*It should be noted that the above statistics do not much up exactly with the above, particularly in regards to bullet mass. They are particularly similiar, however.
5.56mm BC (G7 .151) - [
1][
2]
5.56mm Mk. 262 BC (G7 .181) - [
1][
2]
7.62mm x 39mm (G1 .266) - [
1][
2]
5.45mm x 39mm 7N10* (G1 .351) - [
1][
2]
7.62mm x 51mm NATO (G7 .200) - [
1][
2]
7.62mm x 51mm 175 Gr - [Hornady][
2]
.300 Black-out - [
1][
2]
6.5mm Grendel - [Hornady][
2]
6.8mm Remington - [Hornady][
2]
Although not exactly perfect, I used this
calculator to find large chunks of this information or, fill in the blanks. Because it matched up closely with military records on the rounds and some additional data I found, I found it's a pretty good rough guide line. While specifics vary with the cartridge in mind, this is the rough capabilities of the military or practical cartridge that would be used.
Sources:
Hornady BC chart and rough Guide, 5.56mm x 45mm
NATO Chart (U.S. Army Ballistic Labratory), 7.62mm x 51mm NATO and other
Charts,
StuffThe lethal range of each cartridge varies considerably, irregardless of energy. Mass and inertia has the single biggest impact on what gives a weapon it's range. Not only does it generally mean higher energy due to less energy losses over range due to higher momentum, but it also means that the cartridge is less velocity dependent, and thus can do more damage. While a cartridge that is too heavy has a shorter range, in general sniper rounds are heavier, such as the Mk. 262 or 175 grain 7.62mm, are 5 gram and 11.3 grams respectively, compared to 4 grams and 9.7 grams for the standard military rounds which are 25% and 16.5% heavier. According to the U.S. military, the maximum lethal range of the 5.56mm is 900 yards, compared to 1500 for the 7.62mm x 39mm. Thus, energy, bullet mass, and other factors cannot, by themselves, provide all the details needed. But it can provide a relatively rough guide; with the same sized bullet, the 6.5mm Grendel for instance has more energy than the 7.62mm at the same ranges, thus suggesting that it's lethality must be just as high. You can see that the .308 has double or tripple, and thus is that much more powerful and so on. From here we can find a very rough idea of how good a cartridge is. While working out smaller details is more difficult, obvious differences, such as double or triple the energy, gives us clear insight in to which is the superior cartridge (at least in terms of stopping power or lethality).
1,000 joules is roughly equal to a .357 magnum, which is known for stopping power. While a very rough guide, the maximum 1,000 (or so) joule range for each cartridge is 5.56mm (250 yards), 5.56mm Mk. 262 (300 yards), 6.8mm Remington (450 yards), 6.5mm Grendel (650 yards), .300 Black-out (250 yards), 7.62mm x 39mm (250 yards), 5.45mm x 39mm (175 yards), 7.62mm x 51mm NATO M80 (650 yards), 7.62mm x 51mm NATO 175 grain (800 yards). As you can see, this fairly roughly correlates to the cartridges effective range. While the maximum range is much further than this, it is a decent guide line for determining stopping power. In some cases, the round will closely mimic the ballistics of a .357 in terms of velocity and weight at these ranges, being nearly the same weight as the same velocity, albeit with a smaller bullet better suited for penetration. At 500 joules, we would be at pistol caliber levels, or 9mm, .45, .40 S&W etc. 5.56mm (550 yards), 5.56mm Mk. 262 (675 yards), 6.8mm Remington (800 yards), 6.5mm Grendel (1200 yards), .300 Black-out (600 yards), 7.62mm x 39mm (525 yards), 5.45mm x 39mm (550 yards), 7.62mm x 51mm NATO M80 (1100 yards), 7.62mm x 51mm NATO 175 grain (1500 yards). As you can see, this also closely correlates to the maximum effective range.
