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The Pipsqueak 5.56mm, the AR-15, and Relative Power Levels By Ward Clark

Ward M. Clark

In the history of the “assault weapon” debate, there has been a lot of squawking from the anti-gun Left about the “horrific wounding power” of the AR-15-pattern rifles and their standard 5.56mm round. Here’s the problem with their assertion: As usual when discussing firearms, the anti-gun Left has no idea what they are talking about. In reality, the 5.56mm round is kind of a pipsqueak compared to a lot of rifle cartridges in common use, especially those intended for big game hunting.

First, let’s look at the basic stats for the AR-15 platform’s usual load, the 5.56mm round, and compare it to the AK’s 7.62x39mm and the United States’ first modern military rifle cartridge, the venerable .30-06. Note: MV = Muzzle Velocity, ME = Muzzle Energy.

Cartridge MV ME
5.56mm 55 grain M193 3240 1282
7.62×39 123 gr spitzer 2300 1445
.30-06 150 gr spitzer 2910 2820

Looking at that, if the first two rounds are your primary basis of comparison, I can see how you might think that the .30-06 rolls out some impressive power levels, and in this perspective, it does; the standard mil-spec loads for the venerable old Cartridge, Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1906 are tough stuff put up against a typical AR or AK-platform round. And, yes, most standard police/military vests are weak sauce when taking on an ’06 round. But how does the ’06 itself stack up against some sporting cartridges that are in wide use? And bear in mind I’m not comparing the latest, hottest Eargesplitten Loudenboomer Ultra Magnums that the gun magazines seem to monthly tout; these are rounds that have been in wide use in the game fields for decades.

Let’s compare that to a couple of rounds that I shoot and load regularly: the .338 Winchester Magnum and the .45-70 Government.

Cartridge MV ME
.338 Win Mag 265 Grain LRX 2800 4200
.45-70 Government 405gr FN 1680 2274

Note that the .45-70 load I cite here is the standard, original black-powder spec load, and so the velocity and energy are low, lower than the .30-06, although I can tell you from personal experience that those big, flat-nose bullets pack a pretty good wallop inside of 150 yards or so and will put down a big, corn-fed Midwestern whitetail right the hell now. But look at the .338 load, this being the load I’m running through my own .338 Win Mag right now; that one comes pretty close to matching the .30-06 on velocity but, due to the heavier slug, produces almost a ton more muzzle energy, almost quadruple the 5.56 round.

To finish up, let’s really turn up the pressure: Here are the stats for the grand old .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and the .458 Winchester Magnum.

Cartridge MV ME
.375 H&H 270-grain solid 2690 4340
.458 Win Mag 500 gr solid 2090 4850

 

While the .375 H&H is a rung or two up the ladder from my .338 handloads, it’s in the same ballpark. But the .458 Win Mag? That’s an elephant-stopper, made as a dangerous game round, turning in almost two and a half tons of energy at the muzzle.

Sporting rifle cartridges, as you can see, routinely turn in some impressive ballistics, compared to the 5.56mm and 7.62x39mm rounds, and if you consult the benchmark work on such things – that being W. Todd Woodward’s annual Cartridges of the World – you’ll see that there are many, many such cartridges in standard production, and even more in the obsolete, proprietary and wildcat realms.

There’s a good reason for this. Mil-spec rifle cartridges aren’t necessarily designed to kill, RHEEEEing by would-be gun-grabbers notwithstanding. They are primarily designed to allow the individual soldier to carry a good supply (I wouldn’t prefer to carry around seven thirty-round mags full of .45-70 loads) and, when applied as intended, to take an enemy soldier out of action.

Sporting rounds, on the other hand, are designed to kill – animals that are, quite often, bigger and tougher than humans. In fact, some of them, including the big Alaskan moose and grizzlies that are often found within a few miles of where I sit at this moment, are a great deal bigger and tougher.

Those kills are also often made at some distance; shots out to 300 yards are not all that unusual. (My personal record is a 280-yard shot on a Colorado mulie, and yes, that was with my .338.) More to the point, sporting rounds are designed to deliver a quick, clean, humane kill, which means one must, as Robert Ruark so famously put it, “use enough gun.”

Modern military cartridges are not in the same ballpark as anything much past mid-range when it comes to sporting rifle cartridges. It’s very nearly a difference of kind, rather than a difference of degree; the difference when you’re comparing some of the tougher loads is in orders of magnitude. And it’s not as though any of the rounds I’ve described here are the Hot New Thing; aside from the 5.56mm, the most recently introduced rounds I’ve described are the .338 Win Mag and the .458 Win Mag, which both first hit the market in 1958.

Let’s hope the current crop of nitwits in the Democrat Party don’t figure that out because next, they’ll be raving about “sniper rifles” and “armor-piercing ammo.” Meanwhile, the “assault weapon” issue will continue to be litigated, and the people pushing for bans on such will still have no idea what they are talking about.

