[Team Sergeant]

TR beat me to it but heres another point of view:

dvollmer,

A .22 can be as effective as a .50

The current combat round (5.56) is as effective as the any kinetic delivery system existing today. And as a combatant I will say that in all situations placement of the round is paramount. A .22, .223, .50 and a 6.8 will all have the same effect on a human shot through the forehead from zero meters. That said why don’t we carry 10,000 rounds of .22’s in combat? The same reason we don’t each carry a .50.

While a .22 and a .50 can both be equally effective at one range a .50 will neutralize a biped well beyond 1500 meters. The .22 effectiveness can be measured in feet, thus not a good choice for today’s combatants.

So why don’t we all carry .50’s? Weight of the delivery system and bullet weight puts this idea out of reach for most combatants. While you may not believe this studies have been done as to which kinetic delivery system would be most effective in today’s environment (the last few decades) and the decision was made to field the 5.56.

Would the 6.8 be a more effective round? Sure, but so would just about every round that is bigger and heavier than the 5.56. (WOW. Is the light going on?) Bigger on the battlefield sometimes is better but you pay a premium in weight and how many rounds a soldier can carry, training issues etc. Are there situations when a bigger round is better? Sure and the same reason we have many different weapons systems and calibers at our disposal.

Having said that most "civilians" calling for the 6.8 to replace the 5.56 have one common foundation: profit motive. Another example of learn to think for yourself. Those yelling the loudest are those that have most to profit in the industry. Another factor they have in common is most are civilians that have only seen combat while sitting on their couch 10,000 miles removed. They have never walked on a battlefield, have zero in the way of experience and yet they are the ones yelling the loudest. (And another reason this website does not have sponsors, advertisers or civilian ownership; we answer to no one.)

Also remember, the United States Military abides by the Geneva Conventions concerning what we can and cannot employ to dispatch the enemy, rules of land warfare. Thusly as combatants we are restricted as to what the actual bullet consists of and that is currently a full metal jacket.
If you go to your local hunting outfitters you will notice there are no full metal jacket bullets offered by the big manufacturers for hunters, wonder why? They’re not effective bullet designs for killing.

Nuff said.

Team Sergeant