US uses bullets ill-suited for new ways of war - NOT

The usual round is .223, a very high speed, high energy bullet. The M-14 bullet is a .308 a bit larger but also high speed, high energy. The .223 is good out to c. 400 yd while the .308 works to 1000yd. What this reporter ignores is neither is a close range weapon inside 40 yd. There are soldiers in some patrols who carry shotguns with short barrels and a convergent/divergent choke. (Yes, Geneva allows this.) A street sweeper from 3 yd. to 25 yd. Another thing the author ignores is that rifles are not the only weapon carried. Several kinds of grenades and even small rockets. And lotsa guys carry .45s as sidearms; very finely made personally owned .45s. $1500 pistols sold for $800 to soldiers. Much stouter than 9mm NATO standard. And Army approves and supplies ammo. But the .45 is a 1911 design!! Reason for personal owned pistols; simple, the individual can move much faster than any government entity. As always you don't get something for nothing. Most .45s hold 6 - 7 rounds vs. 9mm with 13 - 14 and the limit is balance. Get too much weight in the handle and the pistol is harder to aim. Bottom line: each soldier in a patrol is a specialist, carrying his own mix of weapons all contributing to the patrol's effectiveness. This is what the author ignores.

Sigh, the author is just another ill informed jerk who wants to make trouble then move on - hence "drive-by" media. Notice no numbers in his work. Betcha his only war is flower power. And his English or journalism major didn't equip him for ballistics.

By RICHARD LARDNER,

Associated Press

Posted: 2008-05-26 14:24:11

WASHINGTON (AP) - As Sgt. Joe Higgins patrolled the streets of Saba al-Bor, a tough town north of Baghdad, he was armed with bullets that had a lot more firepower than those of his 4th Infantry Division buddies.

As an Army sniper, Higgins was one of the select few toting an M14. The long-barreled rifle, an imposing weapon built for wars long past, spits out bullets larger and more deadly than the rounds that fit into the M4 carbines and M16 rifles that most soldiers carry.

"Having a heavy cartridge in an urban environment like that was definitely a good choice," says Higgins, who did two tours in Iraq and left the service last year. "It just has more stopping power."

Strange as it sounds, nearly seven years into the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, bullets are a controversial subject for the U.S.

The smaller, steel-penetrating M855 rounds [only one version is steel penetrating; there are several other .223 rounds] continue to be a weak spot in the American arsenal. They are not lethal enough to bring down an enemy decisively, and that puts troops at risk, according to Associated Press interviews.

Designed decades ago to puncture a Soviet soldier's helmet hundreds of yards away, the M855 rounds are being used for very different targets in Iraq and Afghanistan. Much of today's fighting takes place in close quarters; narrow streets, stairways and rooftops are today's battlefield. Legions of armor-clad Russians marching through the Fulda Gap in Germany have given way to insurgents and terrorists who hit and run.

Fired at short range, the M855 round is prone to pass through a body like a needle through fabric. That does not mean being shot is a pain-free experience. But unless the bullet strikes a vital organ or the spine, the adrenaline-fueled enemy may have the strength to keep on fighting and even live to fight another day.