Replies

5.56 NATO is interchangeable with a .223 in the Bushmaster because Bushmaster says their barrels have always been made to take a 5.56. I posted the link to an Ammo manufacturer who said that just because a gun is stamped 5.56 doesn’t mean it has the right barrel. Don’t use a 5.56 in a .223 barrel etc etc etc. But I found a link where Bushmaster says it is okay with their gun.

I saw one poster on a gun site say his wasn’t made to take a 5.56 but it was a defective one.

The only reason this has come up is because someone claims that an EMS worker that was inside the school WHO KNOWS GUNS says the place was littered with 5.56 casings.

But then the poster seems to start backtracking and saying that .223 is like 5.56 etc etc etc and then has gone AWOL on the discussion - as if he found out that maybe there weren’t 5.56 casings there but .223.

btw, bullets have stampings on them.

http://www.bobtuley.com/terminal.htm

For a little bullet, the 5.56 bullet produces quite dramatic wounds. While the traditional 30-06 caliber bullet of the M1 Garand and 7.62 bullet of the M14 rifle would immediately knock a man down, the 5.56 bullet instead enters the body, quickly turns sideways after passing through only 4" of flesh, then breaks in two major pieces, as well as many smaller fragments. During the Vietnam War, soldiers reported that shooting an enemy soldier with the M16 did not kill as quickly as the old 30 caliber weapons. Instead soldiers would follow a massive trail a blood a few feet away from where the enemy soldier had been hit to find him dead from massive blood loss. This light-weight cartridge permits soldiers to carry more ammo, but is not as effective at long distances as heavier cartridges and does not penetrate steel as well. The low recoil permits quick follow-up shots and minimal muzzle climb during automatic fire.