[PilotDave]

For the lurkers. The .223 round that the general is saying is so powerful is really a squirrel gun. It was chosen by the modern military for 2 reasons. 1. It’s cheap. 2. In a war situation it’s often better to wound an enemy than kill them. That way the other soldiers must care for the wounded, instead of fighting.
Both the .308 (primary ww2 rifle cartridge) and the 30-06 (ww1) are roughly twice as powerful as the .223 in terms of ft. pounds of energy at the muzzle. Both of those rounds are also MUCH more effective as the range increases out beyond 300 yards. NO military sniper uses a .223.

[PilotDave]

For the lurkers 2, In laymans terms. The .223 that the general is saying is so scary powerful is considered by most all hunters to be too small to shoot even a deer with. The minimum caliber for most game in North America is probably the 30-06. It has been around for over 100 years. Some will make the case that it is even too small for a large bear. It is clearly too small for the largest African game. So even for hunting there is a need for rifles up to .50 cal. Not that the 2nd amend has anything to do with hunting, but that’s a different discussion.

[holymoly]

For the lurkers. The .223 round that the general is saying is so powerful is really a squirrel gun.

Exactly. While controversial, some states actually ban the .223 for hunting deer.

[Drew68]

It was chosen by the modern military for 2 reasons. 1. It’s cheap. 2. In a war situation it’s often better to wound an enemy than kill them.

True and true, but the primary reason the .223 was adopted is because it's light and soldiers could carry more ammunition. When you're humping a bunch of gear through the jungle, every ounce counts.

[PJammers]

As with all tools, different situations require different tools. The M855A1 ammunition is actually very effective against human targets in suburban/city settings. Higher caliber rounds are more effective in open areas or any setting where distance is an advantage.

Military issue .556 is designed to yaw thus causing grievous internal injury. This is the primary reason you don’t want to use it for hunting. The round does not travel straight through the animal. It is also designed to disintegrate, which will contaminate the meat.

If the .55X round wasn’t so effect against human targets it would not be used by just about every army in the world.