPMMGs would be good choices for AFVs, particularly ones that currently have mixed .50 cal/7.62mm secondary armaments. The tiny loss in performance at the top end of the current .50 would be offset by the increases effect of the current 7.62 guns, the main AFV armament (autocannon or tank gun) could cover the gap in MG performance where the .338 just doesn't quite equal .50 anymore (and those are really edge case scenarios to begin with), and the advantages in ammo type reduction and more total ammo stowage in a smaller volume and weight would be advantageous.
Had the same thoughts for the last few years of .338 MG interest. My other thought is that the ammo weight will always be a hindrance to dismounted use. The .338 bullet generally weighs around 75 percent of a complete 7.62 NATO round & the .338 NM round requires roughly 2X the cube space of a 7.62 NATO round So, certainly interesting for niche dismounted applications, but likely not fitting for typical infantry dismounted GPMG use
The Germans went for the 20mm cannon and 8mm Mauser gap for a reason in WWII. The Swedes also recognized they could beef up the Mauser to 8x63mm to close it further since the 6.5x55mm was a bit underpowered as a machine gun cartridge even back then.
Yeah, I thought about that myself, but I am not totally sure that .338 _can_ effectively replace .50, with how useful rounds like the RAUFOSS are. Something that just will not scale down very effectively to .338 caliber. But, with the prevalence of remote weapon stations, and the probable need of hard-kill drone defence? I have no idea what the future is really going to look like for ammunition needs. Like, I have seen suggestions for 5.56 mgs/gatlings for rapid shredding of drones, like a miniaturized CIWS, and there's the Australian Slinger which utilizes both 30mm and 7.62x51mm. Just, going to be interesting going forwards.
I think they would be especially advantageous for Air Cav Door gunners where weight saving and ammo volume and added range would all harmonise. I think .50 cal is still good to break a truck engine block for example and pierce light armor mounted on an APC for instance. The second place would be long range special forces operating open top light vehicles where weight and ammo capacity would be also beneficial with negligible drawbacks. Looking to Europe and Aussie who mainly field 7.62 as coaxial secondary weapons the .338 would be a perfect upgrade. There is a .338 minigun version out already which is lighter than .50cal MG's at 68.1lbs including the crew served mount. I'm hoping Aussies will get the V280 Valor once it's in production and four .338 door gunners for Pacific jungle and alpine theatres and make them indigenously.
But that's the beauty of it. You can convert it from a spade grip aircraft/vehicle mounted weapon with an RDS optic and a shorter 18" unsuppressed barrel chambered in 7.62 into a select-fire 338 Norma Magnum machine gun with true 1500m DMR capability, a proper long range optic, AR controls, an adjustable stock, and a suppressed 24" barrel - but you only need to carry two major heavy parts, the receiver and handguard. A teammate can carry multiple conversion kits and barrels and multiply the unit's effective operating range or volume of fire, depending on the scenario, within seconds.
3:57 the bolt looks very much like MG-42 roller *locked* bolt. Why would roller delayed rollers need the wider section in the middle that in MG42 is used to push the rollers out of engagement as the barrel moves back? I wish they would give Ian disassemble it and explain whats going on.
I'm pretty sure that wider middle section on the MG 42 rollers is there just to keep them in place and has nothing to do with it being roller locked and not delayed. The Gerät 03 rifle for example is roller locked as well and has a bolt pretty much identical to the post-war roller delayed HK rifles and SMGs.
World of guns has cutaway option, that show clearly curved pieces on the receiver. They push together the rollers by their middle sections as the barrel go back. But i forgot that theres also a wedge inside that push the rollers out for locking by the same middle section. I guess it could work in roller delayed mode. But, roller delayed guns have bolt head and carrier moving at different speeds until the rollers are out to give mecanical disadvantage and lighter parts. By the looks of the bolt and carrier i'm not sure how this would work.
@@tiortedrootsky My point is that the rollers on the MG 42 (and here) have that wider middle section just because they aren't contained in the bolt head like on the HK guns - there is no material above and below them so they'd just fall out if they were just cylindrical. When it comes to the bolt design, the main difference between roller locked and roller delayed is the geometry of that locking wedge - in roller delayed guns, the rollers rest against angled surfaces so that they can push the wedge out when the recoil starts acting upon the bolt head. In the roller locked guns, the rollers rest against flat surfaces of the locking wedge so that no force acting upon the bolt head can push it to the rear and spread the rollers apart, which is why the barrel has to move as well (it gives the bolt an initial push so that it can pull the locking wedge out of the bolt head, allowing the rollers to get back and unlock the action).
I'm entirely unqualified to say anything about any of this but I've always seen Ohio Ordinance Works as a pretty competent company. They made the M60E6 after all, which is such a beautiful gun. This thing isn't ugly... But it's no M60E6. Waiting for the day that I'm allowed to buy either.
This looks really awesome! I thinks it’s genius how there are fewer parts, an easier barrel swap procedure, select fire, and awesome ballistics. However I do have a concern regarding the sliding feed tray. I was never in the service, but isn’t there a high chance that the slots for the feed tray to slide on could get bunked up and jam when trying to install a new ammo belt?
