Why are most assault rifles low caliber?
February 19th, 2010 by eranio
The m 16, ar 15, ak 74, ak 47 and the Famas are all .223 cal. I want a higher caliber assault rifle but I also want to know why most modern military rifles are such a low cal. I know that the rifles are all the same size so NATO can use the same ammo for the different countries guns, but are they small bullets to make them better at piercing body armour ? any suggestions on what assault rifle to get for my self? (other that the ar 10)
Posted in Military Rifles
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Nato was formed to stop Russia so thus Russian calibers like the 7.62X39 and 5.45×39 are not Nato calibers. The AK74 (5.45X39) was a response from Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov to the M16. The .223 was designed as a varmint round and was adopted by the Navy as a light weight rifle to guard naval ships at port. Then the military got the bright idea that they could slow down the enemy by wounding one of his comrades. Basically shoot one with a 22 rifle and two of his buddies will carry him off the battle field. As a result, the wounded enemy solider just keeps fighting on causing our troops to do a double tap on each enemy soldier. The army understands the .223 is a joke but they basically don’t have teh cash to give our guys a better replacement rifle. That is why you see our guys fighting to get their hands on an M14 or AK47.
Just for the record I own multiple AR15s. I try really hard to be honest and unbiased in my reply.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
From a military perspectice larger calibers have been replaced (by the way the AK’s are not .223).
Most engagements are close range and with urban environemts (meaning cities and populated areas) long distance isn’t really needed by the average soldier.
It really boils down to how much ammo you can pack. The larger calibers are heavier and larger (duh!) so to carry 100 rounds of .308 (7.62) versus 100 rounds of .223 (5.56) is a no brainer. You can also carry more of the 5.56 for the same weight of the larger caliber.
For a civilian you have choices so any rifle that you can afford is fine. What do you want to do with it? Is it more for accuracy for long long distances (<600 yards) or is it for plinking at close distances.
If you are not into the AR series then try the old and tested M1A1 Scout or other variant.
Look at what you want to do and how much you have budgeted and go from there. There is a lot to choose from. How about a trusty Remington 700 (comes in various calibers).
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Arrrrrrrrrgh… *pounds head into keyboard*.
They’re not "assault" rifles. What *you* may be able to obtain will be a semi-automatic sporting arm.
Now, to answer your question, they choose smaller calibers, only because larger calibers are unnecessary. 5.56/.223 are plenty powerful for anti-personnel work… any larger and you’re dealing with unnecessary recoil and weight.
No, they’re not better at defeating body armor. However the ammunition (and arms chambered in them) are lighter. More efficient.
You don’t need an "assault" rifle… hell, I don’t think you need any form of firearm until you mature a little.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
The lower power of the assault rounds help one holding the weapon, also holding it on target. These guns are lite weight and heavy rounds would kick like hell and cause the point of aim to bounce around: not a very good idea in close combat. If you know this little about assault weapons I would suggest staying away from them. Also the Russian 7.62X39 and the 223 both do damage beyond belief so stop selling these rounds short.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
agree with greg,, case in point my single shot ithaa m66 3 inch mag,, leveraction ,, can assautl thei pis,,,, out of you it is only a 12 gage,,,, this,, this laptop is about shot um,,,, to answer our question,,,,steek jct,,are used to inflict injury thus 1 man dwn get ak sorry folk key board is gone,,,,,,,,,,,,,
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
For starters, the AK-47 shoots the 7.62×39 which is a big caliber, however it’s power level is pretty similar to the 5.56×45 NATO and the 5.45×39 Warsaw Pact.
that is a basic characteristic of an assault rifle, that it fires an intermediate class cartridge (something between the power of a true rifle round and the power of a pistol round)
Guns that are similar to assault rifles but fire full power rifle cartridges are called ‘Battle Rifles’
The AR-10 you mentioned is one, the M1A (civilian version of the M-14) is another, same withe the FN-FAL and the H&K G-3 (or it’s predecessor, the CETME )
However, there is also a trend in creating AR-15s that fire larger caliber specialty rounds. Check out the 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Grendel, they are the about half way between the 5.56x45mm and the 7.62x51mm
there is also the 458 SOCOM and the 500 Beowulf, which are basically the same thing but with really big wide bullets, meaning enhanced stopping power at close range but not a ton of long range ability
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
First and foremost, outside of the Clinton Gun Ban, find me a definition of an "assault rifle". There are battle rifles, sniper rifles, hunting rifles, special purpose rifles, tactical rifles, lever action rifles, bolt action rifles, and semi automatic and select fire Class III rifles, but there ain’t no such thing as an assualt rifle. Its an invented term meant to demonize guns that "look mean". Once you get your political head together, and figure that AK-47′s are 7.62 (.30 cal), that M14 are also 7.62, and currently in use in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that you can buy a semi-auto rifle chambered in .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, 5.56NATO (frankly all you really need under 100 yards), 7.62 NATO, 7.62 X 39, or even 5.7mm, OR you can buy a select fire rifle or submachine gun manufactured before 1986.
