It's well documented that 5.56 NATO has inconsistent behavior in soft tissue, which sometimes results in failure to rapidly incapacitate an opponent.
There is also the issue of long range engagements, for which many individuals on this forum consider 5.56 NATO to be inadequate.
Some forum members would like to address these matters by replacing 5.56 NATO with 6.5 Grendel.
While I think that 6.5 Grendel would be a viable solution to the perceived problems, I am inclined to agree with LRRPF52 that it has drawbacks which make it not the best option.
First, as someone in Tony's MG&A forum noted, the 5.56 NATO cartridge is so light that "the warfighter can carry absurdly high numbers of rounds."
Second, the small case diameter of the 5.56 NATO permits rifle magazines of minimum height and weight.
In contrast, size and weight of the Grendel cartridge and its magazines are necessarily much greater than for 5.56 NATO, which would cause a significant increase in the rifleman's carry load and/or a reduction in number of rounds carried.
All of the foregoing leads me to wonder if there might be a better idea. Here's what I've come up with:
I've long admired the superbly streamlined bullet of the 5.45x39 Russian round. I suggest that this bullet be scaled up to 0.224" diameter, and loaded in the 5.56x45 case. That should address the inconsistent terminal performance seen with M855 Ball, and also extend the effective range.
If even greater range should be deemed necessary, the 5.45 bullet could be scaled up to 6mm (or possibly even 6.35mm).
Also, keeping the 5.56x45 cartridge case has manufacturing and logistical advantages, in addition to the end user benefits noted.
Your thoughts?
There is also the issue of long range engagements, for which many individuals on this forum consider 5.56 NATO to be inadequate.
Some forum members would like to address these matters by replacing 5.56 NATO with 6.5 Grendel.
While I think that 6.5 Grendel would be a viable solution to the perceived problems, I am inclined to agree with LRRPF52 that it has drawbacks which make it not the best option.
First, as someone in Tony's MG&A forum noted, the 5.56 NATO cartridge is so light that "the warfighter can carry absurdly high numbers of rounds."
Second, the small case diameter of the 5.56 NATO permits rifle magazines of minimum height and weight.
In contrast, size and weight of the Grendel cartridge and its magazines are necessarily much greater than for 5.56 NATO, which would cause a significant increase in the rifleman's carry load and/or a reduction in number of rounds carried.
All of the foregoing leads me to wonder if there might be a better idea. Here's what I've come up with:
I've long admired the superbly streamlined bullet of the 5.45x39 Russian round. I suggest that this bullet be scaled up to 0.224" diameter, and loaded in the 5.56x45 case. That should address the inconsistent terminal performance seen with M855 Ball, and also extend the effective range.
If even greater range should be deemed necessary, the 5.45 bullet could be scaled up to 6mm (or possibly even 6.35mm).
Also, keeping the 5.56x45 cartridge case has manufacturing and logistical advantages, in addition to the end user benefits noted.
Your thoughts?
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