Will the British MoD, buy the Reapr (or Recoil Enhanced Automatic Rifle) .388 Norma Magnum caliber GPMG, as a replacement for the old L7 7.62mm GPMG, at least for SAS and SBS or SRR and SFSG, or for E Squadron too. If not the MoD buying it for Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment, as well as for the new British Army Special Operations Brigade, or the four Battalions Ranger Regiment is a special operations-capable unit too? Maybe the MoD buying it for both All the Squadrons of the RAF Regiment, lastly for the 3 present Battalions of Royal Gurkha Rifles too, if not when a 4th Battalion of RGR is to be created or reformed again. So the Gurkha's could reform the 2nd Gurkha Rifles, 6th Gurkha Rifles and 7th Gurkha Rifles plus 10th Gurkha Rifles too, which many in the Gurkha Veterans and Nepalese Community would love to see too. The Ohio Ordnance Works (OOW) “Reapr” (or Recoil Enhanced Automatic Rifle) .388 Norma Magnum calibre GPMG, would be an ideal weapon for small body sized Gurkha Soldiers to carry and operate. Especially with a shoulder sling and being fired and holded by two hands while on the move, in fast moving close combat situations or in urban and built up environments too!
No. They will do none of that. The L7 is a proven and effective system that is still in production. No one wants .338 GPMGs. They may have a niche application on some fighting vehicles but they lack the flexibility for light infantry use. The ammunition is simply too heavy. Quite how you have come to the conclusion that a gun that weighs 13kg unloaded and without ancillaries is suitable for smaller statured soldiers is a mystery as well. Especially considering the recoil and the shorter barrel life. You have some very odd ideas about how GPMGs are actually used - the first one being that you seem to think that it replaces and is used as a rifle. It doesn't.
@@zoiders”No one wants .338 GPMGs” except USSOCOM (you know the people that requested this weapon be made?) and I’ll trust them before I will a keyboard warrior.
About 4 hours doing research on Espace. They're directly linked in the accompanying article linked in the description if you want to take a look at them. Thanks for watching.
so, honest takes: this is basically a modernized version of the base concepts of the MG-45, with obvious changes made. the barrel change motorcycle grip is probably going to go, as that will likely burn off or just deteriorate over time, and a more traditional "carry handle" style barrel grip will likely be used. how does it carry ammo? Warrior Poet Society did a video, and none of the press releases, Shot coverage or WPS show how a belt bag would be mounted which is a huge red flag to me. the side-sliding feed tray is novel but it will probably be changed to a more traditional "it just flips forward or to the side" design, as with use I can see those parts getting lose and causing jams/failure to function problems. lastly, it's funny to see people still making guns tan, given that we just had a big exodus from a notable desert and seem to be repositioning on a more global "we don't really know where we're going next" focus. given that, they really should just make it black and leave it to deployed grunts/personnel to paint it to match the AO they are in/going to. because: there's no way to create a "universal camo" that works everywhere, because every place you go is just different enough that camo in one doesn't work in the other. Germany has much different camouflage demands than deploying to Central Africa, and they are both different than Iraq, and those are different than Northern Canada, etc, etc, etc. it's sort of a "there is no solution beyond having multiple uniform patterns and gear/vehicle paint schemes being locationally dependent" problem.
@@twunt2000 The MG42 is recoil operated and roller locked. However the initial design could occasionally run roller delayed when it malfunctioned and the bolt bounced upon closing, causing rounds to go off partially out of battery. Normally this would be a big problem, but the engineers found that the partially engaged rollers would still delay breach opening just enough that it was usually fine when combined with steel cased wartime ammo. They then found they could simplify the roller based action quite a lot by going pure roller delayed for future designs.
When I applied to work on the program, about 10 years ago, they seemed to be pretty far along with working guns & ammo. The guns came in regular cased ammo, telescoped & caseless. I would have thought the guns & ammo would have hit the street by now. 🤠
It’s a very nice fire arm ,It seriously needs a way to secure nut sack or ammo box rounds average gunner is 5,8 to 6,2 with a belt ammunition of that size they can only carry 25 on the belt with it flopping around.I believe this is a winner just needs some tweaks work out otherwise it will be like the guys that used the old school pig and the will farmer rig a feeding system.
@@TheArmourersBench yes I guess you did by saying it has a feed pouch on the left side and are considering one on the right. Look forward to seeing how that looks and functions and round count . Thanks for the information.
Yeah, i wouldn't assume that the military is going to keep all legacy calibers AND all the more recent ones long term. I actually suspect that the US will end up keeping 5.56 and 7.62 for mainline weapons for a good while longer.
I am curious as to how this gun will compete with the PKM, PKP, M240, and M250. Can it out perform these legacy platforms and justify its existence as a rifle for general field use? A lot of countries have been using those platforms and while they are fine, you can't use old stuff forever. If it can be fitted to use 7.62x54 or 7.62 NATO then there stands a real chance of this competing for attention in countries like Bulgaria, Poland, and Ukraine who still use some variant of the PKM.
"still" is not a great choice of words. Poland made a PK in 7.62 NATO because, all in all, the PK is still a better weapon than the FN MAG and the MG3 (better not to talk about the M250, that's not a MMG, or even a GPMG). Ukraine received tons of M240 and MG3, but we see those used only as vehicular/fixed position guns. When you see a MG gunner walking with an infantry squad, he's always carrying a PK. Because a PK weights less than 10kg The REAPR, due to it having to fire .338 Norma Magnum (whose advantages over 7.62 NATO, when not fired from a tripod, are questionable) weights over 12kg, that's too much. With about the same features and the same operating system, firing 7.62 NATO, the SIG M710-3 weighted just over 9kg.
