double stacking ammo question

[longdayjake]

I don't have a caliper, and I am not an engineer, so I am going to have to ask you guys for help on this one. How wide does double stacking get on .30-06 or .308? (Garand for example) How wide is it on a .223? I ask because I want to know if it is really true that you can carry twice as much ammo in .223 as you can a .308. I have always heard that but I would like to see the numbers. For example, lets say someone made an M1 minnie. How tall, long (ar 15 mag depth seating), and how wide would the 8 round clip be in .223. How tall, wide, and long is the .30-06 clip for the garand?

If nothing else this will give you guys something interesting to think about. Thanks

 

[Omnivore]

I think what you're looking for is the weight comparison. When we're talking about what you can reasonably carry, we're talking mostly about weight. For the same combat load, you can carry an M-16 with a bunch more rounds of ammo, compared to an M-14. or Garand.

I just threw a full 20 rd AR mag on the scales: .735 pounds
And a loaded M-14 mag: 1.620 Pounds

That's more than twice as heavy, plus the difference in the rifle's weight. Your results may vary, depending on the bullet weights and possibly the magazine manufacturer. I think these bullets were 55s and 147s.

The M-4 is smaller than an M-14 as well, and the mags are smaller of course, but when you're ruckin' it up and down the mountain sides, the weight is more significant than a few cubic inches, methinks.

You can talk about the power of the different calibers of course and that's a valid issue too. Life is full of compromises.

 

[longdayjake]

Thanks but not really what I am looking for. I just want size comparison. Weight might be important too, but what I am looking for is the size difference between the two rounds.

 

[Omnivore]

Big:

20 rd AR mag: ~ .93 x 1.52 x 4.86"

M-14 mag: ~ 1.10 x 3.09 x 5.98"

I use both 20 rounders as an apples-to-apples comparison, as opposed to comparing a 30 rounder to a 20 rounder.

You can find exact cartridge dimensions in any loading manual or such.

 

[longdayjake]

1.52? do you mean 2.52"? Thanks!

 

[Vaarok]

There's a formula for the width of a double-stack magazine versus the size of the cartridge to achieve optimal feed reliability, but I can't find it, it was on club.guns.ru awhile ago.