How powerful is the AR-15?

I used to have an M203 in the army.
M16 (back in the days of full auto on M16s) With the grenade launcher under it. Great fun at the range!

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Very powerful?
Not at all, really.
“Corporate thinking” is too often altered by news media flogging an ignorant populace to non-rational hysteria.
The 5.56mm (or .223 Rem) cartridge, is originally derived from the .222 Rem. Magnum which was marketed as a varmint cartridge for shooting woodchucks and other small pests at ranges under 300 yards. It has no more power than some pistol cartridges. Most states require something with with substantially more power to humanely hunt deer, which are approximately human mass.
It is understandable why hunters of big game often derisively refer to the AR-15 as a “Poodle Shooter”.
So what was the milirary’s interest in the .223 in the first place?
The .223 was smaller and lighter so a soldier could carry more ammo. It was used in a smaller, lighter rifle. Real rifle rounds, for example the .30-'06 --America’s go-to big game round for the better part of a century – are far too powerful to be remotely controllable in full-auto fire and the military wanted a select-fire weapon for troops that, realistically, would never acquire any serious marksmanship skills. They needed a “slob weapon”, a short range “bullet-hose” to arm minimally trained shooters.
The objectives of military troops are not those of big game hunters. Killing enemy soldiers is strategically less valuable than inflicting casualties. Wounded use up more of the enemy’s resources.

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Lol … I like your level of description of the process… I think I’ll take up knitting now.

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For real power a rifle is not the way to go in battle - Artillery kills and wounds more than any infantry carried rifle.

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Yeah, but nobody is complaining about the number of innocent people killed by Hotchkiss mountain guns or larger. :slight_smile:

Based on my time on submarines, if we are talking about weapons and power, power starts at kilotons and goes up rapidly from there.

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Kinda funny how things get relative.
Me: My car makes ~140 hp.
Drag racer: my dragster makes 1,500 hp.
Pilot: my jet makes 220,000 hp
Astronaut: my craft makes 37,000,000 hp

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That reminds me of the this speed check story

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Gads! I love that story. I have to confess, like most things in life, if you’re not the participant, the book is better, but there’s a certain pleasure in hearing the story from (one of) the man who lived it.

Which ones? The niche upper end autoloader pistol cartridges like 10mm or.357 SIG are still a bit less than half the muzzle energy. .50AE is beyond 5.56 for muzzle energy, but it’s vanishingly rare in the wild. Magnum revolver rounds like .500 S&W are also markedly more powerful but also require unwieldy revolvers to be useful.

that is a fine looking German gun!

It is interesting to me that the AR-15 platform is popular enough that Steyr has, after 40 years with the AUG, seems to have changed their thinking(or wanting to go after AR crowd sales) and has finally decided to release an AR pattern rifle.

Isn’t that really just a big shotgun? :smiley:

Considering that the AR is the most popular gun in the US, and we are the only free country in the world, it makes absolute business sense to get on the bandwagon.

Also, lets not forget that the 5.56mm NATO is also know as the 223 or .223 cal. Yes. the same 22 cal that is used for squirrels. In fact a 223 to 22 cal conversion takes a different bolt and magazine, but your barrel stays the same.

Since we’re on the subject, if anyone needs an FFL, feel free to DM me.

{{citation needed}}

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image

223 on left, 22lr on right. For those that have never looked at the bullets side by side to understand the similarities. Now, compare the full cartridge and the similarities are not as apparent.

https://www.sovereignman.com/lifestyle-design/4-countries-that-gun-lovers-need-to-know-about-16667/ <- US no permits needed. No government registry.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/network-topics/culture-politics-network/best-countries-gun-owners/ <- Being a ex-pat of the peoples republic of Kanada, I would not put them in the top 10.

With enough velocity, Pigs fly just fine. or in this case, 22. :wink:

Access to legal firearms =/= “Free”.

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So what is your definition?