Caliber Debate

In the gun world, people often discuss and debate caliber (size of bullet). Generally speaking, a larger caliber is more powerful. However, even .22's (one of the smaller, least potent sizes) can kill.

During Vietnam, the US military forces switched from the M-14 to the M-16. The older, more powerful M-14 fires a 7.62 mm (.30 caliber) projectile. This weapon has the pros of being powerful, accurate at long ranges, and the ability to fire fully automatic. However, it was heavy, long, and extremely difficult (if not impossible) to fire accurately in fully automatic settings.

The newer M-16 was far lighter. Designed with some parts being made in aluminum and other parts in polymers the fully loaded riffle weighed in at around 7 pounds, compared to nearly 13 pounds for the M-14. The ammunition was much lighter, as well. This enabled the soldiers to carry more ammo and it still could weigh less than the older M-14. However, the projectile was .223 caliber (5.56 mm). This smaller bullet traveled much faster, but weighed much less and was not as effective as far out as the M-14's 7.62 mm round.

For comparison's sake, modern shooters can shoot the M-16 platform well out to 800 meters. The M-14 can be shot well and is proven to still be lethal beyond 1000 meters.

In the dense jungles of Vietnam, however, conflicts rarely took place at ranges longer than 200 meters, and at that range, the lighter and more maneuverable M-16 proved to be more than capable. Without a doubt, the earlier models had some design flaws that have since been reworked and eliminated.

Fast forward to today. There are still plenty of people that argue that the M-14 is a better rifle than the M-16. There are rumors of the M-16 and similar designs (M-4 and AR-15 are two common "cousins" to the M-16) are under-powered.

But look at the facts. A 5.56 mm projectile fired from an M-4 (shorter barrel and, therefore, a slower velocity than the M-16) is still more powerful at 400 meters than the .45 caliber automatic handgun at point-blank range. This is despite the fact that .45 caliber projectile weighs over three times that of the 5.56 mm.

The difference? Speed. And lots of it.

So for those that question the validity, I am going to provide a link to a series of photos of a 5.56 mm rifle wound to the leg of a suspected criminal. The pictures are very graphic, and so they do prove a point - You really don't want to get shot by this rifle.

WARNING - GRAPHIC!

Oh, yeah, and by the way - there have been how many thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis and how many millions of Vietnamese killed by the 5.56 mm? They would argue that the round is plenty powerful, thank you!