FBI buying some anti-Gamma weapons.

[el_jefe]

 

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b332080a26cd6f599163b2fada224717&tab=core&_cview=0&cck=1&au=&ck=

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to award a non-competitive, sole source purchase order to Anzio Ironworks Corporation, 1905 16th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704 for two (2) Magfed 20mm Rifles and accessories in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. 

The FBI intends to procure the following items: 

Magfed 20mm Rifle with Belgian Camo Overcoat finish. Includes bipod, brake, handguard, free floated barrel and case (Qty: 1 each)

Magfed 20mm Rifle with Navy NWV Camo Duracoat finish. Includes bipod, brake, handguard, free floated barrel and case (Qty: 1 each)

Non-firing bolt assemblies (Qty: 2 each)

Extra magazines (Qty: 4 each)

Suppressors in 20mm (Qty: 2 each)

For visual reference:

The Anzio 20mm rifle:



And some bullets:

From left to right, 22, 25, 32, 380, 9mm, 357 SIG, 38, 357, 40, 45, & 223 rifle.

.40 cal being what our intrepid band of heros use. The .223 is used for reference as we ramp up to 20mm. . .


From left to right: .223, .338 lapua, 50BMG (banned in California cause it's scary ), and 20MM Vulcan (what these monsters shoot)

That'll do pig. That'll do.

[DavidG]

For visual reference:

The Anzio 20mm rifle:

What you don't really appreciate from that is that the rifle is 6' 8" long! Take a look at http://www.anzioironworks.com/MAG-FED-20MM-RIFLE.htm to see it with some human size references.

[jeffy]

Not knowing much more about guns than which end is pointy, I'm wondering what the effect would be of this thing in say a body shot on a human target. My intuition says it'd make a great big hole and keep going to make great big holes in the twenty people standing behind said target.

[DavidG]

Yeah, overpenetration could be a major issue. There are probably three potential reasons for using a rifle of this calibre:
1) EOD, bombs and other explosive devices don't always work well with a large hole in them, or alternatively they can be made to go boom on demand with a robust enough nudge. A lot of the military sales of these rifles are actually for EOD teams, not snipers or special forces.
2) Anti-material use. Sniper rifles from 12.7mm up are often called anti-material rifles, if they aren't shooting at bombs then they are normally shooting at things rather than people. They're possibly looking to use it to disable things like trucks or powerboats from a distance by putting a large hole in the engine block
3) They want to use it to shoot people in situations where they're under cover (for instance behind a cement block wall).

I suspect 1 is most likely, 3 most unlikely.

[el_jefe]

What dwg said. In WW II, Most 20mm rifles were anti-tank rifles.

[DavidG]

In WW II, Most 20mm rifles were anti-tank rifles.

Though rapidly outdated by the gun-armour race. You can scale up a tank to mount a bigger gun or heavier armour, but it's a bit messier with a human

[el_jefe]

Yeah, anyone that shoots a man portable 20mm at a current main battle tank will find themselves rapidly demoted to fertilizer second class.

[miminnehaha]

The team operates under the constraints of FBI sop; we know Chaz used his souped-up taser on his first mission... it sure would be nice for them to go up against gammas with more than just their service-issue.  I don't suppose we're going to see the above-mentioned firepower any time soon...

[Edmund Schweppe]

Yeah, anyone that shoots a man portable 20mm at a current main battle tank will find themselves rapidly demoted to fertilizer second class.

I'm not entirely sure about that. That 20mm would probably do a nice job getting any reactive armor to prematurely detonate before the ATGM flies in. With the right ammo, it might even be able to defeat the rear armor.

And, of course, it'd do quite the number on any tank commander who happened to be standing in an open turret hatch.

[el_jefe]

Yeah, anyone that shoots a man portable 20mm at a current main battle tank will find themselves rapidly demoted to fertilizer second class.

I'm not entirely sure about that. That 20mm would probably do a nice job getting any reactive armor to prematurely detonate before the ATGM flies in. With the right ammo, it might even be able to defeat the rear armor.

And, of course, it'd do quite the number on any tank commander who happened to be standing in an open turret hatch.

I'm for sure not trying it.   Plus, the way the reactive armor is plated in segments, the incoming round would have to hit exactly where the 20mm hit, and I'm not sure that precision is possible in a combat situation. I mean, I once put a LAW rocket through a car window at 200m, but the car wasn't moving and no one was shooting at me.

[Elizabeth Bear]

The Sol Todd award for 2009 goes to El Jefe.

[glinda_w]

The Sol Todd award for 2009 goes to El Jefe.

*semi-hysterical giggling* Indeed. I can just see and hear Sol saying that...

[el_jefe]

*wry grin* Talk about clenching it at the last minute. . .