Old Article on the 5.56 mm NATO Round - Interesting
- Thread starter prambo
- Start date
Blimey
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Some of it beggars belief:
Another guy was supposedly hit by two 3-round bursts, but the medical examiner was not convinced that the bullets even killed him and instead the fire he fell into. It's no surprise that a non-vital hit does not immediately incapacitate. With such a ubiquitous round there are bound to be tales of people who were hit by it but not taken out.
it's an interesting read in any case, and I have no trouble believing there are certain lies embedded into its adoption,e.g. the one about a guy's back exploding from a round.
Bullets are strange. I have shot empty coke cans with .223 and it doesn't even knock them off their perch. Just a nice little hole. Of course when they are filled they do "explode".
Another guy was supposedly hit by two 3-round bursts, but the medical examiner was not convinced that the bullets even killed him and instead the fire he fell into. It's no surprise that a non-vital hit does not immediately incapacitate. With such a ubiquitous round there are bound to be tales of people who were hit by it but not taken out.
it's an interesting read in any case, and I have no trouble believing there are certain lies embedded into its adoption,e.g. the one about a guy's back exploding from a round.
Bullets are strange. I have shot empty coke cans with .223 and it doesn't even knock them off their perch. Just a nice little hole. Of course when they are filled they do "explode".
Hogwash. There was also the tall tale that the .30 carbine could not penetrate the frozen clothing of the North Korean soliders. In actuality American troops simply weren't hitting their targets. All such battlefield anecdotes are to be taken with a grain of salt. I typically don't hear much complaint of the M193 from Vietnam vets. @Robin, what say you?
The 77gr Mk262 has certainly gained an impressive reputation in its service.
The 77gr Mk262 has certainly gained an impressive reputation in its service.
@thewheels
.308 Win
Shot placement and velocity are still important.
Deplorable Me
.700 Nitro Express
I wonder if there's a difference between a round that goes through 100% soft tissue and one that hits bone?
thegatman
.308 Win
The question is. “Would you want to be hit by one?”
Robin
.577 Tyrannosaur.
Interesting article. If taken as factual, it doesn't vary to far from what I have been saying for the last fifty years. I believe that .250 is the rock bottom, bare minimum diameter for an infantry bullet caliber, with .270 being optimum.
Robin
Robin
Marine Cpl
.577 Tyrannosaur.
"The goat had tiny little entry holes and tiny little exit holes."
Bullshit. Where did they shoot the tethered goat from? 400 yards? Just a quick search on YouTube shows that isn't the case on the countless deer videos out there. Any sized rifled bullet going at over 2500 fps will create an exit hole double or triple it's size upon exit. It's when the bullet drops below 2000fps that it only pinholes.
Bullshit. Where did they shoot the tethered goat from? 400 yards? Just a quick search on YouTube shows that isn't the case on the countless deer videos out there. Any sized rifled bullet going at over 2500 fps will create an exit hole double or triple it's size upon exit. It's when the bullet drops below 2000fps that it only pinholes.
Last edited:
C3D
.338 Win Mag
It’s been long since established that the .223 is a very very deadly round. When taking into advantage the weight savings on both weapon and ammo can be balanced with more ammo carried, it’s been a pretty darned good round.
The Blackhawk Down reference is interesting though. The 62 grain green tip rounds fired out of 11.5” carbines were shown to be less effective against emanciated and Khatted-up Somali militia, as the projectiles tended to drill straight through them.
The armed forces will transition to a new cartridge but the 5.56 has served us well.
The Blackhawk Down reference is interesting though. The 62 grain green tip rounds fired out of 11.5” carbines were shown to be less effective against emanciated and Khatted-up Somali militia, as the projectiles tended to drill straight through them.
The armed forces will transition to a new cartridge but the 5.56 has served us well.
NATO demands that militaries use FMJ rounds in war so as to not be overly devistating to the body being hit by the round. Part of the theory of war is to wound your enemy, causing two or more of his comrades to help him, thus taking them away from the fight as well. If a quick and assured death was the real objective, a soft point would be much better suited regardless of the caliber. Terminal ballistics are a reasonably well known science. Do YOU hunt with FMJ ? No. You pick a spitzer, a pointed soft point, a frangible, perhaps a solid copper, but ALL of those are designed to expand, creating the lethal objective. You match the bullet design and weight to the game being hunted. FMJ bullets are purposely designed to NOT expand. The caliber does not matter. I don't necessarily disagree that the 5.56 round is underpowered for most military use. However, the weight and size savings allow the soldier to carry far more ammunition . There is ALWAYS a trade-off.