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BALLISTIC FRUGALITY DAVID AND GOLIATH, NOMAD VERSUS SCAR WRITTEN BY WILL DABBS, MD

For a real deal bugout survival defensive situation, are you better off with the
$4,500 black rifle or the no-frills single-barrel shotgun that only set you back a C-note?

 

You’re hard at work, beta testing whoopee cushions and fake dog turds at the Fartco Novelty Company. Though it was the glamor of the thing that first drew you, after 17 years, even this seems like a grind. The new battery-powered flatulator is performing well, but it’s been a long day. You’re looking forward to a quiet evening with the family. Then you feel a scant rumble through the floor.

You direct your attention outside. Smoke rises on the horizon, and you see crowds of terrified people fleeing some unseen menace. An electric buzz runs through the office as fear spreads over your coworkers like a contagion. But not you. You’ve prepared your entire life for
this moment.

In a flash, you are downstairs and atop your moped. In the heady excitement of the moment, you intentionally eschew your helmet. Given this has all the makings of a proper apocalypse, you’ll take your chances with the traffic wardens.

Traffic is snarled, but you are immune. You bounce the curb and cut through sundry yards and parks, puttering past terrified victims who lacked your foresight. Nineteen minutes later, you pull up at home.

Your family has drilled for this, and they are waiting for you. The government-surplus Hummer is packed and ready to go with food, water and fuel enough for at least three weeks on the road. Your wife even had time to throw together a few tuna fish sandwiches. The kids are strapped into the back, and your bride rides shotgun. You slip into your body armor and throw open the door to the gun safe. There in the front row resides a tricked-out FN SCAR 16S, alongside a Nomad single-barrel break-open 12-gauge shotgun. The Hummer is already cubed out, and you’ve only got room for one. Which gun do you grab? The kids are getting impatient, and the plaintive cries from the street are growing closer.

 

The ATI Nomad 12-gauge is arguably the simplest firearm on the planet.
There is little on the gun to break.

The ATI Nomad 12-gauge is the tire iron of the firearm world. If you are smart enough to run a screwdriver, you can shoot this gun.

Practical Tactical

 

Who are we kidding? Of course you take both. Strap junior to the roof if need be, but now that doomsday has finally arrived, you’re not going to split hairs over ordnance. However, what if you really could only take one? For a real deal bugout survival defensive situation, are you better off with the $4,500 black rifle or the no-frills single-barrel shotgun that only set you back a C-note? I would assert the answer, as painful as it is for guys like us to hear, is the shotgun might be the better choice.

The tricked-out SCAR 16S with a Holosight, magnifier, tactical light and sound suppressor legitimately costs more than four grand all up. For this simply breathtaking investment, you get unflinching reliability, decent stealth, proper combat accuracy and a prodigious magazine capacity. The SCAR chassis serves with American Special Operations Forces deployed downrange as I sit typing these words. It is one epically cool rifle. It will reliably make you stand out in a crowd. Now hold that thought.

By contrast, the ATI Nomad is stripped-down and austere. The 18″ barrel folds back onto the buttstock. The resulting package is so easy to store it could conceivably ride in a book bag. Even amidst the current ammo drought, you can still find 12-gauge rounds. Buckshot and slugs will drop most anything that walks, gallops or slithers. Cheap birdshot will keep the cooking pot stoked with tree rats or bunnies and wing shoot subsistence birds. This weapon is the heir apparent to your granddad’s favorite farm gun. This means it doesn’t scare people or mark you as special. Under certain circumstances, this attribute could itself be quite valuable.

 

The tricked-out FN SCAR 16S is a tactical beast. It also reliably draws
a crowd and costs as much as your kid’s orthodontia. However, all that
tactical bling makes you conspicuous.

The rigid charging handle on the FN SCAR 16S is reversible
and reciprocates with the bolt.

The buttstock on the FN SCAR 16S is more complicated than the
U.S. Tax Code, but it is undeniably effective.

At 8 meters, the FN SCAR 16S shoots five rounds through the same hole.

Technical Details — the SCAR 16S

 

SCAR stands for Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle, and it is indeed the apex predator among the world’s modern military weapons. A thoroughly state-of-the-art design, the SCAR orbits around an aluminum receiver and includes ample polymer furniture. The GI issue SCAR-Heavy fires 7.62x51mm. The SCAR-Light is 5.56x45mm. The SCAR 16S is the semi-auto civilian version of the military SCAR-L.

I happened upon my SCAR at a law enforcement auction for seized guns, so I got it at a good price. However, a cheap Rolls-Royce is still expensive. You don’t get into a SCAR cheap unless a relative dies and leaves you one.

The SCAR runs a short stroke piston-driven action inspired by that of the Armalite AR180. This design keeps heat and crud up front and away from the gun’s entrails. It is inimitably reliable as a result. The gun is designed to disassemble easily and maintained in an austere environment.

There is plenty of rail space for optics and accessories. The buttstock is more complicated than the human female but remains eminently practical. The stock is easily adjustable for both length of pull and comb. It also folds with the push of a button. The SCAR comes with a nice set of folding iron sights that stay out of the way when not in use.