@@neutronalchemist3241 At the end of the day, western firearms designs need to be able to compete with the PKM. I'd argue that it should be able to hold PKM boxes use PKM belts and fire 7.62x54 just to sweeten the deal. I think the REAPR shows some intrigue, but unless it can compete with the PKM in terms of weight and affordability I don't think this is going to see any major service beyond SOCOM.
@@nickkennedy9034 The SIG MG 710-3 ticked all the boxes. Just over 9kg weight, super simple and fast barrel change (a thing the PK is lacking), simple, sturdy, reliable, etc. It didn't had much success due to: 1) not coming from a NATO country. 2) it came out both too late and too early. Too late because it was 1965, and all the NATO countries had already adopted a GPMG. Too early because the shortcomings of the M60 had yet to be discovered.
@@h.c5750 Indeed. Plus, these are intended for specialized troops and missions, so extremely high round counts should be rare. PLUS, We The People are buying the barrels for them...
Only thing I dislike about this gun is the barrel change method. The 338 round seems in theory a good replacement for the 50cal. The m2 is a good gun but needs replacing.
@@reallyhappenings5597 Its a great gun but there are better options now. I mean the US military has been severly behind on small caliber weapons doctrines.
I'm not sure why everyone is whining about ammo cost, tactical units, military, air to air and air to surface missiles costing anywhere from 40,000 to 10 million a piece. DO you actually think 338 is expensive? Is this a joke
Nah, this is an absolutely anemic platform in comparison to those grand old ladies. And, if it's capable of providing the same reliability as an M240 in that compact format, it's absolutely amazing!😳
The dumbasses who either owned or were representing Ohio Ordnance walked into a room full of SF Q course instructors and students and told them that if the ODA in the tongo tongo ambush had the reapr they would still be alive. They were subsequently not invited back to the SWC. That machine gun is also hot ass.
it wil be funny when the US military ends up fighting on small islands in the Pacific with weapons clearly designed based on combat experience from Afghanistan.
@spaceGhost1701 I don't think it will be a problem. I personally think we're going through a Weapons and ammunition overhaul. In 20 years 7.62x51 will be phased out in favor of .338, and 6.8x51. and 5.56x45 will be phased out in favor of 6.8x51 and some form of .300blk. Small unit tactics are changing. Almost nothing will be the same by 2050
US is making a big show of adopting new long range armor-obliterating small arms (this + the sig rifles) ... well I think a lot of guys & gals will be glad to run these in 7.62mm if they're more ergonomic than the 240s and m60s, or just because they're new & haven't been through some wars. But creating .338 ammo supply like we have 7.62mm existing supply is something I'll have to see to believe , in this economy??? 😅
Great overview. Main disadvantage seems to be the lack of traditional 6 oclock ammo box; having it side mounted will be more awkward in term of balance and carrying.
Will this be a weapon for Tier One and Two Special Forces Units, maybe Tier Three SF Units, in the US Forces and maybe some Nato SF Units? Or will you see this Weapon purchase, for Airbrone, Light Infantry and Marines Regular Units, or similar Reservist Units too? Has a replacement for the standard issued, Nato 7.62 x 51mm General Purpose Machine Gun. Or replacement for Nato 5.56 x 45mm Light Machine Gun / Squad Automatic Weapon, within all Infantry Units. Though this weapon appear to be the next generation in GPMG's or LMG's / SAW's, or an upgraded version as even a future replacement for present day 12.7 x mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMG's) too. If this weapon can be offered in multiple interchangeable calibre barrels and loading plus breach mechanisms too. Though military 6.8mm and .388 calibres, do seem to be the future standard Western military rounds, if the American are anything to go by. Though the .388 calibre sniper round, does appear, to becoming the go to calibre round. So standardising on .388 calibre round, for GPMP's, or even for LMG's / SAW's maybe too, is the way to go. Ither giving three or four person Fire Teams, heavier fire power support in the field. Or giving a pair of these. 388 Lightweight GPMG's, to seven or eight person Infantry Sections, increasing their fire power considerably too! Which could give an Infantry Platoon, between six to eight of these .388 calibre Lightweight GPMG's, providing heavy defensive fire power. Let alone increased Offensive fire power, in the process too. Or giving the likes of Infantry Companies, maybe 30 to 40 of these .388 calibre Lightweight GPMG's too. Or an whole Infantry Battalion, having 150 to 200 of these .388 Lightweight GPMG's. Would give future Infantry Battalions, not only increased heavier fire power, to defend a large area on the front lines. That is for defensive operations, without the need to depend of the fire power of supporting Armoured Infantry Wheeled or Tracked Vehicles. It would give demountable highly mobile and Light Infantry units, very much increase heavier fire power, in offensive operations. Without relying again on the support of either Armoured Infantry Wheeled or Tracked Vehicles, or even Light, Medium and/or Heavy Tanks support to especially in built up areas! Though this will be an excellent Special Forces Lightweight GPMG, with much more fire power, that is over both 7.62mm and 5.56mm calibre rounds too.
It would not be a bad idea to send a few of these "toys" to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian military could conduct real combat tests. That would be the best advertising.
one hilicopter na nga rifles nga ehh deal kay ako ahh na nga sahod tanan rifles ehh deal jod na huh tom crus salamt huh sa pasko na pod kay sa manghod nimo si loiue
Gucci tech. The military constantly attempts to upgrade their weapon systems for the current conflict but by the time it’s approved the situations change. I believe the ammunition choices that they are going for (carbine/GPMGs) will be the downfall of the systems.
Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here -
armourersbench.com/2024/02/03/ohio-ordnance-works-reapr/
It would not be a bad idea to send a few of these "toys" to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian military could conduct real combat tests. That would be the best advertising.
The round’s currently cost so much because they are only used now as specialty hunting and sniper rounds. Once they are massed produced, the unit cost will go down.
What is special about this round?
Which would require demand signals that do not currently exist and even if it did it would take years of significant investment for production to be get to a point where the round is “affordable”
@@smartdevilevil 338 lapua is not a very common round at all and is mostly found in sniper rifles and some cases DMRS, like the video says, it bridges the gap between 762 and 50cal with better ballistics and range, its very effective with hunting big game where as 308-30.06 arent as effective with large game, im talking like african large game
When 1 burst is more expensive than the enemy's entire kit...
I am Heavy Weapons Guy... and this is my weapon. She weighs one hundred fifty kilograms and fires two hundred dollar, custom-tooled cartridges at ten thousand rounds per minute. It costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon...for twelve seconds. Oh my God, who touched Sasha? Alright...Who touched my gun!? Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe, maybe. I've yet to meet one that can outsmart bullet.
To be fair, Norma Magnum is very expensive in Match form, but if adopted for MG use by SOCOM, let alone the USMC, the cost of ball should fall a fair bit. Still very expensive, but could reduce it by an order of magnitude.
Expensive until big army gets their hands on it.
@@edsutherland8266and they aren’t fighting men in body armour, they’re gonna be fighting unmanned ground vehicles made of AR500 plate
Lol good call😂
What a gorgeous weapon.
Nah, it's too short. Should be longer.
@@pantherowow77 short is being really generous. We could easily double the barrel length no problem
Its a very elegant weapon system
“I am heavy weapon’s guy, and this is my weapon….it costs 400 thousand dollars to fire this weapon for 12 seconds”
400 thousand?🤔
@@AMCKINGDOMTF2
I honestly think that these new .338 GPMMGs would be good choices for AFVs, particularly ones that currently have mixed .50 cal/7.62mm secondary armaments. The tiny loss in performance at the top end of the current .50 would be offset by the increases effect of the current 7.62 guns, the main AFV armament (autocannon or tank gun) could cover the gap in MG performance where the .338 just doesn't quite equal .50 anymore (and those are really edge case scenarios to begin with), and the advantages in ammo type reduction and more total ammo stowage in a smaller volume and weight would be advantageous.
Had the same thoughts for the last few years of .338 MG interest. My other thought is that the ammo weight will always be a hindrance to dismounted use. The .338 bullet generally weighs around 75 percent of a complete 7.62 NATO round & the .338 NM round requires roughly 2X the cube space of a 7.62 NATO round
So, certainly interesting for niche dismounted applications, but likely not fitting for typical infantry dismounted GPMG use
The Germans went for the 20mm cannon and 8mm Mauser gap for a reason in WWII. The Swedes also recognized they could beef up the Mauser to 8x63mm to close it further since the 6.5x55mm was a bit underpowered as a machine gun cartridge even back then.
Yeah, I thought about that myself, but I am not totally sure that .338 _can_ effectively replace .50, with how useful rounds like the RAUFOSS are. Something that just will not scale down very effectively to .338 caliber. But, with the prevalence of remote weapon stations, and the probable need of hard-kill drone defence? I have no idea what the future is really going to look like for ammunition needs.
Like, I have seen suggestions for 5.56 mgs/gatlings for rapid shredding of drones, like a miniaturized CIWS, and there's the Australian Slinger which utilizes both 30mm and 7.62x51mm.
Just, going to be interesting going forwards.
I think they would be especially advantageous for Air Cav Door gunners where weight saving and ammo volume and added range would all harmonise. I think .50 cal is still good to break a truck engine block for example and pierce light armor mounted on an APC for instance. The second place would be long range special forces operating open top light vehicles where weight and ammo capacity would be also beneficial with negligible drawbacks. Looking to Europe and Aussie who mainly field 7.62 as coaxial secondary weapons the .338 would be a perfect upgrade. There is a .338 minigun version out already which is lighter than .50cal MG's at 68.1lbs including the crew served mount.
I'm hoping Aussies will get the V280 Valor once it's in production and four .338 door gunners for Pacific jungle and alpine theatres and make them indigenously.
- Do you want a lighter M240 or a weapon that will disintegrate a human body?
- Yes
then choose lighter SIG, with less recoil
OOW showed off a small slot in extension on the bottom that allows traditional box mags to hinge onto them, for reference.
I can only quote that their president told me on Friday. Didn't mention box mags explicitly.
Believe they're proprietary mags. I saw a few clips of them being shown off, will see if I can find the clips.@@TheArmourersBench
@@gb6912 Will be interested to see those thank you
Figured it out, I believe I was thinking of the Sig 338 MG demo rather than this.@@TheArmourersBench
Belt box, not box mag. A box magazine has a spring.
I love the fact that I have not just one, but two somewhat local machine gun manufacturers, OOW and Ares
Thanks for displaying the solicitation pdf, that was very interesting context.
Link to the whole doc in the accompanying article on my site if you want to read the rest, doesn't give much more detail though. Thanks for watching!
Following this weapon's progress with great interest and high hopes. Always wanting the best for our troops.
I think the fact it can be broken down and fit in a backpack is more of a necessity since it is as long as a flag pole.