Now to your question. You can easily blow a man to bits, and the bits get eaten by the buzzards. You can, on the other hand, poke a neat little hole clean through the same guy, and take 8 of his buddies out of the fight. War is a mean spirited business, and killing the bad guys sometimes is worse than wounding them. THAT, my friend, is why most battle rifles are "low power", which is a comparitive term. Which one would you wish to calmy and confidently stand in front of while a combatant takes a shot at your coconut?
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Newer AK variants are 5.45 millimeter.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Trying looking up what the Department of Defense defines as an Assault Rifle then get back to us.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
the 5.56mm NATO is the round that the entire NATO forces uses in their firearms, since Russia isn’t part of NATO, the AK-47 uses the 7.62X39mm, it’s the AK-74, it’s replacement, that uses a smaller cartridge, the 5.45X39mm, not the 5.56mm NATO.
you need to collect more info before trying to tell us what’s what.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
I think you should get a 10/22
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
The M14 is the only US assault rifle that has a larger cartridge unless you get into some of the special ops stuff. Most of the spec ops would be so new that none of them would have been registered before the 1986 cut off date so civilians could not own them. If you are looking for a black semi-auto rifle that is available in larger calibers, look at the AR-10, DPMS LR-308, SR-25 or some of the others that are available. Be forewarned. My son has a DPMS LR-243 that weighs 13.2 lbs with scope and bipod. Some one is supposed to be coming out with a black .30-06. There a few .300 mags in the black semi-autos.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
The small caliber and lower power is popular because the grunt can carry more of it. Keep in mind that wounding an enemy combatant is generally (though not always) preferred to killing him in military applications and laying down a field of fire is standard, so the criteria for choosing a military caliber are somewhat different from choosing one for civilian use.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Russia has the only assault rifle, which was used in WWII.
Military rifles tend to come in two common sizes. NATO picked one size and the Warsaw Pact picked another. The smaller size gives less kick during bursts and troops can carry more ammo. Another thing was troop wounding. In the early 60s the math was one wounded guy took 5 guys off the battlefield. That meant one wounded guy plus his buddies which would take him off the battlefield. The rounds are still good enough to pierce the steel helmets of the Warsaw Pact.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
You can get AR’s in many different calibers. The reason being that automatic fire with those larger rounds are not accurate. The recoil after 2 shots you will be firing about their head, its a waste oif ammo. You don’t seem to understand the reasoning behind using smaller calibers. You can carry more and 5.56 tends to go much faster than larger rifle calibers and that high velocity is more likely to make the bullet tumble, yaw or shatter in flesh.
If you care so much get an AR in .50 Beowulf.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Do yourself a favor and take "assault rifle" out of your vocabulary….. Use that term at a gun shop and the idiot alert will go off…. You want a military style semi-automatic sporting rifle… Not an assault rifle…….
Other than an AR10?…..
Consider an FN-FAL type rifle……..
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=155503398
http://www.jgsales.com/index.php/rifles/fal%2C-hk%2C-cetme-clones/cPath/209_432
http://www.jgsales.com/product_info.php/rifles/fal%2C-hk%2C-cetme-clones/p/cetme-308-caliber-semi-auto-battle-rifle-/cPath/209_432/products_id/2657
A buddy of mine has one of these…. They seem to be decent…. I have fired it a few times and the accuracy isn’t bad…. They aren’t my cup of tea but if you want larger caliber then consider one……
Saiga has a semi-auto rifle in .308 also……
http://www.raacfirearms.com/Saiga_308.htm
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=155395053
Be sure to look over the Romanian PSL also……
http://www.jgsales.com/product_info.php/rifles/ak-47-and-rpk-rifles/p/romanian-psl-54c-sniper-rifle-7-62x54r-with-4x-scope-/cPath/209_214/products_id/2392
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Hahahahah oh how this question makes me laugh! For starters the AK-47 is not a .223 or 5.56 it is a 7.62 which is a .30 cal if i am correct. there are so many things wrong in this question i will be 100% honest with you, you do not deserve to be owning a weapon of any sort if you are unable to be smart enough to know the difference between the calibers of a weapon. also leave the guns to the experts and go play more COD WM2 kay??
February 19th, 2010 at 12:45 am
Several reasons:
1. The goal is to be able to send many rounds down range, on target, quickly. High power calibers will make it hard to do this. Automatic fire only exacerbates this problem. Bigger calibers will make the gun shoot bullets above target when fired quickly.
2. The goal is not to kill the enemy soldier, but incapacitate him. Ideally, you want the enemy soldier wounded, so it will tie up enemy manpower and resources to evacuate him from the battlefield and care for him.
3. Smaller rounds are lighter and take less space Thus its easier to carry more of them.