步兵枪械小口径化是轻兵器史上的一场重大革命,也是轻兵器发展的必然趋势。美国关于小口径军用步枪的探索研究工作早在50年代初就已开始。1962年美军装备了M16 5.56毫米步枪及M193枪弹。通过在越南战场的实战使用,M16充分显示了小口径的优越性。其后,北约集团欧州各国也效仿研制了以5.56毫米口径为基准的多种枪械。1980年北约正式选用了 Small caliber rifle firearms is a major revolution in the history of light weapons, but also the inevitable trend of the development of light weapons. The U.S. exploration and study on small-caliber military rifles began as early as the early 1950s. In 1962, the United States was armed with M16 5.56 mm rifles and M193 bullets. Through the actual use of the battlefield in Vietnam, M16 has fully demonstrated the superiority of small caliber. Since then, NATO countries in Europe have followed the example of the development of 5.56 mm caliber for a variety of firearms. NATO was officially chosen in 1980