But that's the beauty of it. You can convert it from a spade grip aircraft/vehicle mounted weapon with an RDS optic and a shorter 18" unsuppressed barrel chambered in 7.62 into a select-fire 338 Norma Magnum machine gun with true 1500m DMR capability, a proper long range optic, AR controls, an adjustable stock, and a suppressed 24" barrel - but you only need to carry two major heavy parts, the receiver and handguard. A teammate can carry multiple conversion kits and barrels and multiply the unit's effective operating range or volume of fire, depending on the scenario, within seconds.
what an incredible design. I think this design philosophy will be prevalent in the years to come.
Incredible design & functionality. The HCAR is also a Holy Grail design of the revered Browning BAR. In 3.006.
3:57 the bolt looks very much like MG-42 roller *locked* bolt. Why would roller delayed rollers need the wider section in the middle that in MG42 is used to push the rollers out of engagement as the barrel moves back?
I wish they would give Ian disassemble it and explain whats going on.
I'm pretty sure that wider middle section on the MG 42 rollers is there just to keep them in place and has nothing to do with it being roller locked and not delayed. The Gerät 03 rifle for example is roller locked as well and has a bolt pretty much identical to the post-war roller delayed HK rifles and SMGs.
World of guns has cutaway option, that show clearly curved pieces on the receiver. They push together the rollers by their middle sections as the barrel go back. But i forgot that theres also a wedge inside that push the rollers out for locking by the same middle section.
I guess it could work in roller delayed mode.
But, roller delayed guns have bolt head and carrier moving at different speeds until the rollers are out to give mecanical disadvantage and lighter parts.
By the looks of the bolt and carrier i'm not sure how this would work.
@@tiortedrootsky My point is that the rollers on the MG 42 (and here) have that wider middle section just because they aren't contained in the bolt head like on the HK guns - there is no material above and below them so they'd just fall out if they were just cylindrical.
When it comes to the bolt design, the main difference between roller locked and roller delayed is the geometry of that locking wedge - in roller delayed guns, the rollers rest against angled surfaces so that they can push the wedge out when the recoil starts acting upon the bolt head. In the roller locked guns, the rollers rest against flat surfaces of the locking wedge so that no force acting upon the bolt head can push it to the rear and spread the rollers apart, which is why the barrel has to move as well (it gives the bolt an initial push so that it can pull the locking wedge out of the bolt head, allowing the rollers to get back and unlock the action).
I think that RECOIL ENHANCED means the barrel does recoil a bit.
2000m! eeesh that's a spicy one
Thanks.
Yep, I want one. Thanks for posting, cheers.
Thanks for watching!
its a super size mg42. with take down and 7.62 conversion kit. has the range and penetration of the 50bmg, awesome.
More like the MG34 to me because of how thin it is.
I'm entirely unqualified to say anything about any of this but I've always seen Ohio Ordinance Works as a pretty competent company. They made the M60E6 after all, which is such a beautiful gun.
This thing isn't ugly... But it's no M60E6. Waiting for the day that I'm allowed to buy either.
This looks really awesome! I thinks it’s genius how there are fewer parts, an easier barrel swap procedure, select fire, and awesome ballistics. However I do have a concern regarding the sliding feed tray. I was never in the service, but isn’t there a high chance that the slots for the feed tray to slide on could get bunked up and jam when trying to install a new ammo belt?
*Ohio REAPR* '' Dad .. did I do you proud..?''
*MG34* '' You've matured into a fine man and i'm proud of you ''
It looks... familiar. I hope someone will make an MG 34 style stock for it, just to make it more familiar:)
lol its literally an mg 3 thats why
@@triactv7692 it's not. the mg3 is a roller locked system, not delayed.
@@triactv7692 It's a roller delayed system, so a derivate of the MG45, so it's nearest cousins are the CETME AMELI and the SIG M710.
@@triactv7692It’s not “literally” an MG3 you clearly don’t know what “literally” means.
Would you share patent numbers that you've found?
Ok, found the patent numbers on your site. Thank you.
Glad you found them! Thanks for watching.
How does the extremely hot barrel not melt the plastic handgrip used to remove the barrel from the weapon?
Watching the guy lug it around in the manufacturer videos, it should be called a heavy-medium.
Those rounds are going to cost a bit. I suppose its purpose is to keep heads down at range. Looks like a lovely weapon.
Will the British MoD, buy the Reapr (or Recoil Enhanced Automatic Rifle) .388 Norma Magnum caliber GPMG, as a replacement for the old L7 7.62mm GPMG, at least for SAS and SBS or SRR and SFSG, or for E Squadron too.
If not the MoD buying it for Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment, as well as for the new British Army Special Operations Brigade, or the four Battalions Ranger Regiment is a special operations-capable unit too?
Maybe the MoD buying it for both All the Squadrons of the RAF Regiment, lastly for the 3 present Battalions of Royal Gurkha Rifles too, if not when a 4th Battalion of RGR is to be created or reformed again.
So the Gurkha's could reform the 2nd Gurkha Rifles, 6th Gurkha Rifles and 7th Gurkha Rifles plus 10th Gurkha Rifles too, which many in the Gurkha Veterans and Nepalese Community would love to see too.
The Ohio Ordnance Works (OOW) “Reapr” (or Recoil Enhanced Automatic Rifle) .388 Norma Magnum calibre GPMG, would be an ideal weapon for small body sized Gurkha Soldiers to carry and operate.
