Ok, so sitting at home and doing nothing, my mind began to wonder why did it have to be a .223 caliber. Couldnt they have made it a .225 bullet instead or .3? Would it be easier? Couldnt they have made a larger casing if powder was the downfall of having better ballistics back in the day?

Imagine.. if 5.56 didnt exist. And the military standard for an ar15 back in vietnam era was a 6mmx50 cartridge or something else. I kinda understand that the 5.56 was probably invented so the .223 could be used incase of ammo shortage during the war. Like now haha. With all these new calibers in the ar15 platform coming out with better ballistics than the 5.56, wouldnt it have been great to have started out with this from the GET GO.

The other thing that has been plaguing my mind is why dont they make a lpvo that goes from 1-15x25. Ok so the 25 i just made up, i dont really care bout that. Im just curious why couldnt they make a lpvo that goes from 1 (or as close as true 1x) to 5x to 10x to 15x? Skip all those inbetween numbers. Im sure if it was possible someone would have done it by now. But doesnt those 5-25x scopes skip inbetween numbers??? Or can you really stop at 11x or 17x?

Kind of like that elcan 1x-3x-9x. Or whatever magnification range.  But in a lpvo outer form.

Anyone else should post questions they have been wondering during the covid shutdown. Itll be interesting to see if anyone else has or had something they have been wondering.

Bored as fuck

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.56×45mm_NATO

“God and Stoner got together and put this son-of-b*tch together” — Clint Smith

Gonna be reading this tonight, thanks for the idea!

1-15x24 probably too costly.  Likely too heavy.

24 is a bit small for long range shooting.  44-50+ is more typical for longer range scopes

Why 223/556 and not 6.5 Grendel - I believe the thought was 300 yds was the typical range of engagement and the amount of ammo that could be carried

If designed for 600yd -800yd engagement, they might have stayed with 308.

6.5x55 was superior to 308 but that’s another story

Weight and size is also another major factor.  The amount of ammo for the spray and pray style, carry 300 rounds of 556 vs 308.  Less powder and bullet weight, also means less cost per round.  Like the change from glass liquor miniature bottles to plastic, cheaper, less weigh, and less breakage for airlines. 

Oh never thought bout typical engagement distances or the "spray and pray" thing. I guess back then that probably wouldve been the type of fighting. Since it was in rice fields and forestry, most of the time.

Yea i kinda remembering the whole "carry more rounds" thing from future weapons.

I wonder if a 6mm/.243 boolit in a .223 parent case be effective? Prob more distance than a 300 blackout.

Or rather why remington never created a 5mmx45. Maybe if those 2 sizes (5mm and 6mm) were thought of, they decided to go 5.56. Shit why not just straight 5.5mm. Why add that .06 lol.


Sorry, im not a reloader, i just trim brass and sometimes clean it. My friend does all the other steps.

Too much free time is making in me kinda crazy🤪

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.56×45mm_NATO

Why 5.56 and not 6.0
When trying to meet a project goal as quickly as possible it was probably easier/faster to tweak something already existing (223) that almost met the requirements rather than start from scratch

If there had been a 6.0 similar to 223 at the time we might be shooting 6.0 Ar’s today.  At the time, I think the most popular 6.0 was 243 Winchester which is about as big as a 308

I don’t know if 6.0 in a 223 case would be much of a difference from 5.56.  I think it may have a better drag  coefficient but the case volume doesn’t allow much powder

If you want range, Valkyrie is basically a longer 223 bullet in a bigger case

300 blackout - I think it was mainly developed for quieter close range use.  I wish there was wolf 300bo, cans and sbrs or pistol ars in Hawaii.....I would go bo for home use.  Ar pcc’s are nice but too bad we can only use 10 round mags

I would have done it in 44magnum.  sidearm in 44mag too.  bc 'Murica!!! 

5.56 is a good general purpose round.  A larger case or bullet means lower mag capacity (orig 20 rnds), heavier ammo and rifles, and less control on full auto.  Shooting .243 on full auto would not be pleaasant.  More recoil also means slower follow-up shots and more difficulty training recruits.   Military also relies on suppressive fire which makes you carry a lot of ammo so the lighter the better.  Though they were transitioning from 7.62.

