ORIGINAL: the_sandman_454
Just wanted to comment on the .223 being designed to wound and that being why the military chose it, yadda yadda. I've seen a few articles on why the military went away from the .308 and .30-06 for the primary weapons.
The .223 is not designed to wound anything, it is designed to kill. The military went with it because one soldier can carry beaucoup more ammo with the .223 than he can with a .308 or .30-06. More rounds can be stored in available magazine space and more rounds can be shipped to the battlefield in the same cargo space.
The military has changed the way they train snipers, which has resulted in more enemy wounded. They expanded the target zone from the "T" to include center mass hits as critical. This was a result of having to lower standards for snipers due to the decrease in new recruits as well as the increased demand for them on the battlefield.
I didn't start off as a big fan of the .223, but the more I have used it, the more I like it.