Especially with a shoulder sling and being fired and holded by two hands while on the move, in fast moving close combat situations or in urban and built up environments too!
No. They will do none of that. The L7 is a proven and effective system that is still in production. No one wants .338 GPMGs. They may have a niche application on some fighting vehicles but they lack the flexibility for light infantry use. The ammunition is simply too heavy. Quite how you have come to the conclusion that a gun that weighs 13kg unloaded and without ancillaries is suitable for smaller statured soldiers is a mystery as well. Especially considering the recoil and the shorter barrel life. You have some very odd ideas about how GPMGs are actually used - the first one being that you seem to think that it replaces and is used as a rifle. It doesn't.
@@zoiders”No one wants .338 GPMGs” except USSOCOM (you know the people that requested this weapon be made?) and I’ll trust them before I will a keyboard warrior.
Hey! Where did you find that patents list?
About 4 hours doing research on Espace. They're directly linked in the accompanying article linked in the description if you want to take a look at them. Thanks for watching.
This reminds me of the MG 15 air cooled variant
Forgive me for my confusion, but what does the P in REAPR stand for?
so, honest takes:
this is basically a modernized version of the base concepts of the MG-45, with obvious changes made.
the barrel change motorcycle grip is probably going to go, as that will likely burn off or just deteriorate over time, and a more traditional "carry handle" style barrel grip will likely be used.
how does it carry ammo? Warrior Poet Society did a video, and none of the press releases, Shot coverage or WPS show how a belt bag would be mounted which is a huge red flag to me.
the side-sliding feed tray is novel but it will probably be changed to a more traditional "it just flips forward or to the side" design, as with use I can see those parts getting lose and causing jams/failure to function problems.
lastly, it's funny to see people still making guns tan, given that we just had a big exodus from a notable desert and seem to be repositioning on a more global "we don't really know where we're going next" focus.
given that, they really should just make it black and leave it to deployed grunts/personnel to paint it to match the AO they are in/going to.
because: there's no way to create a "universal camo" that works everywhere, because every place you go is just different enough that camo in one doesn't work in the other.
Germany has much different camouflage demands than deploying to Central Africa, and they are both different than Iraq, and those are different than Northern Canada, etc, etc, etc.
it's sort of a "there is no solution beyond having multiple uniform patterns and gear/vehicle paint schemes being locationally dependent" problem.
Nothing like a belt of ammo worth more then the Toyota you roll up in
take a shot every time he says "the lightweight medium machine gun"
¿a roller delayed operating system with milled receiver?¿the MG34 comes to live again?
MG34 was recoil operated, I think you're thinking of the MG42, which was indeed roller delayed.
@@twunt2000 isn't the mg42 roller locked? mg45 and Spanish ameli are roller delayed
@@twunt2000 The MG42 is recoil operated and roller locked. However the initial design could occasionally run roller delayed when it malfunctioned and the bolt bounced upon closing, causing rounds to go off partially out of battery. Normally this would be a big problem, but the engineers found that the partially engaged rollers would still delay breach opening just enough that it was usually fine when combined with steel cased wartime ammo. They then found they could simplify the roller based action quite a lot by going pure roller delayed for future designs.
@@fnorgenI was incorrect, it even said it in the video re: MG45.
@@oso1165You are correct, I was not, well played.
This thing is so interesting I would hate for it to get to end up on forgotten weapons
Well you saw it here first. Thanks for watching.
338 is waay to heavy for regular mobile use for a person. This is a mounted or semi-fixed type round.
And with a simple barrel abd bolt head swap, you're rocking 7.62×51mm instead.
What about the polymer cased ammunition?
It'll chamber it if it has the same dimensions as brass cased I imagine.
@TheArmourersBench has anyone tested if polymer case can eliminate the need for open bolt?
@@TheArmourersBench That's understood but has any company actually been contracted to make .338 norma with polymer cases?
When I applied to work on the program, about 10 years ago, they seemed to be pretty far along with working guns & ammo. The guns came in regular cased ammo, telescoped & caseless.
I would have thought the guns & ammo would have hit the street by now. 🤠
@@donwyoming1936 You can buy true velocity and pcp\gorilla but they don't seem to be officially adopted.
It’s a very nice fire arm ,It seriously needs a way to secure nut sack or ammo box rounds average gunner is 5,8 to 6,2 with a belt ammunition of that size they can only carry 25 on the belt with it flopping around.I believe this is a winner just needs some tweaks work out otherwise it will be like the guys that used the old school pig and the will farmer rig a feeding system.
I discuss that in the video.
@@TheArmourersBench yes I guess you did by saying it has a feed pouch on the left side and are considering one on the right. Look forward to seeing how that looks and functions and round count . Thanks for the information.
@davidkeats5487 yeah, interesting it's not shown in the promos. Thanks for watching!
Does the proliferation of calibers in the military bother anyone else?
It’s special forces so no
I think it’s just what happens in a transitional period
Yeah, i wouldn't assume that the military is going to keep all legacy calibers AND all the more recent ones long term. I actually suspect that the US will end up keeping 5.56 and 7.62 for mainline weapons for a good while longer.
They’ll be calling it the “Nezuko” of LMGs: It’s deadly, unproven, and small enough to fit in a backpack 😉
I am curious as to how this gun will compete with the PKM, PKP, M240, and M250. Can it out perform these legacy platforms and justify its existence as a rifle for general field use? A lot of countries have been using those platforms and while they are fine, you can't use old stuff forever. If it can be fitted to use 7.62x54 or 7.62 NATO then there stands a real chance of this competing for attention in countries like Bulgaria, Poland, and Ukraine who still use some variant of the PKM.
