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I've heard many similar complaints about the M16/M4 system. Unreliability is the major one, esp. in dirty environments, followed by insufficiant stopping power. If the M16 design can be kept clean it's a great weapon, but unfortunately it's made with sugh tight tolerances that the slightest bit of dirt fucks it up. And, given that the gas bleeds directly into the reciever, carrying with it particles of soot and unburned powder...you get the picture.
As for the AK chambering the 5.56mm round, this is true, I've done it. It won't cycle the action, and it's obviously not accurate at all, but it will chamber and fire this cartridge.
Primary complaints surrounding the 5.56mm cartridge revolve around it's insufficiant stopping power at ranges over about 150 meters. For this reason, the SEALs are still issued a modernized version of the 7.62mm M14 battle-rifle. In addition, an entire Delta Force unit in Afghanistan ordered 7.62mm FAL rifles from D.S. Arms, here in the States, and ditched their M4's...got sick of having to shoot Abdul 5-6 times before he got the message.
While the 5.56mm round is very accurate, it was not designed as a manstopper; it's more commondesignation is .223 Winchester, and it originated as a varmint-hunting round...it wasn't designed for use against human targets, but against prarie-dogs and coyotes.
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