The big news this week is that SOCOM are abandoning the FN SCAR MK-16 (5.56mm NATO version) after buying less than 1000 rifles.

75th Ranger Regiment with SCAR rifles at NASCAR

Military.com’s Kit Up blog reports …

Details provided exclusively to Military.com reveal that SOCOM, the Tampa-based command that oversees the training and equipping of SEALs, Green Berets, Air Force Special Tactics Teams and Marine SOC groups, will stop purchasing the 5.56 mm Mk-16 Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle and might require all units who now have them to turn the new weapons back into the armory.

“The Mk-16 does not provide enough of a performance advantage over the M-4 to justify spending USSOCOM’s limited … funds when competing priorities are taken into consideration,” officials at USSOCOM said in an email response to questions from Military.com. “Currently, three of USSOCOM’s four components receive the 5.56 mm M-4 from their parent service as a service common equipment item.”

The money instead going to be used to purchase FN SCAR MK17 (7.62x51mm NATO) rifles instead.

[ Many thanks to everybody who sent this in. ]