The 5.6×50mm Magnum cartridge

Cartridge (firearms)

A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...

 was developed in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 for use as a legal hunting round alongside the 5.6×50mmR. The two cartridges are dimensionally and ballistically identical in all respects, except that the Magnum cartridge is not rimmed.

Typically firing a 3.2 gram (2.880028800288E-07 gr) bullet at 1100 metres per second (3,608.9 ft/s), this cartridge occupies a useful performance niche approximately halfway between the .222 Remington

.222 Remington

The .222 Remington aka the Triple Deuce/Triple Two/Treble Two is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1950, and was the first commercial rimless .22 cartridge made in the United States...

 and the 5.6×57mm, similar to the .222 Remington Magnum

.222 Remington Magnum

The .222 Remington Magnum was a short-lived commercially produced cartridge derived from the .222 Remington. Originally developed for a US prototype military rifle in 1958, the cartridge was not adopted by the military, but was introduced commercially in sporting rifles.-Development:The .222 Rem....

. In Germany the cartridge was used with appropriate bullets to hunt deer, in America, it was primarily a varmint hunting cartridge.