5.56x45

    The 5.56x45 Nato was first developed and put into service in 1963. The 5.56 was first developed by Eugene Stoner to be fed through the m16 rifle that he was developing for the United States Military to replace the M14 which was a heavy rifle for the troops that shot the7.62x51 Nato. The complaints of the 7.62 was that is was heavy to carry and was uncontrollable on fully automatic fire. Eugene looked at these issues of the 7.62x51 and began development on the 5.56, which was an intermediate round that when it left the barrel was going at a very high velocity but without the heavy felt recoil and muzzle clime. The 5.56 was also found to be extremely light and the troops were able to carry more than twice that of the 7.62x51 Nato round. When the 5.56 was first used in Vietnam it showed true promise on the battlefield. When it would hit it's target it would cause massive and multiple wound cavities in the body out to about 220 yards out of the m16's 20 inch barrel. The 5.56 being a intermediate round, meant that it wasn't able to have enough energy to be able to bring a target down out to 800 yards like the 7.62x51 Nato cartridge is able to. Since the first development of the 5.56 and different type of grain weights, it keeps on improving along with the battlefield. All in All the 5.56x45 is a great round for ranges of 100-300 yards and has been serving military's around the world and is getting the job done every single time.