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Originally Posted by The_Dunedan
The big problem with the .223 is this: it's a great round INSIDE 250 METERS. Inside this envelope, when it hits something, the bullet yaws 90 degrees and then fragments, creating some truly hideous wounds. However, past about 250 meters, the round will neither tumble nor fragment; it punches clean through without dumping much energy as it does so. Without that energy-transfer, it doesn't create the hydrostatic shock needed to incapacitate the enemy. Loads of SF operators in Iraq and Afghanistan have been buying M1-A and FAL rifles in .308 for this express purpose. Another problem is that the shorter barrel of the M4 cuts down the "yaw and fragment" range of the .223 projectile to less than 200 meters.
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Read The Technology of Killing, by Eric Prokosch. They conducted tests that showed the opposite of what you have; at close ranges the higher velocity of the bullet allows it to punch straight through the target, while at longer ranges the bullet fragments and tumbles. Research shows that most combat is at ranges below 300 yards. Other research concluded that most soldiers aren't very accurate beyond 100 yards under battlefield conditions. In other words, the 5.56mm is ideally designed for most battlefield conditions.
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The .223 is an extremely accurate round, and inside it's range it's a truly hideous thing. However, you have to realize that it was purposely adopted and designed to inflict devastating wounds without actually KILLING the enemy; the idea being that a wounded man ties up more resources than a corpse. However, a wounded man can still shoot back. Worse yet, outside that 250-300 meter range, a man hit by the .223 is going to take a LONG time in dying, because he's just recieved the ballistic equivalent of a hit from a .22 Magnum; painful, probably fatal, but not instantly -incapacitating.-
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Honestly, are there any small arm rounds out there that, on average, can kill a man with a single shot? I'm not aware of any.