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Posted: 4/11/2005 4:34:47 PM EDT
| I read somewhere that the AR has a maximum effective range of 150 meters(meaning take down a tango in one shot). Is that BS? I know they are accurate twice that far or farther, but do they have stopping power at that distance? Sorry if dumb question. New |
| I thought that seemed short. I think I read it off some link out of Arfcom. The reason I asked is becasue Im shopping for a battle rifle and am going with either .223 or .308. I like the .223's Ive shot, I just wanted to make sure they had enough punch. Ive heard conflicting facts from people, and want to know from someone with some military experience with the rifle. Thanks. |
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My GUESS is that whomever was telling you that was talking about the range at which the round FRAGMENTS, which is what gives the .223 round its great wounding/killing potential. Depending on barrel length, that range comes down quickly as the barrel gets shorter. Out of a standard 20" AR, 150 yards probably sounds about right. It might be as high as 200 yards. (I'm sure the answers are in the ammo orcale - definitely check that out). However, being hit with a .223 at ANY range out to 800 yards (even possibly even further) is still going to mess up anyone's day - just not as much, as if they bullet actually has enough velocity to fragment when it hits them. Since most infantry engagements are within the 150 yd range anyway, it's mostly a moot point. However, if you want "punch" you definitely need to go with .308, since it can penetrate a lot more cover (like walls, buildings, etc) than the .223. The advantage to the .223 is that it is fast, accurate and does damaged greater than you would expect from a small bullet when it fragments. The advantage to the .308 is that it has greater power and punch at range - but you pay for that in the amount of rounds you can carry, since the .308 round weighs a lot more than a .223 (thus you can carry a LOT more .223 given the same weight limitations) |
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