Small arms derivatives of the M70 produced rifles chambered in Western bloc ammunition such as 7.62×51mm NATO and 5.56×45mm NATO.
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The .280 British concept would later prove to have been far ahead of its time, as the U.S. itself adopted an intermediate cartridge — 5.56×45mm NATO — by the end of the following decade.
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Coincidentally, in 2002 the Americans developed a military calibre intended for the M4 version of the M16 family called the 6.8 mm Remington SPC — with similar ballistic properties to the .280 British cartridge — which was intended to provide better ballistics than the 5.56×45mm.
The M14 was superseded in U.S. service as the infantry adopted the 5.56×45mm NATO M16.
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These have been replaced to a considerable extent in the light machine gun role by 5.56×45mm NATO weapons, such as the widespread use of the M249 SAW, but the 7.62 round is still the standard chambering for most general-purpose machine guns such as the M60E4, the M240 and the German HK21 and MG3, and flexible mountings such as helicopters, jeeps, and tanks.
Dave Teo Ming is a Singaporean former soldier who gained national headlines when he went absent without official leave (AWOL) on 2 September 2007 from Mandai Hill Camp with a SAR-21 assault rifle and eight 5.56mm live rounds.
Since the 1960s NATO, the (former) Warsaw Pact, the People's Republic of China and other countries adapted relatively small sized, light weight, high velocity military intermediate service cartridges in the form of the 5.56×45mm NATO, Soviet 5.45×39mm and Chinese 5.8×42mm.
British calibre Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III, the 7.62×51mm NATO calibre Ishapore 2A1 rifle, and the 7.62mm NATO L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle were manufactured at the Ishapore Rifle Factory, and the factory now manufactures the 5.56mm INSAS rifle assault rifle for the Indian Army, as well as numerous other weapons like Pistol Auto 9mm 1A for both the military and civilian markets.
Until very recently MG 51 served as a primary infantry and vehicle machine gun for Swiss army, although it is now being gradually replaced in service with lighter and less expensive, but also less powerful 5.56mm FN Minimi machine gun of Belgian origin and manufacture.