Yeah, we loaded 18 rounds in a mag, as I recall. I don't know if this was strictly necessary, knowing what I know now about springs, but I took it for gratned and did it. The mag lips may have been the concern.
We had reserves of loaded magazines back in our base camp, and when the chopper came over the dropped them in a footlocker (or unloaded them more often.)
I was in a small unit and almost everyone was engaged when we had contact. The units not initially engaged would move up to provide more fire.
I'm sure there have been wound analysis studies done on both the 5.56 and the 7.62 X 39. I haven't read them, however.
I know if you hit someone in the sweet spot with a 5.56, he's going down If you don't, he's not. This seems to apply to 7.62 NATO, from the after-action reports of the Marines I read after the opening of the current gulf war.
Shot placement has always been the real thing. Most of my actual fire-fight time was spent looking at grass close up, and firing at flashes.
Ever since I got out of the army, I have never been without an AR for more than six months (Sometimes, bills had to be paid.) I now have three, and am seriously considering buying a CMP upper for the Colt I have. If I can find a good one.
Problem is, no one I can find has all the things I want. I don't want a cyrogenic barrel, (or don't want to have to pay for it) and I want to know who makes the barrel. Some are pretty sad.
