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U.S. lawmakers recently questioned Army and Marine Corps leaders on small-arms and why the two services buy completely different bullets for the M16A4 rifles and M4 carbines.

“You guys are using two different rounds, and you have procured several million rounds to date and you have used them in combat,” Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., said at a March 19 House Armed Services Committee hearing.

Sanchez, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, wanted to know why the Marine Corps uses the M855 5.56mm round and the Army uses the M855A1.

The services met with the subcommittee to discuss Fiscal 2016 modernization efforts — a touchy subject these days since the Pentagon is facing another round of mandatory budget cuts under sequestration in 2016.

“Maintaining two inventories of the same size combat ammunition is probably not the most efficient way to go,” Sanchez said.

via Army and Marine Corps Still Disagree over M16/M4 Bullet | Military.com.

Loretta Sanchez is, of course, something of a dim bulb. First, one powerful argument for using two different types of ammunition is that the Marines and the Army use two different weapons. While the mechanics of the M16A4 and the M4A1 are virtually the same, the differences in barrel length argue for different ammunition.

While buying two different types of ammunition is somewhat inefficient, it’s not all that inefficient. After all, the services actually buy literally hundreds of different types of small arms ammunition.

By the way, one thing Big Army really likes about the newest M855A1 iteration is that it is environmentally friendly.

Now, before you roll your eyes about that, it actually makes some sense. While lead remediation isn’t a major issue on most local shooting ranges, it does become an issue on military installations, where 50 years or more of firing takes place. Further, the Army does a surprising amount of shooting on non-federal lands leased or loaned to the Army for training purposes. With the zealousness of the EPA, environmental concerns make it less likely for landowners to cooperate with the Army.