SBR - Ammo Weight

[brufener]

I'm fairly new to standard battle rifles, and have read many of the caliber war threads with interest. One point that usually gets brought up is that the 223 is better because a solidier can carry more of it. Does anyone know how much more 223 a soldier can carry? Do 50 rounds of 7.62x39 weigh the same and take up the same space as 10o rounds of 223? What about 7.62x51, is that about the same size and weight as 7.62x39?

To sum, I know that 223 weighs less than 7.66x39 which weighs less 7.62x51, but how much less does it weigh? Can you really carry that many more rounds that make the smaller round worth it?

 

[DWARREN123]

I have found that the number of rounds carried depends on the pucker factor of where you are going. If the AO is hot I would not notice the difference in size for those you mentioned and I would leave other stuff behind for stuff that goes boom.

 

[brufener]

I have found that the number of rounds carried depends on the pucker factor of where you are going. If the AO is hot I would not notice the difference in size for those you mentioned and I would leave other stuff behind for stuff that goes boom.

So assuming all you're carrying is ammo, how many rounds of 223 can the average solidier carry on the average mission? What about 7.62x39 and 7.52x51?

 

[KW]

The numbers I've seen are .76 lbs for 30rds 5.56mm vs. 1.07 lbs for 20rds of 7.62x51mm. So for any given weight of ammo you choose to carry you have a little over twice as much 5.56.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Some show on the M-16 I watched on Discovery or Military channel said switching from the M-14 (.308) to M-16 (.223) allowed soldiers to carry twice as much ammo pound for pound.
I've heard guys from the sandbox that carried anywhere from 4-12 mags depending on where they were going.