5.56 up to the job?

[Deker 3,477]

Aaron - Sorry if I gave offence. (I have managed to resist the temptation to say "Nothing latent about it" . . .!)

I did say that the 5.56 was ideal for the fighting in 'Nam, for Belfast, Iraq and similar comparatively close combat. The article I read said that the 5.56 in general, and especially fired from the short barrelled M4, had been found to lack long range accuracy and lethality. It is outgunned by the old AK47 in 7.62 x 39.

 

The British Army has 400 Sharpshooter rifles in 7.62 x 51, and the US Army is planning to designate 9 men in each infantry company as specialists with M110 rifles, also in 7.62 x 51.

 

It shows that Santayana got it spot on when he said that those who will not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. The British Army in particular has no excuse. During the 1st Afghan War of 1839-1842 the Brown Bess musket was outranged and out powered by the Jezail flintlocks. Coupled with some outstandingly bad generalship, we quite frankly got the sh*t shot out of us. After the 3rd Anglo Afghan War, the Army decided that a invasion of Afghanistan would never succeed. Then during the Russian occupation of the '80s the AK74 in 5.45 x 39 was outranged by the Lee-Enfields the Afghan had captured from us.

 

Bit off-topic but if I want to hijack my own thread I will. So there :tongue4:

 

Ric

 

Perhaps one day we will meet up and have enough drink between us to form the next coalition Government...in the mean time ...that made me laugh as much as the army MARKSMEN drafted in to shoot cows during the Foot and Mouth!!

[RicW 67]

Snipers blasting foxes on golf courses.

 

Ric.

 

[trooperman 73]

hi Aaron being as you are a LEO can you get me one of Leupolds you bolt aloft your Rem 700 please.

 

 

 

paul

[Aaron Proffitt 142]

hi Aaron being as you are a LEO can you get me one of Leupolds you bolt aloft your Rem 700 please.

 

 

 

paul

 

 

Hell, mate, can't even get me one.....

[danebrewer10 6]

aah I was wondering when the 6.5 would crop up, as someone else said they're fielding a 6.5 at the moment, the 6.5 grendel, invented by a brit incidentally in conjunction with Hornady mfg I think, looks like a great round, uses standard AR magazines with a different follower, holds I think 26 rounds vs 30, but has a lot more oomph. the only thing is that it dosen't show it's full potential as by my understanding, it's pressures are kept fairly low to operate well in a gas operated weapon, so performance is lacking, you can load it up pretty good in a BA or single shot rifle, and it looks like a neat woodland stalking calibre, which would also be good for shorter range charlie, I think the issue is that the 5.56 isn't great on drugged up taliban fighters and something with more clout would be better but if I was given an AR in .223, I wouldn't feel too outgunned, given it's accuracy and amount of ammo you could carry....

 

I think the 5.56 came about from analysing the war in korea? and that they found that in engagements, the more rounds fired= more enemy killed, right? so they figured that if you could carry more ammo you could lay down more sustained fire and so be a bit of a force multiplier, vs someone who didn't have quite so many rounds....

 

I dunno, I just hope I don't get branded an armchair commando!

 

Cheers

DB

[hiho 5]

all i no is they make lots of 5.56 and 50bmg so the answer should really be give everyone a .50 LOL