which cartridge has inflicted more causualties to date?

which cartridge has caused the most human casualties?

  • .303 british

    Votes: 96 26.6%

  • 7.62X54R

    Votes: 34 9.4%

  • 7.62x39

    Votes: 207 57.3%

  • 5.56x45

    Votes: 11 3.0%

  • 30-06

    Votes: 13 3.6%
  • Total voters
    361
.Ben

.Ben

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out of thease common or once common military cartridges which one do you think has caused the greatest number of casualties?

.303 british
7.62x54R
7.62x39
5.56x45 NATO
30-06

of course there are TONS more military cartrisges used in actual combat but these are justt the ones mostly everyone has heard about....

my vote goes for the .303 at this time since it saw extensive use in both world wars and is even used by some small militaries to this day!

i am pretty sure the 7.62x39 is up ther too as well since the ak-47 and variants is the most produced assult rifle ever


EDIT: i am now talking about all in actual confict (including insurgent type stuff)
 
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If you mean in war I'd say the .303 Brit.
If you mean guerrila/insurgent type stuff, maybe the 7.62x39.

Just guessing though.

Anyone know for sure?
 
Overall, I'd say 7.62x39. Since the late '40s it's been used the world over in the AK-47 and is present in almost every modern war in the hands of soldiers, insurgents, child soldiers, bandits, and police. It's been used to fight wars, commit acts of terror, and enforce law and order.
 
I would bet that musket balls would still be in the lead overall.

Look at the civil war and the 400 years before that. In Europe thousands of soldiers would line up 100 yards apart in ranks dozens or hundreds deep and fire in relays till one side or the other didn't have anyone standing anymore.

There must be numbers available for at least some battles but I don't recall any off the top of my head.
 
MauserMike said:
I'd put my money on artillery
Click to expand...

Artillery and musket balls aren't cartridges. The original question was - What CARTRIDGE has inflicted the most casualties?

I'd vote 8x57 mauser if it was on the list - the Germans killed Russian troops carrying 7.62x54R at a 2 to 1 ratio, and at least held their own inflicting casualties against troops carrying the 30-06 and .303.

More combatants killed in WW1/2 than any other conflict (using cartridges). The 5.56 NATO cartridge has only been involved in smaller conflicts of no great scale compared to the world wars. 7.62 x 39 has been used a lot since the 1950s, but missed WW1/2.

Slightly off topic: I read that the amount of 5.56 NATO rounds expended per enemy casualty in Iraq is approximately 500,000 rounds. That's a lot of shooting at nothing...
 
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If we're going to go off topic, how about Little Boy and Fat Man?

They killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki.

:(
 
I am thinking incendiary bombs. I can't quote the numbers, but I think there were more people killed in the fire bombing of Tokyo, and also Hamburg. As to the original question... I think it would be .303 British
 
The 30:06 was used by the US in WWI and WWII so without any furtrher research i'd have to flip a coin between it and the 7:62 x 39. Stalin killed millions during his reign and i suspect the issue round was 7.62 x54R but I don't know what porportion were killed with it as opposed to pistols or other means.
 
whatever round the democratic country was using...... ;) i voted 7.63x39 seem to have seen alot of action in regards of the title of this poll
 
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