Slight changes in caliber happen all the time.  Sells more guns and ammo.

That’s interesting.
Why didn’t Stoner just re-case the .243 bullet (head in Macsac lingo) in a shorter 45 mm or 40 mm case.
Similar to .308 in a 39mm case.
They’re shooting 77 grains in .223 now.  Would 100 grains put it out out the specs they had spec’d?
Would he still have met the velocity, distance and recoil requirements?

I wonder if a 6mm/.243 boolit in a .223 parent case be effective? Prob more distance than a 300 blackout.

Or rather why remington never created a 5mmx45. Maybe if those 2 sizes (5mm and 6mm) were thought of, they decided to go 5.56. Shit why not just straight 5.5mm. Why add that .06 lol.

The problem with using a larger diameter bullet in the same case is less range and velocity due to a heavier bullet and lower ballistic coefficient.  Lower performance and less capacity.

The extra .06 is probably just the most optimal sized bullet to meet the specified requirements of what the bullet needs to do.

300 blackout is better for suppressed rifles, but performs worse than 5.56 in other uses.

Hound - I’m guessing 223 almost fit the bill as is so they just refined it

If they had used a shorter and fatter case, bigger mags or regular size mags with lower capacity like Zippz mentioned

Yeah. I think your right but the .243 round is cool and good fun and can also kill a deer.
It would be neat to see it in a short high pressure cartridge. 

Hound
Not 243 but kind of close....valkyrie?

224 in a fatter case

Regarding calibers, yeah, I've thought about that.  I mean I haven't put a lot of thought into it, but more notice unusual calibers and be like "how the hell did they come up with that?" or "why couldn't they just round it off".  Particularly for many of the "old school" cartridges and calibers.  I assume the modern cartridges are a balance of many factors and assisted by CADD and other software.  So there are times I wondered ho wor why they came up with some of the calibers over 100 years ago. 

Some have actually very explanations, like the 7.92 Mauser, which is probably the world most popular military cartridge.  No Inspector, your beloved .22 lr does not count.     Anyways, it is my understanding that it started as 8 mm, but then tweaks and bullet size and rifling and barrel profile considerations then "factored" in.

For optics, particularly the reasoning for LPVOs ranges, there are many articles about them online.  Look up discussion on the Nightforce NXS and ATACR lines.  I think on Sniper Hide or another, there are a few threads where one of the leads from Nightforce in the development of those lines explains the considerations and limitations. 

Military also relies on suppressive fire which makes you carry a lot of ammo so the lighter the better.  Though they were transitioning from 7.62.

Before the deficiencies of the 5.56 and M-16 became well known, we absolutely marveled at the tiny size and weight of a loaded 20 round magazine.  Of course, we had been  carrying 4 or more loaded 7.62mm 20 round magazines.

A couple guys were so enamored of the little M-16 during a familiarization fire that they stole a few.   Shit hit the fan of course and they had to "find" them.

“God and Stoner got together and put this son-of-b*tch together” — Clint Smith

Of course, Stoner's first rifle was chambered in the altogether excellent 7.62X51mm

Someone is bored at home.  Also 4 minute abs exist and no 3 minute abs.  1 cannot do abs in 3 minutes.

Regarding calibers, yeah, I've thought about that.  I mean I haven't put a lot of thought into it, but more notice unusual calibers and be like "how the hell did they come up with that?" or "why couldn't they just round it off".  Particularly for many of the "old school" cartridges and calibers.  I assume the modern cartridges are a balance of many factors and assisted by CADD and other software.  So there are times I wondered ho wor why they came up with some of the calibers over 100 years ago. 

Some have actually very explanations, like the 7.92 Mauser, which is probably the world most popular military cartridge.  No Inspector, your beloved .22 lr does not count.     Anyways, it is my understanding that it started as 8 mm, but then tweaks and bullet size and rifling and barrel profile considerations then "factored" in.

For optics, particularly the reasoning for LPVOs ranges, there are many articles about them online.  Look up discussion on the Nightforce NXS and ATACR lines.  I think on Sniper Hide or another, there are a few threads where one of the leads from Nightforce in the development of those lines explains the considerations and limitations.

computer aided design designing?