The Down Range Forum

Member Section => Tactical Rifle & Carbine => Topic started by: les snyder on July 29, 2016, 09:28:21 PM

Title: 5.56 x 30 MARS
Post by: les snyder on July 29, 2016, 09:28:21 PM

for you history of the black rifle buffs... found a hand load and fired piece of brass at the bottom of the gun safe for the 5.56 x 30 MARS that a good friend developed for the AR.... 55 grain at 2400fps... I had the opportunity to fire the prototype

(http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz180/LesSnyder/002_zpsprwi2dz4.jpg) (http://s825.photobucket.com/user/LesSnyder/media/002_zpsprwi2dz4.jpg.html)

 

Title: Re: 5.56 x 30 MARS
Post by: Big Frank on July 29, 2016, 10:22:50 PM

Interesting cartridge. It looks a lot like a .221 Fireball.

Title: Re: 5.56 x 30 MARS
Post by: blackwolfe on July 31, 2016, 01:39:13 AM

Right on Frank!

From "Small Arms Review"

Colt's 5.56x30mm MARS (Mini Assault Rifle System) Program
By Christopher R. Bartocci

The 5.56x30mm Cartridge

The MARS fired a newly developed 5.56x30mm cartridge. Ballistically, the 5.56x30mm MARS cartridge is very similar to the .221 Fireball.

http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1239

Title: Re: 5.56 x 30 MARS
Post by: Big Frank on August 01, 2016, 03:28:09 PM

I only skimmed through the article but it's very interesting. I never heard of that cartridge until this thread.

Title: Re: 5.56 x 30 MARS
Post by: Big Frank on August 01, 2016, 10:26:35 PM

I just read the whole article. The pictures were good too but it looks like they reinvented the .221 Fireball.