@ormandj , I appreciate the kind wishes, but alas success in life has long since passed me by. That wish for luck is a few years over due ;-). You're not kidding about how people drive...and the generally poor state of the roads, for that matter. Hard to ride a bike like that how it's meant to be ridden anywhere but a track. Trundling along in traffic does (did, I guess) nothing for me as a rider. On the bright side, it did help me stay in proper mounted movement trim, head on a swivel, knowing that death could come in a moment from any direction. It definitely made me a better driver.
The whole family of "not a 5.56" AR cartridges are all nice for their niches. I just don't find the performance compelling, as I used to. There was a time where I was super excited about everything from the .257x45 to the .50 Beowulf. Having toyed with a few has moderated that. None of them do anything my plain Jane 5.56x45 doesn't well enough (for me) to justify the extra expense - that was the genesis of my joke. It's never just the rifle/upper. It's the ammo, the mags, the dies, the powders, the brass, etc. It's an inventory management challenge that might hold more appeal if I earn my way to more free time.
As for the 6.5G, whatever enthusiasm I had for the 6.5G was soured pretty thoroughly by my experience with the rifle I chose (poorly) to shoot it. The amount of effort I went through to try to get it to simply shoot as well as M855/SS109 spec ball was part of it. The rifle components being out of spec and the customer service I received is the other part. That's chronicled elsewhere on this sight - suffice to say, there's one company from whom I no longer buy anything. If I had a true need for more than .223, but not quite short action, my 6.8 SPC can provide that. That's a family thing, not a "it makes sense" thing.
That's what got me thinking about something on the -10 - an unambiguous upgrade in terms of performance. Of course, I realized that my 6.8 SPC with a 16" tube already weighs as much (more?) than my M70 w/ 24" barrel. It seems like there are a few options that address that gripe. Honestly, if some of the factory options were offered in a caliber other than .308 Win they might even be compelling. Though ubiquitous, it's never a caliber I've had any love for personally. I suppose that ultimately I'm just asking too much from the AR design and all the bulk/weight that goes with it. You're right in that I don't want a 20 lb gaming rig.
I know it's popular in certain corners of the internet to talk about how practical our 18-24 lb rigs are for general purpose use...typically with some assertions that only weak, lesser creatures would have any problem carrying that weight however far it needs carried. I've done, I've got the t-shirt and I think it's
stupid unappealing to do that to yourself on purpose. It's just not my cup of tea, but anyone that wants to is welcome to.
LRRP - I've read your stuff here and elsewhere. I always appreciate the time/effort you put into your posts, analysis, etc. Watching your (daughter?) run a 12" 6.5G on steel at range was pretty cool.
