Originally Posted by
mounting man
If the 223 is not supposedly big enough to take down a 100 to 175 pound deer why does the Government arm our service people with this to defend them self in battle ?
Many states don't allow 22 caliber centerfire for deer hunting. I haven't asked but believe most if not all of them would say the 22 centerfire calibers are either too marginal for cleanly killing deer or simply not enough for the job. The goal of game laws and sportsmen and women is to make clean and ethical kills of the animals we hunt. It doesn't mean you could never kill a deer with a 223. People have of course. There's also at least 1 story floating around of some guy killing a bear with a .22 rimfire. Again, not the best choice for the animal and risks just making the bear madder.
The military is restricted to the ammo it can use for combat by the Hague Convention which bars expanding bullets. I realize that sounds silly since just about every bomb, grenade, mortar or artillery shell explodes (expands) but that's what we follow. Other members have already stated quite why the military uses the 5.56mm round.
It's not a bad question and has been asked a lot over the years.