What is the better Battle Rifle Caliber?

5.56mm. because that is what will be issued to you.

I don't know a ton about these rounds but the 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel, .300 AAC and .300 Whisper are intermediate rounds, like the 5.56 and 7.62x39. As far as I know they would be "Assault Rifle" rounds while the 6.5 Creedmore would be a "Battle Rifle" round because it is a longer, full power rifle round. The 6.5 Creedmore would be the best battle rifle round because it is the only real battle rifle round of the 5 you listed. That being said, on paper at least, I like the 6.5 Grendel the best because it can be adapted to an AR-15, has a relatively flat trajectory and stays supersonic at long range. The 6.8 SPC is also very good but I don't know a ton about it but it is cheaper than the 6.5 Grendel but not as good at long range. The Whisper and AAC Blackout are essentially the same thing as far as I know but i'm really not sure. I hardly have any shooting experience with them but that is my understanding of the calibers.

There is no right answer as "best" is subjective. Each round has pros and cons and some are better for some situations than others. Some also have a wider variety of bullets available. Some are also better in one type of gun or configuration than another. Research each to learn it's attributes and then you'll have to decide for yourself. The three primary factors are weight, range and lethality and each tries to balance those accordingly.

To me though the best all around round for combat is 6.5 grendel.

Ok, I know the corssfire will chime after that, but any how .308. Equipment weight, ammo quantity to carry etc. are cons, but effectiveness, med, long distance on personnel or equipment are enough to go with .308. However find a good, light an affordable rifle for the army will be another thread.

CZhen
FL

Typically the term "Battle Rifle" is reserved for military service auto-loading rifles that are .30 caliber or higher. So we're talking .308, 30-06., .303, among others. I say that the term is usually reserved since I don't think there is a definite definition of the term. But, if you search the term "Battle Rifle" on the internet, you're likely to find a general consensus that the .223 and 7.62x39 doesn't qualify.

A battle rifle is a full power rifle.

Some of what you are listing are assault rifle calibers, which are weaker rifle calibers intended to be more controllable on full auto fire, with the subsequent benefit of allowing soldiers to carry more rounds on their back for a given weight.

What exactly do you do in the USMC that leaves you with very limited knowledge of 5.56mm and 7.62x51mm?

0352 = Anti tank missile man . TOW 2 huh?

Just asking

Have you heard of the term "intermediate calibers" before?

11B = Infantry here. ( Used to be an MOS called 11H which was antitank Infantry....ie....TOW gunner.)

Question is self contradictory since none of the listed choices are Battle Rifle rounds by definition.

The options you list won't even all fit into the same platform, since 6.5 Creedmoor is the same length as .308.

For the purposes of evaluation, the .300 Blackout and .300 Whisper are identical.

Ask the Marines who were in Fallujah Iraq, the Iraqi insurgency forces could shoot through the mud walls with their AK47s and the Marines couldn't return fire because the little bean blower bullets would bounce off the mud walls and hit the troops who fired their little .22 caliber mouse gun rifles.

There is no substitution for bullet weight and the M16 rifle has been the worst battle rifle ever forced on the U.S. military by a civilian contractor. A contractor who lobbies our politicians to keep this rifle in production.

People the Springfield Armory is now closed down and turned into a museum and a civilian arms company is supplying a rifle that has never lost its mouse gun image. We also have a Italian designed 9mm pistol and a SAW designed by Fabrique Nationale in Belgum.

It isn't about the best weapon, its about who gets to make the most profit and donate money to Washington politicians re-election campaign.

If its going to be about the best weapon where it's made or designed shouldnt matter either.

Which ever one you have in your hand.

How about the old school choices? .276 Pedersen, .280 Enfield,, or 7.62x45?

If it's a battle rifle you want, you're gonna need to change your search to different calibers than what you listed. 30-06, 7.62x51, 7 and 8mm Mauser, 7.62x54R, .303 British, 7.5x54 French, 6.5 and 7.7mm Jap, etc etc all will do the job.

Seems that you might be mistaking what a battle rifle is and what an assault rifle is. Easy to do, I know. Wikipedia has some interesting information on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_rifle

Whichever has the most available ammo.

the M16 rifle has been the worst battle rifle ever forced on the U.S. military by a civilian contractor.

Click to expand...

The M16 is not a battle rifle by definition. It is an assault rifle. A battle rifle will shoot a full power cartridge. Think .30-06, 7.62 x 51, 7.62 x 54R, etc. 5.56 x 45 is an intermediate cartridge as others have noted.

