{"id":65177,"date":"2016-10-20T11:29:16","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T15:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=65177"},"modified":"2016-10-20T11:29:16","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T08:59:00","slug":"gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\/","title":{"rendered":"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck – Buy a .300 BLK"},"content":{"rendered":"

.3
\nTo purchase an AR pistol in 300 AAC Blackout on GunsAmerica.com, click this link:\u00a0https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Search.aspx?T=AR-15%20pistol%20300<\/a><\/p>\n

\"While<\/a>

While the 5.56 (left) has a lot of great capabilities, working well out of a short barrel is not one of them. The 300 AAC Blackout (right) might be a great alternative.<\/p><\/div>\n

I am not interested in starting a caliber war (this time at least), and I\u2019m not one of those veterans that is now going to bitch about how my weapon wasn\u2019t good enough. 5.56\/.223 has killed plenty of people over the last 40 years, and the AR series of rifles works fine. I don\u2019t care what a lost convoy of water purification specialists tells you. I am, however, telling you that the weapons system has limitations. Much like a car, you can\u2019t just change things willy nilly and expect predictable results. You can build a hybrid Hummer or a diesel Prius, but that doesn\u2019t mean you should. Many factors go into how a weapon functions and the ballistics of your chosen projectile. 5.56 is absolutely fine as a combat cartridge. As long as you can move the bullet fast enough.<\/p>\n

I love AR rifles. I own dozens of them. One thing I do not own though, is a AR in 5.56 with a barrel length less than 16 inches. That has nothing to do with the fact that I am too cheap to get a tax stamp, or pin the flash hider on a 14.5-inch gun.<\/p>\n

For anyone new to the AR family, here is a short but sweet summary. If you are actually interested in short-barreled rifles, seek legal counsel, not a guy that hits things with a hammer for a living. Here goes. The National Firearms Act of 1934 imposed restrictions on short barrel rifles ( SBRs), short barrel shotguns (SBS), silencers, and machine guns. For the purposes of today\u2019s discussion, that means a rifle barrel must measure 16 inches muzzle to breech face, and the overall length of the rifle must be 26 inches (it is 18 inches of barrel for a shotgun, by the way). Provided a muzzle device is permanently attached (commonly called \u201cpinned and welded\u201d), it counts as part of the barrel for length. In theory, you could have a 2-inch barrel with a 14-inch muzzle brake welded on and still be legal. Insert your own 2-inch barrel joke here. If you want a barrel length below 16 inches, you must apply for a $200 Tax Stamp and register the weapon with the ATF. To me, it is a happy accident that the minimum legal length just happens to be my ideal 5.56 barrel length anyway. Why is 16 inches ideal?<\/p>\n

\"Top,<\/a>

Top, PWS MK114 5.56 pistol upper receiver, with Gemtech Patrolman 5.56 suppressor. Bottom, PWS MK114 300 AAC Blackout pistol complete, with Gemtech GMT300BLK suppressor. Magpul BUIS on both.<\/p><\/div>\n

5.56 gets most of its lethality from velocity. This has been shown over and over again with ballistics gelatin, animal testing, and combat experience. Dr. Martin Fackler<\/a> is famous for his testing of the 5.56 cartridge at various velocities while at the Letterman Army Institute of Research. I normally don\u2019t put that much credibility into ballistics gel, but this is backed up by both my own time in combat, After Action Review (AAR) materials from other conflicts, and the first-hand combat experience testimony I gathered over my years as a soldier and instructor. To put it in the simplest of terms, 5.56 is basically a heavier, longer .22 LR. Above a certain velocity threshold, the bullet turns into a tissue blender. Basically, at above 2,700 feet per second (fps), as the bullet enters tissue, it turns 90 degrees sideways, and then can explode into little pieces. This causes massive tissue damage in what is normally called \u201csecondary cavitation space,\u201d and allows the little 5.56 to punch way above its weight compared to bigger bullets.<\/p>\n

Alright, neat, so what? The problem lies in what happens below 2,700 fps. There is no mathematical certainty in anything related to terminal ballistics as there are too many variables, let\u2019s be clear on that. But in a sense of stacking the odds, it works like this. At 2,700 fps and above, our bullet usually fragments. The faster it is moving, the higher those odds. Below 2700 fps, the odds of our bullet fragmenting start falling lower. And it\u2019s not a straight-line loss either. Below 2,500 fps, it almost never happens. What does this have to do with barrel length? Every bullet ever built has an ideal barrel length to achieve maximum velocity. It is a complex physics equation related to powder burn, twist rate, friction, and gas pressure. My physics education consisted of \u201churt people and break all their shit,\u201d so we are just going to talk in general terms.<\/p>\n

\"Science,<\/a>

Science, it’s not just for nerds. Pact chronograph, Gemtech suppressors, and American Eagle ammunition was used in the testing.<\/p><\/div>\n

