Why 5.56?

[seeker_two]

Reading this thread (it's a good one https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...&share_fid=16014&share_type=t&link_source=app ) brought up a question that I've been thinking about since the AR rush began. With the other calibers offered in the AR platform, why should I buy one in 5.56? It doesn't have the bullet weight and energy of an actual rifle cartridge (7.62x39, .300BLK, 7.62 NATO). It has a lot more flash and noise than a pistol-caliber carbine for similar close-range performance. And 5.56 ammo seems to be the first to dry up in a panic.

What makes a 5.56 carbine/braced pistol worth owning?

Help a skeptic out here....



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[avvidclif]

Cheap ammo, cheap to reload.

 

[oldag]

Compared to .308, cheaper ammo. No kick, if that is a concern.

Personally, I prefer .308.

 

[Dawico]

Absolutely. It's hard to beat for cheap parts and ammo.

Of course there are better chamberings depending on specific purposes but 5.56 is the king for general utility.

 

[Bozz10mm]

With the other calibers offered in the AR platform, why should I buy one in 5.56?

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Don't, IMHO.

My first AR pistol was in 5.56 and it just didn't do it for me. Lots of noise, big fireball. My second one is in 300 Blk Out. 300 BO is much more pleasant to shoot. Even with supersonic ammo and a shorter (7.5") barrel, it has much less noise and muzzle blast. And if you wanted to add a suppressor and use subsonic ammo, it can be much quieter than a suppressed 5.56. The down side...ammo costs twice as much.

If you are talking about an AR rifle, rather than a pistol, I would say 5.56 is the better choice if you can only have one.

 

[FireInTheWire]

556/223 is a great trainer round. Volume=cost

 

[Byrd666]

A 5.56/.223 AR platform pistol with a brace is a great all purpose/utilitarian tool. For me, it's a lot easier to use than a full sized rifle. The shorter barrel, 11.5" & 10.5", make the balance much better for one handed use. Being in the Lego platform, customization is almost endless and pieces parts abound. Throw on a can, and you have a home defense, backyard varmint dispatch unit, and truck gun, all in one. And in a relatively inexpensive and reliable caliber.

Then if you don't like that, throw on another upper of pistol length, and you have another caliber to play with.

 

[Axxe55]

In times of no panic, it's the best bang for your buck! Same with an AR in that caliber.

Granted, there are much better cartridges than the 5.56, and many are available in the AR platform, but for a beginner, or those new to the AR platform, the 5.56 is just hard to beat. Decently accurate, inexpensive to shoot and very low recoil. Those are good attributes in firearm.

 

[baboon]

Plinking is great practice & the 5.56 is a great plinking round. A semi auto makes plinking better & the AR is the most popular semi auto in 5.56.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Why .223/5.56? Because there’s so much volume it drives the prices down. And before shit-talking the round, remember what it was designed for. That platform/round has killed plenty of people. One of my JTACS dropped a dude at 417 yards with a single, well placed shot.

Personally, I think there’s better options in the AR15 platform, each more costly than the basic 5.56.

For a true pistol configuration, I lean towards 300BO since that cartridge was designed around a pistol length gas system and barrel. For carbine, there’s .458SOCOM, which is an absolute beast. For an decent hunter in a 18” barrel, 6.5 Grendel comes to mind. There’s certainly other options out there, but I tend to work backwards from what I want the weapon to do and work backwards from there to get to a platform/cartridge combination.

 

[seeker_two]

Interesting points.....

As to cost, why not a PCC in 9mm or .45ACP instead? Ammo costs less for the pistol rounds, and 5.56 doesn't seem to be any more effective on paper targets, steel, or perps than the pistol rounds in a carbine-length barrel.....

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[majormadmax]

Back in 1989 the FBI Firearms Training Unit did a study on Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness, and stated...

"Probably more people in this country have been killed by .22 rimfires than all other calibers combined..."

And...

"Shot placement is an important, and often cited, consideration regarding the suitability of weapons and ammunition. However, considerations of caliber are equally important and cannot be ignored. For example, a bullet through the central nervous system with any caliber of ammunition is likely to be immediately incapacitating. Even a .22 rimfire penetrating the brain will cause immediate incapacitation in most cases."

However, the study concluded...

"Physiologically, no caliber or bullet is certain to incapacitate any individual unless the brain is hit. Psychologically, some individuals can be incapacitated by minor or small caliber wounds. Those individuals who are stimulated by fear, adrenaline, drugs, alcohol, and/or sheer will and survival determination may not be incapacitated even if mortally wounded.

