What Is The Effective Range Of 5.56?

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0:00 Intro
2:35 Ammo Types Used
5:20 M193 Out Of A 20" M16
7:40 M855 Out Of A 20" M16
9:40 Ballistic Coefficient of M195 & M855
11:10 Conclusion
12:32 NGSW & MCX Virtus Giveaway

Intro Song: "Issa Trap" by Mikey Geiger

[Scortes]

Can we do ballistic dummies at 500, 400, and 300 yards with 556? That would be interesting.

[Kaotix_music]

I can’t remember the exact length of the parabarrel on the 249 but inwas a machine gunner in my squad my first half of my deployment in Afghanistan. I NEVER ran the full length barrel. I brought it out on ops incaee inwas going through extreme high round counts and needed a barrel change, but really never used it. Out to 300+ yards, I saw enemy combatant, I fired on them, they went down, BDA showed later they were smoked. 18B on a team I worked with hated the SCAR and used his mk18 a lot. Even in places where engagements were quite dynamic in range. Ranging from CQB distances, out to 300-400 meters. He dropped dudes with that 10.3 barrel. I guesss this discussion of “is 5.56 really a lethal round?” Will never go away but i saw first hand experience it is 100 percent a lethal round. I forgot what YouTube channel it was but someone said your mk18 with your 10.3/10.5 barrel is only lethal to 50 meters. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ from what experience he made that call to say that in his video? Idk. Forums on the Internet from guys who never shot human beings with that round out of those barrel lengths maybe? But I promise, 5.56 is 100 percent…lethal

[Omniseed]

Unlike previous service rifle replacements, the M16/M4 platform is far from obsolete, and is still basically a gold standard weapon platform with a huge amount of inventory. They may adopt a different main line rifle and machine gun, which may make a lot of sense, but the 5.56mm weapons with optics mounts are unlikely to fully leave service for years to come.

[Starcraftmarine]

One thing that isn’t talked enough about imo is target reacquisition. The ability to fire a big heavy lethal slug is nice and all, but the ability to lay down round after round after round with a lower recoiling cartridge is the biggest boon to 5.56

[TheHuscarl]

That’s very interesting. Back in the day (45 years ago) we trained on max range 560yd targets with the m16 and ball ammo (the only ammo at the time). I didn’t know why at the time, but now it makes more sense.

[skilife]

You briefly mentioned it but it’s really the surface area that makes a difference! A boxer can hit hard but the force is spread out across a larger surface area. Can think of a car window breaking tool. It has a very fine tip that concentrates all the force into a tiny little area. If you hit with the same force using a sheet of metal it won’t break

[donsheckler]

I've shot 20" ARs in competition out to 800 yards using 80 gr Sierras. They were still supersonic at that distance. Others were doing well at that distance with factory loaded 77 gr Sierras (also using 20" rifles). That means a velocity like that of a .22 lr at the muzzle but with twice the bullet weight. It should penetrate deep enough for a fatal wound.

[Super-Kuper]

.22lr is lethal, that doesn’t mean it’s effective.

If you put holes where they don’t belong that has the potential to be lethal.

[stuartdodson]

Effective, at least in my understanding, is the distance at which a hit can be consistently achieved. Hence, as I learned it, an M16A2 with M855 is effective on a point target at 550m. In my own research, in my 16” barreled ARs I consider effective 268y where the velocity drops to 2200fps. Max and min ordinates of 2.24 inches. M855 and M193 are remarkably similar so much as the differences are negligible in terms of external ballistics. Which is perfectly acceptable for the parameters of the original cartridge expectations.

[nebick]

The U.S. market alone will keep 5.56 around for a LONG time.

[lostgenius]

Marines are trained, and qualify on, ranges that go out to 500 yards. We are taught the maximum effective range is 550 yards.

Source: I was a Marine.

[jjgriffin]

the 556 in whatever platform was not designed or meant to be a sniper rifle. thats why the military used the 308 for that. 556 is great for what it was designed for.

[Animo]

The answer is that 5.56 is effective of lethality out to ranges exceeding the point of consistent accuracy with the weapon and ammunition. My best guess is that 5.56 would not longer be lethal around 2500+ yards (Out of a 20" barrel) but it does not have ballistic characteristics to be accurate at that range consistently. The longest range I have fired 5.56 and hit a target was 1067 yards with a Mk12 shooting Black Hills 77 grain OTM. While it lost a massive amount of kinetic energy, it definitely would still be lethal if it hit a vital organ.

Edit: They didn't train us to hit targets out to 500 yards with M855 in the Corps for no reason. While 95% of firefights overseas were under 300 yards, M855 and especially M855A1 was still very lethal beyond those ranges.

[j.t.patton]

It is so NON-lethal, it takes a minimum 20" barrel for CQB.
Send me all your 5.56 ammo for disposal.

[BigCountry]

According to the Marine Corps, the max effective range of the M16A2 (20 inch Barrel) with the 62 grain M855 round is; Maximum effective range: Area target: 2, 624.8 feet (800 meters)
Point target: 1, 804.5 feet (550 meters). Also, we can't forget that the M193 was designed to shoot out of a 1:12 twist barrel. So, I'm quite confident that if I hit you in the chest with a M855 round with a 20 inch barrel @ 1000 yards, you will be removed from the fight. Semper Fi Devil Dog! That instructor was full of BS!! One more thing, deer are much, MUCH tougher than any human!

[richardring]

5:13 is probably the most accurate statement on the entire internet.

[blankistblankophobe]

5.56mm in a nutshell:
100m and under - devastating
200m - pinpoint accurate
300m - deadly
500m - he's gonna feel it, he's probably hurt
700m - why did you bother?

[Marktk]

Great video as usual. My thought is, what's on paper should only be a guide. What happens in reality is/can be quite different. I took a deer @ 75yards with 5.56 and it never left where it stood. Not a headshot. Thanks!

[jimdunkle]

I'm 70, and my dad was in WW2. And he told me to get a M1 garand, you could depend your life on it!! If SHTF that's the gun I'll grab. But if I have to leave my house it will be my AR!! The main thing is to hit your target.

[Starcraftmarine]

Second comment I’d like to add, the Finnish sniper “Simo Häyhä” in world war 2 made the majority of his kills with a soumi sub machine gun at max ranges of 200 yards. With as little energy as the 9mm had at that distance I would completely trust 5.56 to do the job at ranges of max effectiveness from the m16