AK47frizzle

Yeah, the 556 is actually tumbles on impact, the heavier back end flips foward, wripping into the target then tumbling all the way through to create massive trauma via shockwaves I believe I read before. However being a smaller round it doesnt have the same amount of "knock down power" as larger rounds. But then again, 1 dead solder vs 1 wounded requiring at least 2 men to remove him from the battlefield seriously reduces combat effectiveness of a section

the reports of 5.56 not knocking taliban fighters down are pretty few and far between, if in 12 years of conflict the 5.56 NATO cartridge regularly failed to put someone down it would have been changed.

Oh, and don't even think about saying the L129A1 is 7.62, blah blah blah, that rifle was chosen for range and accuracy, the calibre is a component of that rather than the stopping power.

The complaints about 5.56 lacking power are also largely down to the size of the propellant charge and the weapon they're fired from (barrel length and rifling number).

Most of the complaints come from using low-power charges in short carbines.