5.56 was built to run out of a 20-inch barrel. That gives near ideal velocity and full powder burn, usually in the 3,100 to 3,250 fps range. Every time we cut the barrel off, we lose some amount of velocity, and it is also not a straight graph line. It also varies by some degree per barrel manufacturer. Cut to 16 inches, you start at the muzzle at about 2,850 fps with average bullet weights. Cut to 14.5 and you are generally around 2,650 fps. Cut to 10 inches, you are around 2,500 fps. This is where we run into problems. In a 10-inch barrel, you are already well below the fragmentation threshold at room distance.<\/p>\n

So, what are we going to do about it? I\u2019m not going to smack talk your choice of a short barrel. I\u2019m also going to take the high road for once, and leave the mom jokes out of this. I have an AR pistol myself; there is a place for them. I\u2019m just going to ask you to make an educated choice. The jury is still out on 300 AAC Blackout and its lethality, because it is so new comparatively. But it\u2019s not rocket science to me. My velocity tests show Blackout to be 400 fps slower than 5.56 from a 10-inch barrel. It is also almost triple the bullet weight, and it starts as a .30 caliber. If you just want a gun to plink with, by all means go with the cheaper option. 5.56 is the clear winner there. But if you might ever need your gun to do men\u2019s work, I suggest you cowboy up on caliber.<\/p>\n

To purchase an AR pistol in 300 AAC Blackout on GunsAmerica.com, click this link:\u00a0https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/Search.aspx?T=AR-15%20pistol%20300<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many factors go into how a weapon functions and the ballistics of your chosen projectile. 5.56 is absolutely fine as a combat cartridge. As long as you can move the bullet fast enough. But, is there a better option for all the other situations?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":65182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[872,7,226,234,262,21,10,1],"tags":[702,714,701,613,132,586,805,108,620],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-65177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gun-reviews-ar-15","8":"category-gunsamerica-authors","9":"category-clay-martin","10":"category-columns","11":"category-defensive-use-of-firearms","12":"category-columns-gunfight-science","13":"category-shootbetter","14":"category-uncategorized","15":"tag-223-rem","16":"tag-300-blk","17":"tag-5-56-nato","18":"tag-ar-15","19":"tag-buzz","20":"tag-column","21":"tag-gunfight-science","22":"tag-guns","23":"tag-tactical"},"yoast_head":"\nGunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK - Uncategorized\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many factors go into how a weapon functions and the ballistics of your chosen projectile. 5.56 is absolutely fine as a combat cartridge. 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But, is there a better option for all the other situations?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-20T15:29:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-20T08:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/thumb_DSC02560_1024.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1086\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Clay Martin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/wayofftheres\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Clay Martin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Clay Martin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2d1bfff6535fbff35f392292b3a6438a\"},\"headline\":\"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck – Buy a .300 BLK\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-20T15:29:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-20T08:59:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1157,\"commentCount\":92,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/10\\\/thumb_DSC02560_1024.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\".223 Rem.\",\"300 BLK\",\"5.56 NATO\",\"AR-15\",\"Buzz\",\"Column\",\"Gunfight Science\",\"Guns\",\"Tactical\"],\"articleSection\":[\"AR-15\",\"Authors\",\"Clay Martin\",\"Columns\",\"Defensive Use of Firearms\",\"Gunfight Science\",\"Shoot Better\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/10\\\/thumb_DSC02560_1024.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-20T15:29:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-20T08:59:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK - Uncategorized\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/10\\\/thumb_DSC02560_1024.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/10\\\/thumb_DSC02560_1024.jpg\",\"width\":1086,\"height\":724,\"caption\":\"While the 5.56 (left) has a lot of great capabilities, working well out of a short barrel is not one of them. 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A multi-service, multi-decade sniper, he\u2019s also a seasoned 3-Gun competitor and a Master-ranked shooter in USPSA Production. When he\u2019s not writing about firearms and tactics, Clay is the author of the novel Last Son of The War God, a gritty story about dispensing justice the hard way. Follow him on Twitter @offthe_res or visit his website at Off-The-Reservation.com. Experience:\u2013 U.S. Marine Corps Infantry, Scout\\\/Sniper, and Recon Marine\u2013 U.S. Army Green Beret, 3rd Special Forces Group (ODA Comms SGT, Intel SGT, SFAUC Instructor)\u2013 Competitive Shooter \u2013 Master-ranked in USPSA Production, experienced 3-Gun competitor\u2013 Tactical Instructor \u2013 Extensive background in teaching carbine, pistol, CQB, and survival skills\u2013 Author \u2013 Fiction and non-fiction works on warfare, survival, and American resilience\u2013 2A Advocate \u2013 Defender of the Constitution and vocal proponent of gun rights\u2013 Outdoorsman \u2013 Idaho-based hunter, adventurer, and father of feral children and dogs\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/Off-The-Reservation.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/wayofftheres\"],\"gender\":\"Male\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/clay-martin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK","description":"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK - Uncategorized","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gunfight-science-5-56-nato-dumb\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gunfight Science: SBRs in 5.56 Suck - Buy a .300 BLK","og_description":"Many factors go into how a weapon functions and the ballistics of your chosen projectile. 5.56 is absolutely fine as a combat cartridge. 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