Quote Originally Posted by AlexTX ret View Post
The M1 rifle was effective but the BAR proved less than spectaclar. It was too light and fragile to be used as an effective LMG. The platoon's M1919 30 cal MMGs were effective but there weren't enough of them in a platoon.
That's a statement that is questionable. The BAR did what it was supposed to and did it well. There were better weapons available-- the Johnson for one example; the Bren and Type 99 for a couple of more -- but the BAR , like the M4 tank or the M16 series was adequate. It was light, it was not fragile.

The issue raised is whether the US / British squad was not as effective as the German squad due to weapons selection -- or training level.
So today, it matters little what the cartridge or rifle is as long as it can keep the bad guys at bay. The real killing will be done by crew served weapons.
Not against a well trained enemy they won't...
I see a need for a family of weapons that has a greater effective range, reliable, semi and controllable auto fire and needs less training.
The 'need' for automatic fire is vastly overstated and is a compensation for marginal training.