U.S.TOP STORY

Questions Raised Over the Army's New Rifle

The Army defends the new rifle as offering significant advantages on the modern battlefield, while a Daily Caller piece questions it; the details remain thin.

On air: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on BBN Newsroom
Published 10:08 AM ET, Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Footage: NathanScientific · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

First reported by The Daily Caller: “Is The Army’s New Rifle A Lemon?”
Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 10:08 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The Daily CallerIs The Army’s New Rifle A Lemon?

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAs promised: questions about the Army's new rifle, with The Daily Caller asking whether it's a lemon, while the Army says it offers significant advantages on the modern battlefield.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe summary we have doesn't say what, if anything, is wrong with it, so for now it's a question and a defense, not a finding.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA question mark is a very hopeful punctuation mark. Maybe the rifle just needs people to believe in it.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorBelieve in it? It's a rifle, Vera, not a motivational poster.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Army says advantages, a website says lemon, and the taxpayer gets to be the one holding the receipt.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorA lemon with a warranty claim. Wonderful.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBrock's next, and he's never once called a forecast a lemon, only a personal attack.