5.56×45 mm NATO
Intermediate
NATO standard intermediate caliber: light, high-velocity, dominant in Western assault rifles since the 1980s.
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Overview
Military evolution of the civilian .223 Remington, NATO-standardized in 1980 with STANAG 4172 (SS109/M855 steel-cored bullet). Bottlenecked case and very fast light bullet: lethality comes mainly from fragmentation and bullet yaw in tissue.
Specifications
- Bullet diameter
- 5,70 mm (.224")
- Case length
- 44,7 mm
- Overall length
- 57,4 mm
- Bullet weight
- 4,0 g (62 gr, M855)
- Typical muzzle velocity
- ≈ 940 m/s
- Typical energy
- ≈ 1770 J
- Max pressure
- 430 MPa
- Introduced
- 1980 (NATO)
Pros
- +Very low recoil, excellent control in auto.
- +High-capacity magazines, low cartridge weight.
- +Flat trajectory to 300 m.
Cons
- −Limited penetration through hard cover.
- −Reduced effectiveness past 400 m with short barrels.
History and use
Adopted in 1964 by the U.S. Army with the M16 (M193 bullet), NATO-standardized in 1980 in the Belgian SS109 variant. Used today on M4, HK416, FN SCAR-L, F2000, IWI Tavor, Beretta ARX-160.
Weapons adopting it (59)
M16A4United StatesM4A1 CarbineUnited StatesHK416GermanyFN SCAR-LBelgiumIWI Tavor X95IsraelSteyr AUGAustriaFAMAS F1FranceSA80 L85A2United KingdomHeckler & Koch G36GermanyBeretta ARX 160ItalyFN FNC / Ak 5BelgiumCZ BREN 2Czech RepublicSIG SG 550SwitzerlandFB MSBS GrotPolandHS Produkt VHS-2CroatiaIWI CarmelIsraelIWI NegevIsraelDaniel Defense M4A1 RIIIUnited StatesM249 SAWBelgiumFN F2000BelgiumL119A1United KingdomL403A1 AIWUnited KingdomHowa Type 20JapanHowa Type 89JapanFB MSBS-RPolandFB MSBS-BPolandFB Beryl wz. 96PolandFB Mini-Beryl wz. 96PolandSIG SG 552SwitzerlandVektor R4South AfricaVektor CR-21South AfricaFN MinimiBelgiumFN EvolysBelgiumSteyr STM 556AustriaCZ 805 BRENCzech RepublicINSASIndiaExcaliburIndiaFAMAS G2FranceBeretta AR70ItalyBeretta ARX160 A3ItalyMPT-55TurkeySAR 223TurkeySAR 56TurkeyKCR-556TurkeyIMBEL IA2BrazilK1ASouth KoreaK2South KoreaK2CSouth KoreaK2C1South KoreaK3South KoreaK15South KoreaSAR 21SingaporeSAR 21 MMSSingaporeNext Generation SARSingaporeUltimax 100SingaporeC7CanadaC8CanadaC9CanadaCMAR C25Canada
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