[SteveH]

The .223 was not designed to wound. It was most certainly designed to kill. The myth that the .223 was designed to wound was started after Vietnam by some of the "old school" who thought the .308 was the minimum that we should use.

Gaack, I posted reflexively without checking my obviously aging recollections and sources. Oh well, now I that I've had a chance to google this I can't seem to dig up an authoritative reference for the wound-over-kill thing as design goal. Therefore I apologize for the noise. Comments on my other input still welcome. (I still have doubts about the profile information coming out... but perhaps that is for some other thread.)

[18wheeler]

In 1966, I was in basic training at Lackland AFB where we were trained to use the M-16. We were told that the .223 was intended to kill with almost any body hit. Supposedly the velocity is such that force radiates enough to cause systemic damage.