"still" is not a great choice of words.
Poland made a PK in 7.62 NATO because, all in all, the PK is still a better weapon than the FN MAG and the MG3 (better not to talk about the M250, that's not a MMG, or even a GPMG). Ukraine received tons of M240 and MG3, but we see those used only as vehicular/fixed position guns. When you see a MG gunner walking with an infantry squad, he's always carrying a PK. Because a PK weights less than 10kg
The REAPR, due to it having to fire .338 Norma Magnum (whose advantages over 7.62 NATO, when not fired from a tripod, are questionable) weights over 12kg, that's too much.
With about the same features and the same operating system, firing 7.62 NATO, the SIG M710-3 weighted just over 9kg.
@@neutronalchemist3241 At the end of the day, western firearms designs need to be able to compete with the PKM. I'd argue that it should be able to hold PKM boxes use PKM belts and fire 7.62x54 just to sweeten the deal. I think the REAPR shows some intrigue, but unless it can compete with the PKM in terms of weight and affordability I don't think this is going to see any major service beyond SOCOM.
@@nickkennedy9034 The SIG MG 710-3 ticked all the boxes. Just over 9kg weight, super simple and fast barrel change (a thing the PK is lacking), simple, sturdy, reliable, etc.
It didn't had much success due to:
1) not coming from a NATO country.
2) it came out both too late and too early. Too late because it was 1965, and all the NATO countries had already adopted a GPMG. Too early because the shortcomings of the M60 had yet to be discovered.
They shoulda made it in .30 cal like God intended
It would be interesting to see what the weight would be if you took 4 inch off the barrel.
What is the estimated barrel life?
Surely it would have to be reduced compared to smaller calibre machine guns but who knows what new metallurgy has gone into the barrel
@@h.c5750 Indeed. Plus, these are intended for specialized troops and missions, so extremely high round counts should be rare. PLUS, We The People are buying the barrels for them...
Only thing I dislike about this gun is the barrel change method. The 338 round seems in theory a good replacement for the 50cal. The m2 is a good gun but needs replacing.
I feel like some mechanical advanced might been needed if fouling becomes an issue for the barrel change.
lol M2 doesn't need replacing
@@reallyhappenings5597 Its a great gun but there are better options now. I mean the US military has been severly behind on small caliber weapons doctrines.
Reminds me of an MG-34..
I'm not sure why everyone is whining about ammo cost, tactical units, military, air to air and air to surface missiles costing anywhere from 40,000 to 10 million a piece. DO you actually think 338 is expensive? Is this a joke
Gorgeous MG, seems reminiscent of the MG34/42 in it's silhouette. A really beautiful design. /---_-----=====------
Nah, this is an absolutely anemic platform in comparison to those grand old ladies.
And, if it's capable of providing the same reliability as an M240 in that compact format, it's absolutely amazing!😳
@@SonsOfLorgar Haha yes indeed, the OG German designs are timeless.
I honestly don't know what to think of this thing
The breach seems very far forward
Calculated to work with the blowback action I guess.
This weapon is genius! It should be come NATO standard GPMG
-Do you want a Light Machine Gun or a Medium Machine Gun?
-Yes.
Breda modello 30 is that you?
More a MG45
The dumbasses who either owned or were representing Ohio Ordnance walked into a room full of SF Q course instructors and students and told them that if the ODA in the tongo tongo ambush had the reapr they would still be alive. They were subsequently not invited back to the SWC. That machine gun is also hot ass.
Certainly an intriguing anecdote!
it wil be funny when the US military ends up fighting on small islands in the Pacific with weapons clearly designed based on combat experience from Afghanistan.
So true , most future war with china will be on some island or urban / jungle shit that fighting distance are 300m or less lmao
@spaceGhost1701 I don't think it will be a problem. I personally think we're going through a Weapons and ammunition overhaul. In 20 years 7.62x51 will be phased out in favor of .338, and 6.8x51. and 5.56x45 will be phased out in favor of 6.8x51 and some form of .300blk. Small unit tactics are changing. Almost nothing will be the same by 2050
How do you figure? The Marines will be the tip of the spear in that fight, hence getting rid of their Abrams.
All the dirt will collect in these cracks on the sides...
Is it roller-locked, or similar? Reminds me of a modernized Ameli more than anything else.
Roller delayed
Don’t fear the reapr
Looks vaguely mg42
What does the Repear do better than the sig 338?
I guess USSOCOM will be working that out!
We definitely know that the gun can easily be taken down and stored in a backpack. Not sure if the SIG can do that.
Fewer parts means easier maintenance. Also the reciever seems more durable, hence the weight.
Okay, im all in on this one. SIGs, not so much.
English please.
'Well motivated opinion!'
Sig sauer won the contract
No SOCOM bought some MG338s for evaluation but haven't selected it. LMG-M program continues.
.338NM?
Explained in the video :)
is it just me ? i feel it look like RP-46 belt-fed version of the DP-28 ?
Yes, just you, this has MG 45 and thus MG 42 DNA.
@@FirstDagger look like MG 15 to me :)
updated mg3
Gonna be honest polymer case ammo in an MG sounds pretty melty...
I'd buy that for a dollar.
