THE MILITARY HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE 5.56MM FOR QUITE SOME TIME. ITS LEATHALITY IS LIMITED BY DISTANCE AND AS TO THE MENTAL STATE OF THE PERSON BEING SHOT. APPARENTLY THE TERRORISTS BULK UP ON HASH AND KAT BEFORE BATTLE. IN ORDER TO BRING THEM DOWN A LARGER CALIBER AND WEIGHTIER BULLET IS REQUIRED. THE MARINE CORPS DEVELOPED THE 6.8MM ROUND. THIS IS SIMILIAR TO THE .270 CAL. THE NEW ROUND IS ALMOST DOUBLE THE WEIGHT OF THE 5.56MM.
IT IS LETHAL OUT TO 500 METERS AND CLOSE UP DOES A GREAT JOB. THE CHANGE OVER IS SIMPLE AND ONLY REQUIRES THE REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER RECEIVER. YET THE MILITARY IS HESITANT TO USE IT.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION THE M1 GARAND WAS ORIGINALLY CHAMBERED IN .270 CAL. GEN. MACARTHUR QUASHED ITS USE BECAUSE WE HAD TOO MUCH .30 CAL AMMO LEFT OVER FROM WWI.
I've shot them with an arrow in the lungs, had them run 50 yards and fall over dead. I've shot them with a 12 ga. 3" slug at 10 yards (and there is no better stopping power than a 3" slug at 10 yards), ripping off the upper half of the heart as determined when field dressing them, and had said deer run 200 yards while crossing two steep ravines.
I've also shot deer with a .30-06 through the lungs and had them run 150 yards. I've shot deer in the same spot and had them drop instantly and never move
So, since the arrow-shot deer dropped the quicker than the one hit with a massive 3" slug, should we assume that the arrow has better stopping power?
Nope, we should assume that shot placement is a key factor in stopping power. We should also recognize that NOTHING guarantees an instant stop. You should continue to fire until the target drops. Even with their heart destroyed (and I mean literally shot to pieces), I've seen deer run like they were not even hit. Adrenaline is an amazing drug and animals (humans included) can absorb tremendous punishment.
As the orignal article pointed out, they shot a guy 7 times in the torso and finally shot him in the head with a pistol to kill him. So, why not shoot him once in the torso and six times in the head? As my hunting experience has shown, the torso is not a guranteed stopping shot. Destroying the brain, on the other hand, will cause a loss of conciousness and will work much more effectively.
I'm sorry to hear that soldiers feel undergunned. I can only say that if a 12-gauge 3" slug at point-blank range will not drop a deer instantly (and they will not always do that) then the argument about .223 versus .308 is a ridiculous one to have. You just have to hope that your first shot hits the target in a way that they drop in their tracks. I'd say the odds of that are about 50/50, even with a cannon like a 12-gauge.