Jason

Ah the debate rages on, the truth of the matter is that the use of the rifle is the best determining factor of what cartridge to use for that rifle.
With that being said....
300 whisper/blackout..etc were designed to bring a 7.62 diameter round to the AR platform and still maintain higher capacity and lower weight, the whisper round being more suited for use with a suppressor.
5.56 is a good round, NO it doesn't have the penetrating power of 308 or 7.62x39, but it wasn't designed for that. It was designed to allow troops to carry more ammunition...it does well at some distance, but forget the (massive by comparison) knockdown power of a 7.62 round.
6.5 Grendel is really a neat round, especially in short barreled weapons since it retains a lot of power and still holds pretty stable in flight even in weapons with barrels as short (and shorter I'm told) than 10 inches.
For the most part, decide what you'd like to be able to do with your weapon, figure out what additional kit you're going to throw on it, then decide on the round. I know that right now since 300 Blackout is relatively new, 6.5 Grendel 6.5 Creedmore and 6.8 SPC aren't common to a ton of other platforms you're probably not going to always be able to find that ammunition everywhere you go, but 5.56 is normally a readily available round that you'd even be able to pick up at Wal Mart if you had to.

strictly for a battle rifle the the 5.56 or 6.8 would be my choice. The 5.56 is low on recoil therefore quicker than the rest to get a repeat shot on target if you miss. However, the 6.8 does well out of a short barrel and punches a big hole. It's really a matter of personal preference and what you are capable of under stress.

The tried & true .30-06 is the best battle rifle round ever period !

I'm waiting for the 50 BMG AR with high capacity mag to come out before I cast my final vote on this.

6.8SPC has promise.

6.5 Creedmore seems good too.

You don't want .308 for some reason. Go figure?

The good ol' Soviet 7.62x39 is well proven on every human inhabited continent.

Our 5.56 is nice for accuracy by volume. You can carry 50-60rds of 5.56mm in a magazine the size of a .30rd AK magazine. So put enough rounds in the air and you will hit something.

from experiece back in the early 70s (even if you dont want to hear it, and it is being proven again in Afghanistan) the .308 is the best and most practical. the other rounds you mentioned aint too common are they?

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a straight walled target round. I have one as a hunting rifle, but in the heat of battle, I suspect that there would be extraction problems.

Historically, all new weapons are designed based on the lessons learned in the last war. The better cartridge is the one best adapted to the scenario you find yourself in.

In general, there is no such thing as a bad technology; just inappropriate applications of a technology better suited for other things.

For a rifle that you will take to battle, I tend to think the best caliber is the one that is most common, and one that you will be able to find. Common military/police calibers are a good choice. Of those you listed, the 5.56 fits the bill. Its not the most powerful, longest ranged, best ballistic coefficient, or any of that... but it is cheap and plentiful. You can accumulate a large stock of it now, and have the best chance of finding it in the future.

It never hurts to be able to resupply of the enemy, and to use his parts either, though you shouldn't count on being able to do that... and I guess that somewhat depends on what enemy you think you might have to go to battle against.

Personally I like the 7.62x51 for Second Amendment purposes because I like having a longer max effective range than those with intermediate calibers. I think the people who plan on going head to head at CQB range in a 2A situation are foolish. But it is generally good to have a rifle around in the most common service rifle caliber where you are, which for us would be 5.56. If you want to build a 5.56 rifle to use in a more battle rifle-like role, I would go with a 20" barrel to get all the velocity you can out of the round, and to have a longer sight radius for better precision. I would also go for one with 1/8 or 1/7 twist, so you can shoot the longer/heavier rounds that are more effective at long range. A light-profile barrel for light weight and chrome lining for long life and corrosion resistance are good ideas, too. Basically like a govt'-profile 20" upper from CMMG or BCM.

If you want a battle rifle, harder hitting with good long range ballistics is "better" depending on just how much less ammunition that you want to carry. I wouldn't consider any of the cartridges listed as a battle rifle caliber in the first place because they are mostly intermediate power rounds.
If you are using a battle rifle, you should have a rifle that can reach out past 300meters to about 600 meters with little drop, and maybe out to 1000 yds, but not with ease (what was expected in WW1 and WW2). Not only this, but you also want something with plenty of velocity left at these distances. 6.5 grendel and 6.8 spc are fine choices (and all the other "i'm better than 5.56 " cartridges) if you want a bastardized version of an assault rifle and a battle rifle. Otherwise, 30-06,7.62x51, 7.62x54(if comblock is your thing), and 303 british.

During the cold war when Battle rifles were all the rage, most comblock countries were using 7.62x39... an intermediate cartridge. It makes a poor cartridge for a battle rifle.