The charging handle on the SCAR reciprocates with the action and is readily reversible without tools. This means you can take a boot to it in the unlikely event the action ever gets sticky. However, it also means the handle zips back and forth when firing. With a bulky optic installed, it is easy to rap your fingers while charging the weapon.

The SCAR 16S accepts standard STANAG M4 magazines and drums. The end result is versatile, effective and cool. In the world of Modern Sporting Rifles, literally nothing is finer.

 

The ATI Nomad is made in Turkey and is the very image of simplicity.

The primary strength of the ATI Nomad 12-gauge is its ammo versatility.
Different loads can be configured for different applications.

The Nomad breaks open just like your granddad’s old single-barrel
squirrel gun and collapses back onto itself for easy portage or storage.

The ATI Nomad 12-Gauge

 

By contrast, the ATI Nomad is as simple as kindergarten art class. If you can tie your own shoes without assistance, you can run the Nomad. It’s just stupid-proof.

Pull back on the trigger guard to break open the action, drop in a shell, close the action and cock the hammer manually. Now point the gun at something you dislike and squeeze. Repeat as necessary.

The Nomad doesn’t have a safety. The manual hammer is all the safety you need. Don’t cock the gun until you’re ready to shoot and you’ll be fine.

To fold the gun for storage, you just open the action and then wrap the muzzle back to the toe of the buttstock. The steel is nicely blued, and the furniture is polymer and nigh indestructible. The sights consist of a simple brass bead and a groove in the top of the receiver. It’s not complicated because it doesn’t need to be complicated. The Nomad comes with a set of steel sling swivels on the bottom. The chamber is cut to accept 3″ shells.

American Tactical offers the Nomad in three different gauges and various barrel lengths. The gun is also available as part of a turnkey survival rig with its own backpack.

The real strength of the Nomad is in its ammunition versatility. Birdshot is available most anywhere at a good price. Buckshot and slugs, at appropriate ranges, offers unquestionable downrange authority. There are even less-than-lethal options should the need arise.

 

To paraphrase Dirty Harry Callahan, at a typical 8-meter engagement
range the ATI Nomad 12-gauge, even loaded with cheap 7 ½ birdshot,
would take a man’s head clean off.

Improvised Firepower

 

What follows is related for historical interest only. DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELVES! Forgive my shouting, but most of our readership is guys. As any woman will attest, sometimes prattling on for hours on the subject, we’re all just a little bit stupid.

My grandfather was born in 1901 and came of age during the Great Depression on a rural Mississippi farm. Like many to most Americans of that era, they didn’t have anything. They eked out an existence between their crops and subsistence hunting, but had to make do without a lot of resources.

My grandfather’s family sold enough produce to afford a little birdshot for their old single-barrel 12-gauge shotgun. Buckshot and slugs were available, but they were more expensive. As a result, my grandfather improvised.

For close range engagements against whitetail deer, my grandfather made his own slugs. He would take paper-hulled 12-gauge rounds and ring them amidships with his Barlow knife such that he separated the top of the shell right about at the wad. He then wrapped a single layer of masking tape around the shell to hold everything in place and put a drop of glue on the nose. He told me at close ranges, these improvised slugs were extraordinarily effective at keeping their table graced with venison.

 

The manual hammer is the Nomad’s only safety.

Pulling back on the trigger guard breaks open the action.

Practical Tactical

 

The SCAR 16S will ventilate a man-sized target out to half a kilometer or so and look cool doing it. Magazine changes set the standard for everything else, and the gun is one of the most reliable autoloading weapons I have ever fired. With the suppressor and optics in place, it is a room-clearing machine. However, whenever brandished in public it does invariably draw a crowd.

By contrast, the Nomad tucks into a proper daypack without anyone being the wiser. It packs plenty of downrange thump against predators whether they walk on two legs or four. It is also a much better tool for dropping birds on the wing or harvesting a rabbit than that fancy black rifle.
Forgive my seeming a pansy, but the Nomad kicks like Chuck Norris doing the cancan. The gun is extremely lightweight, and physics can be a cruel mistress. However, it works every single time.

More importantly than all this, however, is the Nomad lets you move around in crowds without creating a scene. Scary black rifles are fun on the range, but amidst a street liberally populated with flaming dumpsters and rampaging anarchists, it is the Nomad that helps you retain your anonymity. Anybody who has ever been in one for real appreciates the best fight is the one you never have to have.

 

Denouement

 

So sure, if you have the space, grab both. The SCAR 16S reaches out way beyond where the humble 12-bore stutters and dies while being markedly more intimidating. However, there’s a lot of stupid stuff you can drop a hundred bucks on these days. In fact, I have dumped that sum taking my family out for dinner and movie back when the kids would bring along a friend or three. In the ATI Nomad, you will find a robust single-barrel shotgun your kids’ kids won’t wear out that will eat a wide variety of ammo. The argument could be made it is indeed the better defensive gun.

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