Quote Originally Posted by BanginJimmy
is it just that round with the lower velocity? One of the reasons we went to the smaller round back in the 70's was to lower velocity of the 5.56. The 5.56 doesnt mushroom too much, what it does it bouce off of everything it hits and does alot of damage.
From a Corpsman friend of mine who did 3 tours in Iraq, that larger AK round probably saved at least 20 lives that he was part of when compared to a 5.56. They were through and through's that a smaller round would have caused much more damage.
The only reason we went to 5.56 was because at the time it was thought that ground troops needed a smaller lighter weapon than the M14 (7.62 NATO), with less recoil. The 5.56 actually has more velocity than the 7.62 nato (about 400ft/sec more). The light weight of the round is what causes it to bounce off things. The AK round (7.62x39) actually has a much slower velocity than the 5.56 NATO (around 800ft/sec less). The only reason that the 5.56 can do as much damage as the larger rounds is because of the super high velocity.

In other words, the 6.8 has the heavier bullet like 7.62x39, and also the higher velocity of the 5.56 NATO. It is the best of both worlds. I wouldn't be surprised if the US armed forces adopts a larger round for the standard personnel weapon when they next upgrade.