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5.56 x 45 mm NATO

From Gunpedia

5.56x45mm NATO
The 5.56 x 45 mm NATO' (or 5.56 5.56x45mm 5.56x45mm NATO) cartridge is a Standard round for the nations in the NATO organization. It's diameter is small for any rifle, approximately .223 Caliber. It is usually known to be pitted in tests against the AK-47 and its 7.62x39mm, which is a .30 Caliber.


Contents

[edit] Predecessor

The 5.56 NATO came into service (widely) for America during Vietnam. The heavy hitting M14 rifle (which shot the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO or the .308 Winchester) had a bigger, slower, but very accurate bullet. When it was replaced in 1960 by the M16 (and its smaller 5.56x45mm NATO) there was some conflict between the ranks on how it worked. Some of the more grizzled veterans didn't trust it because of the bullet, the size didn't put much conviction in the user.

[edit] Weapons

The 5.56 is chambered for several weapons.

STANAG Magazine holding 5.56mm

[edit] Feed Systems

The bullet is fed through numerous amounts of magazines and belt feeds. Now, with the creation of NATO, the magazines are called STANAG Magazines (for Standardized Agreement). Back in Vietnam, the usual magazine was 20 rounds (for the M16). But more urbanly now, they've gotten to the more modern 30 rounds (for many urban Assault rifles). For the Light machine guns, the belt or box holds approximatly 50, 100, or 200 rounds.

[edit] Performance

The performance of the bullet is varied on the shooter, weapon, and care the weapon has been in. The terrain its been tested in is practically all over the world.

[edit] .22 Cal or 5.56mm?

To some people, when you say .22 Caliber, they think the bullet in a small compact revolver or pistol.  This bullet is more correctly referred to as the .22 rimfire or .22 long rifle.  When you say 5.56mm they think the M16 cartridge. Sure, they're nearly the same thing in diameter, but the 5.56 is a much more powerful round, due to it's larger powder capacity and generally heavier projectile.  The civilan version of this round is known as the .223 rem and is usable in guns chambered for 5.56, but be wary of using 5.56 ammunition in a .223 because of possible pressure issues.

[edit] Vietnam

When the M16 was issued into Vietnam, the men at Colt had said something off the basis of, 'The gun is so sophisticated it doesn't need cleaning', angering the maker Eugene Stoner. "The Army didn't furnish any training manuals, they didn't have a bore brush or a cleaning rod for these weapons and they issued 85,000 of em."

So they were issued WITHOUT cleaning kits in the beginning. Which was mainly the fault of the immediate change in the ammunition used in the gun. It was sent with a dirtier propellant in the 5.56 cartridge that the US had been using forever, but it was griming the works of their "space age" M16. Infantry men were dying in combat.

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