5.56 Archives

Featured in 5.56

Mar 7, 2023

The reason troops don’t load 30 rounds in 30-round magazines

The U.S. military’s basic rifleman combat loadout is 210 rounds of 5.56x45mm NATO ammo carried in seven 30-round magazines. However,…

BYMiguel Ortiz

Mar 7, 2023

BYBrady Kirkpatrick

Mar 1, 2023

Springfield Hellion: The Croatian Sensation

In 2022, Springfield unveiled their semi-automatic version of the Croatian VHS, to which they bought patent rights – they called…

BYBrady Kirkpatrick

Mar 1, 2023

BYRuddy Cano

Oct 15, 2022

This is why the US military uses 5.56mm ammo instead of 7.62mm

A common debate among veterans and gun enthusiasts revolves around why the United States chose to implement the 5.56mm N.A.T.O. round into service instead of the…

BYRuddy Cano

Oct 15, 2022

BYAlex Hollings

Dec 6, 2022

Why the US military switched from 7.62 to 5.56 rounds

In the modern era, the M-16 style rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm has become ubiquitous in imagery of the U.S. military, but that wasn’t always the case. America’s adoption of the 5.56mm round and the service rifle that fires it both came about as re…

BYAlex Hollings

Dec 6, 2022

BYHarold C. Hutchison

Dec 7, 2022

The M16 was originally intended to fire the 7.62mm NATO round

Today, the M16 rifle and M4 carbine are ubiquitous among American troops. These lightweight rifles, which both fire the 5.56mm NATO round, have been around for decades and are mainstays. The civilian version, the AR-15, is owned by at least five mil…

BYHarold C. Hutchison

Dec 7, 2022