Misfit Sends: 5.56 Reality from a Pro

Misfit rips the band-aid off with a dose of reality from a pro. Bring a sharp pencil, take some notes, suck it up and get over it:

I was asked to put up some numbers by Max. This was done with the aid of ballistic software. Basically what your seeing is 5.56 77gr Sierra Match King at 3000 fps VS a 7.62 Sierra Match King at 2500 FPS. 2500 FPS for a 7.62 gas gun with factory ammo is very considerate. I contemplated using data from my own rifles but wanted to keep in generic and easy for everyone to fact check. Just a quick fact the 5.56 has about the same energy at about 820 yds (about 280 ft lbs) as a 115gr 9mm ball round at 50 yards. I put the energy column in there and know that people are going to weigh in on that but you have to hit someone first for energy to be a factor. Also if you notice that both rounds are MATCH rounds. They are not meant to expand like bonded ammo they are meant to be accurate. Getting into bullets and energy  is just another rabbit hole to go down if you want to see what’s at the bottom of it open a book (Brain Litz comes to mind) this isn’t guns and ammo magazine. We shoot what we have. It’s not going to be a good day if you were shot in the chest by a .22 or a .50 cal.

The question??? Is the 7.62 worth the extra weight, cost and logistics to integrate into a squad? What about even a higher caliber or faster more powerful caliber? If you chose to up your game take into consideration the logistics (money) behind it. A .300 Win Mag shooting a 190 gr bullet at over 3000 FPS is gonna burn out your barrel in 2,000 rounds or less (and there isn’t a lot of manufactures that make them in gas gun platforms) same with rounds like the 6.5 284 and the list goes on.  That’s up to you to decide. Well I’ll just carry a AR and a .338 Lapua bolt gun, it’s more capable and accurate (and expensive and extra weight and you still will feel the need for a contact rifle).  Again this is the SDM not a sniper element specially equipped for long range precision fire and tasked with a sniper mission.

The guys that want to patrol the open plains area will find that they are not going to find a lot of dismounted infantry patrolling around. Open areas will be patrolled with vehicles, armor or armored vehicles. This will require different set of employment/tactics and equipment for the SU. Also for the guys that just fall back on how great of a marksman they are with their rifles that shoot bullets like laser beams and they think that that’s going to carry them in a fight. If you are a bench rest shooter that gets out and hunts a few times a year think that makes you some kind of a sniper, you’re wrong. Compensating with expensive equipment only makes up pennies in experience and proper education. If for every one round or expensive ammo you shoot I’m shooting three or four rounds of cheaper ammo and achiving the same standard I will be better.

From what I have seen from Max’s writings and what I believe to be true is that compartmentalized terrain (swamps of the south, mountainous areas spread throughout the US, the many places of broken terrain and possibly urban) is where SUT shines, with the equipment that most of us have or can get. This allows the small units to pick and play on their terms putting themselves in the position with the upper hand. Next time you’re out in your AO (Area of Operation) take a laser range finder and zap the key terrain around you and see what your distances really are and if the equipment is required. You can also get on Google Earth and do a map study of your area; still nothing beats boots on the ground line of sight. There is a lot of micro terrain that can help and hinder you. I think that you will be surprised to find the actual distances you will be working in, keeping in mind this is about SUT.

Scenario time: You’re a guy from out west that hunts and shoots guns with his buddies. Now you’re dropped into an area with your super awesome .300 win mag that you can shoot out to 1,000 yards with the guy you shoot with at the range every now and then. Maybe you have been there before maybe not but somewhere within the capability of you and your weapon there are a 2 well-trained individuals that have mastered things like camouflage (not just buying real tree off the rack), observation, stalking, ranging targets, patrolling, survival and a plethora of other critical infantry skills. They are currently hunting you with a SBR or DM type 5.56 rifles more than capable of hitting you out past 600m. Do you feel that you have the skills to survive this scenario? Do you think that just because you roll out into the woods a few times a year hunting and make it to the range every other month that you’re good? Take a look not just at yourself but at those you surround yourself with. Get the training now so you can become proficient at it. This is a way of life for some, and just a novelty to others. Where do you stand?

Misfit.