the 5.56 is lighter, costs less, has a flatter trajectory and better range, has low impulse and great ease of control, and kills just fine. There are also improved 5.56 rounds coming out that show good performance.
The 6.8 costs more, weighs more, has more recoil, less range, and requires swapping out major parts of current weapons, or whole new weapons altogether, as well as re-equipping machinery to produce the round, not to mention that it would be a mess as these machines try and catch up to the billions of 5.56 rounds sitting around. The 6.8's only advantages are a bit more penetration and energy. Are those two marginal advantages really worth all the trouble?
also, Ned: I like how you speak about the unpredictable effects of hydrostatic shock, yet ramble on and on about Taylor's elephant equation and stopping power. Eating your own words in a different flavor?
The 6.8 costs more, weighs more, has more recoil, less range, and requires swapping out major parts of current weapons, or whole new weapons altogether, as well as re-equipping machinery to produce the round, not to mention that it would be a mess as these machines try and catch up to the billions of 5.56 rounds sitting around. The 6.8's only advantages are a bit more penetration and energy. Are those two marginal advantages really worth all the trouble?
also, Ned: I like how you speak about the unpredictable effects of hydrostatic shock, yet ramble on and on about Taylor's elephant equation and stopping power. Eating your own words in a different flavor?