Is The .223/5.56 The Best All-Around Rifle?
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 7 months ago
To understand how we got here we need to look at its military origins. Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Eugene Stoner at the SHOT Show. We were able to sit down and chat for an hour or so, which I considered a privilege then and still do.
Back in the 1950s, he said, the U.S. military had just adopted the M14 rifle using the 7.62mm cartridge, ballistically similar to the .30-06. What might be called the “Old Guard” supported the concept of powerful battle rifles and carefully aimed fire at individual targets.
Other military theorists noted enemy soldiers for the most part don’t stand around in the open waiting to get shot. They hide behind things and shoot from cover. Combat in WWII and in Korea had shown the value of suppressive fire, “shoot and move,” and the integration of infantry, artillery and air power.
The rifle they wanted would be lightweight, with moderate recoil, selective semi- or full-automatic fire, compact and fast-handling for house-to-house fighting and adequately powerful, using non-expanding bullets. Hmmm, you don’t want much, do you? Stone said the only way he knew of to make a small non-expanding bullet behave like a bigger bullet is if it tumbles on impact. Original rifles had a 1:14 twist so bullets were just barely stable in flight, but would destabilize and tumble when they hit something.
Almost as soon as it was adopted the twist was changed to 1:12 to improve stability, which some argued also decreased effectiveness. In the ’70s and ’80s military users began shifting to heavier bullets for improved downrange ballistics, requiring faster barrel twists. It took a while, but faster twists eventually appeared on sporting rifles.
Faster twists and sleeker bullets, notably from Berger and Hornady, greatly enhance the versatility of the .223. Compare a 55-grain FMJ bullet (G1 B.C. 0.243) at 3,200 fps to a Berger VLD 80-grain bullet (G1 B.C. 0.455) at 2,750 fps. With both sighted at 200 yards, bullet drop at 600 yards is 91.5″ for the 55 grain versus 82.3″ for the 80 grain. Now check the 10 mph wind drift figures: 55 grain, 60.8″; 80 grain, 32.5″. That nearly 50 percentage advantage in wind drift is huge. Moreover the 80-grain bullet starting out 450 fps slower reaches the 600-yard line going over 400 fps faster (1,271 55 grain, 1,680 80 grain).
So what is a fast-twist .223 good for? Training with moderate recoil and noise. Teaching new shooters the fundamentals of center fire rifles and longer range shooting. Moderate cost due to smaller bullets and powder charges. Excellent hunting performance for most varmint shooting and for deer, the most popular big-game target. Untold millions and billions of .223 and 5.56 rounds have been loaded over the past 60+ years. Even in times of chronic shortages there’s a good chance of finding quality brass.
In my experience 1:9 will stabilize 70- and some 75-grain bullets, 1:8 will stabilize up to 80-grain bullets. Here’s some examples of twist rates in various rifles. The Savage Elite Precision is 1:7. Browning X-bolt, Ruger American, Sako 85 and Tikka T3X are all 1:8. Ruger’s Hawkeye, Howa, most Savage models, Kimber, Steyr and Weatherby Vanguard are all 1:9. Decide what your priorities are then buy accordingly.
I have heard that from multiple experts (i.e., that 1:9 twist barrels will stabilize 62 and 69 grain bullets, or even slight heavier like the Sierra Match King bullets).
I too and very fond of the round.
And I love hearing stories about Eugene Stoner. I think we ought to build statues of him and John Moses Browning as the premier weapons designers in American history.
On September 3, 2021 at 7:06 am, Frank Clarke said:
“And I love hearing stories about Eugene Stoner. I think we ought to build statues of him and John Moses Browning as the premier weapons designers in American history.”
Well, they certainly knew how to make sturdy, reliable equipment…
On September 3, 2021 at 9:26 am, ragman said:
Instead we build statues of Floyd the convicted felon.
On September 3, 2021 at 9:32 am, Herschel Smith said:
Tear down the statues to criminals. Put them up for Eugene Stoner.
On September 3, 2021 at 12:20 pm, Hash said:
Don’t forget a statue of John C. Garand, too!
On September 3, 2021 at 12:34 pm, Ohio Guy said:
I too, have been becoming more fond of the heavier grain bullets. To analogize, would you rather throw a whiffle ball or a baseball?
On September 3, 2021 at 2:29 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Advances in ammunition design & manufacture have done wonders for the AR15 platform, taking it places of which Eugene Stoner and his colleagues at Armalite probably never dreamed.
Heavy-for-caliber and highly-efficient match-grade projectiles have given the platform legs to be effective at ranges of 800-1000 yards. A fact confirmed by the use of SPRs (special-purpose rifles) by Army, Marine and other precision users.
Much has been made of the new .223 Valkyrie round, but it is simply a logical outgrowth of the use of heavy and aerodynamically-efficient bullets in the AR15/M16/M4 family.
Heavy, match-grade projectiles also found another use: As preferred fodder for special ops SBRs and carbines, usually fired using a suppressor. During the 1990s and early 2000s, special ops personnel wanted something for use in these weapons more-effective than the standard M193 55-grain and M855/SS109 FMJ/Ball then in use – which had only mediocre performance from short-barreled weapons. Neither projectile did well-enough at sub-sonic velocities, either.
Suppressor use, even firing supersonic ammo, has become more common in the military and for good reason. Although using a “can” imposes length, weight and bulk penalties upon the user, it does much to tame barrel whip, tightens groups and dramatically reduces flash and nose signature. The report of the weapon becomes more-diffuse and akin to the signature of a firearm chambered for .22-rimfire. And because the noise attendant to using their primary weapon is less, soldiers and Marines can communicate more effectively.
The sub-sonic performance problem was also tackled by a new cartridge, purpose designed for use in the special ops community, namely the 300 Whisper/AAC Blackout.
Combatants had also asked for improved performance against barriers, including laminated, automotive-type safety glass and automotive sheet metal. Standard projectile types in the military inventory were being used against automotive glass and sheet metal and either being diverted off-target or passing through these barriers caused jacket and core separation and subsequent fragmentation. Particularly on high-angle/acute angle impacts.
The R&D answer was to develop metallic solids, such as those sold by Barnes for LE use, and bonded-solids, a variation on dangerous game hunting loads which are of extremely tough two-part construction. The forward part of the projectile can be expanding, whereas the latter part supplies the mass and momentum needed to complete penetration of a tough barrier.
These loads, in conjunction with the traditional types already in use – such as armor-piercing rounds – gave our infantry a great deal more-flexibility and options when confronted with tactical problems in urban combat and other operations.
As pointed out elsewhere, these developments necessitated faster twist rates on many weapons, but this has been accomplished relatively easily, since much of the military inventory of AR-type weapons is already in 1:7, more than adequate for many of these new projectiles.
On September 3, 2021 at 3:41 pm, Fred said:
The NRA should be erecting statues to Stoner, that is, if it weren’t a gun control 501c3 corp.