556 for 762 when it comes to ammunition these two cartridges are among the most prolific and well known Fighters armed with the 556 by 45 millimeter Nato and the 762 by 39 millimeter have engaged in Furious combat all over the world ever since military forces using those cartridges first met in the jungles of Vietnam during the 1960s.

The 556 for 762 39 millimeter debate kicked off shortly thereafter and has never really Ended as Shooters continue to intensely argue the strengths and weaknesses of each cartridge in Sporting Good Shops gun magazines online forums and shooting ranges across the country even though both are reliable and effective in a variety of circumstances.

The debate over which is the all-around best is contested the prolific 762 by 39 millimeter round the 762 by 39 millimeter round also known as the 30 Russian short and the 762 Soviet is a rimless bottlenecked cartridge used worldwide thanks to the development to the Russian SKS semi-automatic rifle and both the RPD.

And rpk light machine guns in particular the 762 round has the prolific AK-47 to thank for becoming one of the most used cartridges in the world in 1943 Russian Armament officials began work on the developments of a Soviet intermediate cartridge that could be used by a range of infantry weapons the aim was to replace such Allied.

Cartridges as the American 30-06 Springfield and the 303 British a total of 314 cartridge designs were considered with the testing pool narrowed down to just eight the first variant of the 762 millimeter went into trials at the end of 1943. the original cartridge was actually 41 millimeters in length while the bullet.

Itself was 22.8 millimeters long with a Lead Core after some tweaks and adjustments the 762 Soviet went into production in March 1944 and was eventually adjusted to its current 39 millimeter length unlike the 556 NATO the 762 millimeter is a larger round featuring a deadly degree of kinetic transfer and stopping.

Power this has made it the Preferred Choice when aiming at enemies with body armor however as it was developed as a one-size-fits all round it delivers less accuracy and increased recoil the adaptable 556 by 45 millimeter Nato the 556 by 45 millimeter Nato was developed by Eugene stoner with help.

From Remington Winchester and the U.S army and by 1980 was standardized as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-nato countries in 1954 the larger 762 by 51 millimeter cartridge was selected to be the first standard NATO rifle cartridge this decision however was criticized due.

To the round's recoil power which didn't suit the rate of fire needed for Modern Combat the United States overruled NATO's Choice while other countries accepted that the overall standardization of ammunition was more important than what cartridge was chosen the concerns surrounding the effectiveness of the 762.

By 51 millimeter led to the development of the 556 millimeter Nato in the 1970s the resulting cartridge was a smaller round which could withstand higher pressure than the older and outdated Nato rounds even though the 556 millimeter was a smaller projectile it provided greater accuracy over longer distances.

The smaller size also drastically reduced recoil and since it was smaller and lighter troops could carry more ammunition than ever before even though the 556 by 45 millimeter isn't as powerful as its predecessor its accuracy and recoil make it the superior round with a 500 yard effective range low.

Recoil a flat trajectory and spacious magazine capacity the 556 NATO is a no-brainer for many marksmen in the end let's be real both 762 and 556 NATO are excellent fighting cartridges with long battle proven histories the 556 may be better suited for home defense and 762 rules long-range matches.

And big game hunting but both cartridges perform well in their respective roles so how do you as the shooter choose between the two identify the task Target and goal from there you can choose a caliber and platform that fits those metrics cartridge Wars are always silly and people rarely prove one popular.

Cartridge is better than another different rounds have different purposes and there is plenty of room at the table for everyone to sit which is for you 556-762 both let us know in the comments below which you prefer and why.