Why is the 5.56/.223 still so popular?

[daniel craig]

I know I sound like an agitator from the start, but that is not my intention. I really want to know why so many people are still buying ARs and other long guns in 5.56/.223.

I get that low ammo price and availability is a big consideration. But the 5.56 is pretty limited in what it can do: its an ok varmint round but there are much better ones; the 16", variety which is what most of what I see, is pretty limited in effective range; it has shown that it doesn't have the greatest lethality compared to true mid caliber options like the 7.62x39; yes it comes in an AR, but so does the .224 Valk, 22 Nosler, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC II, 7.62x39 ; .350 Legend, .450 BM, .458 SOCOM, .50 Beowulf, etc... - all of which are more capable and several much more so.

I've got a lot of ARs in 5.56/.223W in barrel lengths ranging from 8.5" to 24", but for the most part I consider them plinking toys. The only exception are the 20"-24" barreled ones shooting 68-77 grain target bullets at the target range.

People hunt with them. I wouldn't. I have ARs in a half dozen better hunting calibers. Yet I rarely see an AR at the range that is not a 5.56/.223 excepting the occasional .300 BLK pistol.

I welcome your input to help me understand.
citizenconn

Low recoil is a huge factor. As is the low weight of many of the rifles that are chambered in the round. The AR specifically is highly modular and easy to shoot.

Also I question the validity of anyone saying that they have limited use. Yes these are small rounds but honestly you can do a lot with them. Sure they were of limited utility with full metal jacket rounds from the 60s to the '90s. There are so many different ammo choices for this now that you can do so much more with it than you used to be able to. I know people who successfully deer hunt with this round out to 150-200 yards and it does just as well on deer as any other round as long as you put it in the right spot.

That said this is been the age-old thing since the beginning of time generally whatever gun and ammo the military uses people like to adopt. It's one of the reasons the sig 320 is so popular.

I'd also like to point out that if the round was so inferior why did both the Russians and the Chinese make very close copies of it for their militaries?

 

[md7]

Not all, but most ARs are chambered in 5.56. The design itself is easy to use, configure, reliable, light, and modular. It’s a very popular type of rifle presently, and has been for quite some time.

LEO/Mil calibers, historically, have been popular in the civilian world, too. Just like the ‘06, 308, 45 ACP, and 9mm.

Those two factors combine, in my humble opinion, to make 5.56/223 a well used option in todays marketplace.

With decent ammo and shot placement, 5.56/223 is capable of taking small or medium sized game inside certain distance. It’s fun at the range, and effective for SD/HD.

None of that to say it’s the be all, end all. Just that I can understand how and why it’s so prevalent