I need one lol
People have been bigging up .338 as the next GPMG round for the last 15 years or so but the truth is that its never going to happen.
US is making a big show of adopting new long range armor-obliterating small arms (this + the sig rifles) ... well I think a lot of guys & gals will be glad to run these in 7.62mm if they're more ergonomic than the 240s and m60s, or just because they're new & haven't been through some wars. But creating .338 ammo supply like we have 7.62mm existing supply is something I'll have to see to believe , in this economy??? 😅
hope the military is picking this up….theyd be stupid not to
Great overview. Main disadvantage seems to be the lack of traditional 6 oclock ammo box; having it side mounted will be more awkward in term of balance and carrying.
Indeed, recoil might also be a limiting factor but hard to know without trigger time.
Toy yes
There was some jokes about MG-34 moment?
이거 .30 이나 .223로 나와도 좋겠거만. 소총수? 필요없어 다 이거 들고 다녀.
Will this be a weapon for Tier One and Two Special Forces Units, maybe Tier Three SF Units, in the US Forces and maybe some Nato SF Units?
Or will you see this Weapon purchase, for Airbrone, Light Infantry and Marines Regular Units, or similar Reservist Units too?
Has a replacement for the standard issued, Nato 7.62 x 51mm General Purpose Machine Gun.
Or replacement for Nato 5.56 x 45mm Light Machine Gun / Squad Automatic Weapon, within all Infantry Units.
Though this weapon appear to be the next generation in GPMG's or LMG's / SAW's, or an upgraded version as even a future replacement for present day 12.7 x mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMG's) too.
If this weapon can be offered in multiple interchangeable calibre barrels and loading plus breach mechanisms too.
Though military 6.8mm and .388 calibres, do seem to be the future standard Western military rounds, if the American are anything to go by.
Though the .388 calibre sniper round, does appear, to becoming the go to calibre round.
So standardising on .388 calibre round, for GPMP's, or even for LMG's / SAW's maybe too, is the way to go.
Ither giving three or four person Fire Teams, heavier fire power support in the field.
Or giving a pair of these. 388 Lightweight GPMG's, to seven or eight person Infantry Sections, increasing their fire power considerably too!
Which could give an Infantry Platoon, between six to eight of these .388 calibre Lightweight GPMG's, providing heavy defensive fire power.
Let alone increased Offensive fire power, in the process too. Or giving the likes of Infantry Companies, maybe 30 to 40 of these .388 calibre Lightweight GPMG's too.
Or an whole Infantry Battalion, having 150 to 200 of these .388 Lightweight GPMG's.
Would give future Infantry Battalions, not only increased heavier fire power, to defend a large area on the front lines.
That is for defensive operations, without the need to depend of the fire power of supporting Armoured Infantry Wheeled or Tracked Vehicles.
It would give demountable highly mobile and Light Infantry units, very much increase heavier fire power, in offensive operations.
Without relying again on the support of either Armoured Infantry Wheeled or Tracked Vehicles, or even Light, Medium and/or Heavy Tanks support to especially in built up areas!
Though this will be an excellent Special Forces Lightweight GPMG, with much more fire power, that is over both 7.62mm and 5.56mm calibre rounds too.
Most likely the former.
It's an awful GPMG.
It would not be a bad idea to send a few of these "toys" to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian military could conduct real combat tests. That would be the best advertising.
Mg 34?
Lol this is just a modernized mg34/42/3. In 338nm. This is nothing new buy its nice to see an old classic system being used again.
Well unlike those guns it's roller delayed.
@@TheArmourersBench it looks roller lock
This is easily the dumbest comment on this video
What a goofy looking thing.
Well, its pretty similar to older MGs. Especially around WW2 and before
one hilicopter na nga rifles nga ehh deal kay ako ahh na nga sahod tanan rifles ehh deal jod na huh tom crus salamt huh sa pasko na pod kay sa manghod nimo si loiue
is that MG34? look alike that!!
same principle as 42
Only in Ohio 💀🪦☠️
The gun is way to long for a machine gun. Imagine it on a turn mount
Long boi indeed
It's shorter than an M2 and significantly lighter than an M240, so I don't imagine it will be a problem
@@Nathan-Roman it isnt, your eyes can see right ?
@@Nathan-Roman Is it buggery significantly lighter than a MAG58.
@@OneHappyCrazyPerson You are objectively incorrect. A REAPR with a stock is ~55 inches and an M2 is 65 inches.
The MG42 is actually a locked short recoil activated mechanism. Roller delayed mechanisms work differently.
I know, that's why comparison to the MG45 is more fitting. Thanks for watching.
slamat sa pag deal huh ari na pod ohh ako ahhhhhh ehh deal na pod sa isa ka amo na ko nga ing-na amos conel sir ka ni ohhh.
Well A weird weapon is from weird/strange state so I can’t blame how it works.
'Yeah, I don't know, all very weird, or something, ...'
Its a fat MG-42 with a bodykit
Not really, as outlined in the video. Different action, different controls, different barrel change mech, different tray.
And svelte, not fat.
Gucci tech. The military constantly attempts to upgrade their weapon systems for the current conflict but by the time it’s approved the situations change. I believe the ammunition choices that they are going for (carbine/GPMGs) will be the downfall of the systems.
Mounted? Sure.
Patrolling? GTFO.
Lighter than an M240...
@@SonsOfLorgar Is it buggery. Have you seen the ammunition? As its all about the ammunition with a light role gun. This thing is clown shoes.