The will to survive and to fight despite horrific damage to the body is commonplace on the battlefield, and on the street. Barring a hit to the brain, the only way to force incapacitation is to cause sufficient blood loss that the subject can no longer function, and that takes time. Even if the heart is instantly destroyed, there is sufficient oxygen in the brain to support full and complete voluntary action for 10-15 seconds. Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The much discussed "shock" of bullet impact is a fable and "knock down" power is a myth. The critical element is penetration. The bullet must pass through the large, blood bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid bleeding.

Penetration less than 12 inches is too little, and, in the words of two of the participants in the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop, "too little penetration will get you killed." Given desirable and reliable penetration, the only way to increase bullet effectiveness is to increase the severity of the wound by increasing the size of hole made by the bullet. Any bullet which will not penetrate through vital organs from less than optimal angles is not acceptable. Of those that will penetrate, the edge is always with the bigger bullet."

In layman's terms...Go big, or go home!

In other words...

There is a quality in quantity!

What am I saying?

I have no idea! Just wanted to see if anyone was paying attention!

 

[SQLGeek]

5.56 doesn't seem to be any more effective on... perps than the pistol rounds in a carbine-length barrel.....

That is an...interesting...assertion.

A 55 gr round traveling at 2,500 fps out of a 10" barrel imparts about 763 ft/lbs of force. Far greater than a 9mm.

A cursory search of survival rate of rifle vs pistol gun shot wounds tells me all it needs to.

 

[Riksors]

Can also shoot a .22lr with a conversion kit.

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...m16-22lr-bravo-conversion-kits-prod54549.aspx

 

[Big Green]

@seeker_two Concerning PCC

My HD rifle is an AR in 9mm. That allows the use of rounds that may be better suited than some of the 5.56 for that role. I like the AR platform as I’m familiar with it and prefer a rifle of some type to a pistol.

Aside from that the 5.56, with the right ammo, fills lots of roles. It’s available everywhere and usually pretty cheap. Even the 77gr stuff isn’t too bad if you look around.

I do concur that a better short barrel round is the 300BLK or 9mm.

 

[toddnjoyce]

@seeker_two Concerning PCC

My HD rifle is an AR in 9mm. That allows the use of rounds that may be better suited than some of the 5.56 for that role. I like the AR platform as I’m familiar with it and prefer a rifle of some type to a pistol.

Aside from that the 5.56, with the right ammo, fills lots of roles. It’s available everywhere and usually pretty cheap. Even the 77gr stuff isn’t too bad if you look around.

I do concur that a better short barrel round is the 300BLK or 9mm.

I like the AR pistol in 9mm for inside the home almost as much as I like a suppressed subsonic 300BO pistol. I need to do some more research on 45ACP AR pistols.

 

[Big Green]

I like the AR pistol in 9mm for inside the home almost as much as I like a suppressed subsonic 300BO pistol. I need to do some more research on 45ACP AR pistols.

I need a can for my 9mm.

45 would be nice but as of yet I don’t own one and that’s another caliber to stock. Also, my AR9 takes Glock mags which makes things even easier.

 

[zackmars]

.300blk and 7.62x39 are not comparable to .308. Not even close.

5.56, even in it's most common plinking/range loading (M193) is more effective than all but a few select loadings of 7.62x39 (specialty hunting loads aside), and many .300blk loadings

5.56 is controllable, cheap, accurate, effective, common.

7.62x39 and .300 both have limited practical range

.300blk is a niche caliber, expensive and you don't get the sheer variety of loads to choose from

7.62x39 is cheap, but it's all import ammo, ask the 5.45 guys how that plays out... Domestic loads are often more expensive than similar 5.56 loads. You are also limited to non-standard AR's or AK's. Stock up om 8M3, great stuff.

Is it .308? No. But neither are 7.62x39 or .300blk

 

[popper]

I load my BO pistol to 357 level (~12-1300 fps) with 170gr cast, almost no recoil. Plus 20 rnd mags. PCC makes no sense to me. I can go hotter toward 2100 with 150gr. Bout 10$/100. A 40sw works too, when needed.

 

[vmax]

5.56 is a NATO caliber.
When everything else is depleted during an extended SHTF or even a TEOTWAWKI event, you’ll be more likely to find ammo for a 5.56 then a Creedmore.
Also, the 2.23 is a damn fine varmint round...

So, it used to be a free country... (can’t say it’s still free) but you can still buy what you want to suit your own needs and wants...