The loss of modern infantry weapons

[Targan]

Originally Posted by kalos72

Imagine an M3 chambered for a 5.56Nato round...

I can't. For many reasons such a conversion wouldn't be possible. Or rather, you would have to re-work almost every major component of the weapon so there would be little if any of the original weapon left. The M3 is a blowback operated weapon firing from an open bolt. It fires a .45 pistol round. I'm happy to be corrected but I don't know of any 5.56mm weapons that use a blowback, open bolt system. You'd have to massively reinforce the whole receiver. Then there is the magazine well and the mags. And that tiny length, narrow barrel would have to be replaced with a much heavier barrel to avoid it rupturing and probably much longer one (or be prepared for a really fearsome muzzle flash). I'm sure others can think of even more problems with a 5.56 conversion for the M3.