Comments

Martello, Thanks for the clarification. (Telling me that the XM25 will be replacing the M203 cleared things up for me.) The advantage would seem to be that whereas with the M203 one must arc the grenade (like an arrow), by contrast, with the XM25, one can shoot right through or just above the cover in a straight line?

Twistedmind, You wouldn't be firing off a clip of these things on full-auto from an M16. Rather, they'd be a precision sniper weapon. Probably, every squad of soldiers would have one specialist with these soldiers, or perhaps every soldier would have one special clip of these bullets, for use on special targets. Similarly, with grenades, they'd be used very judiciously and sparingly. You don't carry 500 grenades and just toss them whenever you feel like it. You carry a few grenades, and use them precisely and specifically when they're most needed. Likewise with these bullets.

My mother (a chemist for the FDA - her job is checking produce for pesticides and editing the FDA's official laboratory methods manual) likes (VERY frequently) to quip that rattlesnake poison is "all natural" too! She is fond of noting that increased scientific knowledge on the part of the laity is an absolute imperative; so many aspects of day-to-day life demand greater scientific knowledge than most have - witness how many are fooled by the "DHMO" hoax. She frequently notes that the US government's policy on "herbal supplements" is a very dangerous one: whereas with drugs the burden of proof is on the company to prove the drug is safe (and until safety is proven, the drug cannot be released), the burden of proof for herbal supplements is on the FDA. Thus, the company can release a new supplement without having done any safety tests at all! Also, even if the FDA has a hunch that something is unsafe, it might take years for the FDA to gather enough evidence to build a solid case. In the meantime, the company might full well know how dangerous its herbal supplement is (they may even have done full scientific experimentation, and have full data), but since the burden of proof is not on them to proof safety, they have no obligation to inform anyone that their supplement is dangerous.