5.56mm or 6.8mm?

im trying to fingd out more about each round

what's your opinion?

AAAARRGGHHHHH!!!



*smakes head*


Not this post again......

Here, we can sum this up fast and once and for all:

5.56 = more rounds and lighter
6.68 = more stopping power, heavier and fewer rounds

Move along, move along...

Thoughts on 5.56 vs. 7.62mm weapons and ammunition.
Rate of fire vs. Caliber of projectile.
Ak-47 vs. M-16

Thoughts on 5.56 vs. 7.62mm weapons and ammunition.
Say bye-bye to your old good M16 !
Barret to kick H&K XM-8 ass.

I'm sure this list doesn't come close to touching the 5.56 vs. (Insert caliber here) threads that are floating around. It would be nice to discuss this in an existing thread, but that's just my opinion.

[edit on 6-6-2005 by dbates]

Originally posted by usmc42
what's your opinion?

Using the ATS Search Function will make you more popular, and possibly better looking*.

Carry on.

*The Major makes no guarantee that this will happen, but ask yourself, "what do I have to lose?"

This is a intresting debate.
I myself am aware of the limitations of the 5.56mm ammunition and bullets to feed them.
I am also aware that in the sporting world the 5.56mm sometimes called the .223 offeres a larger variety of bullets and powders to optomize this ammunition. This caliber..5.56mm has take off in the field of varmit and precision rifles with the bullets and power availability. Costs also are a huge factor in this increased popularity. This factor alone should keep this ammunition around for years and years.
I am also aware that in long ranges open spaces like Afganistan the 5.56mm has been often found wanting resulting in the removal and activation of huge numbers of M14s in 7.62x51 caliber...also known by the sporting name .308 caliber. Not many M14s are to be found anymore collecting dust in warehouses as a result of this reawakening.
I see the 6.8 as a attempt to compromise the shortcomings of the 5.56mm with the 7.62x51 cartridge. As I recall there is another similar cartridge out there in the same market..I believe it is called the 6.5mm Grendel or something similar.
I also find it sad the politics associated with a attempt to field a better more dependable cartridge to our troops. The politics...must be huge in this arena. Disgusting would be a more appropriate word for this. I salute the attempt by some units to operate independently of the procurement system to get the tools they need. Bravo..my hat is off to them.
I am curious also ...as to something else about these two cartridges..the 6.8mm and the 6.5mm. Looking at them I am forced to wonder if they would be suitable for a popular type of shooting in America from which alot of wildcat cartridges have been bred...metalic silloute shooting ..particularly from the long barreled pistols like the Rmington XP100 or Thompson Center Encore or Contender series. These weapons for which the 6.8 and 6.5mm cartridges are designed are often short barreled weapons and with proper loading these cartridges look like they would be suited for metalic silloute shooting. 6mm is ideal for this kind of shooting offering both down range capabilities and knock down for the metal plates. Also as clearly indicated in the military side of the debate....very tolerable recoil characteristics.
One more thing concerning the military side of the house. The new sighting systems ..seem to be working out well. This should help with some of the accuracy debates verses spray and pray tactics. Holo sights and other optics seem to be giving our guys advantages over the opposition in many arenas. This should limit somewhat the debate over ammuition usage and carrying huge stocks into the field though no doubt it is nice to not have to worry about ammunition in the scrub.
Thanks to all for their input in this debate.

Orangetom

I think that the 5.56mm has passed it's prime, and the ballistics for the 6.8X43mm look promising to me. I can understand the reluctancy to switch to a new cartridge when there haven't been many complaints about the current one.

I would think that a caliber between 5.56 and 7.62 would be the most logical solution, seeing as both are well-suited to specific situations.

BAH stupid people using metric. NIETHER! give my a good ol' .45 hand cannon

the 5.56 is about 10 to 20 years out of its prime but its a new era and the 6.8mm is what the troops need.

Guys, I'm back - and with a vengence and I just love this thread!

5.56 milly - super! So light, so versatile, much more ammo to carry. So little stopping power at longer ranges! At shorter ranges - it goes straight through.

6.8 milly - super! Heavier, less ammo to carry but better stopping power at slightly longer ranges. Close in - what you hit (if you manage to hit anything in the heat of the moment) goes down and should stay down!

7.62 milly - brilliant! What you hit out to 600 meters - stays hit and goes down! What you hit at 100 meters (or less) is just meat on a butchers slab! Downside - got to carry more ammo. More ammo = weight but in a firefight, I know which ammo I want - and it aint 5.56 or 6.8 milly!

I have two 7.62x63 caliber rifles I am trying to learn to shoot.(30.06) Also to reload. These seem to be very potent rifles but it is a bit more difficult to handle than say my .223/5.56mm rifles.
One thing about them though ..the 7.62's ..with the bullet selection available for reloading...knockdown is not really a issue. My favorite is a hand built 1903 Springfield with a heavy benchrest type barrel. I am working around to getting a lighter target trigger for it as It will make a huge difference in group size down range.
I own a .223 caliber Savage varmit rifle...too..and it is a nail driver..but the difference in the ammunition is immediately noticable even with modern bullet selections available. Mostly this rifle is more economical to shoot.
I too am a bit of olde school in this.
Planning in the future to acquire two more rifles of noted ruggedness and accuracy to my library of tools. A Lee Enfield in 7.62 x51 caliber rather than the .303 british and a 8mmx57 mauser. The 8mmx57 is one I really look foreward to experimenting with in reloading. It seems like a very potent round just like the 30.06.
Thanks for a great post.

Orangetom

Hopefully the metric system will become standard world-wide soon, IMO it's the most accurate and widely used metric system.

as for the 5.56mm VS 6.8mm debate, i'd pick the 6.8mm since it's better to have increased stopping power than more ammo.

Id think the 6.8mm rounds would be better than 5.56mm because its the best of both worlds; it has almost as small as the 5.56 so you can hold about the same amount ammunition, while it has stopping power comparible to the 7.62mm cartriage