Was it a mistake to adopt 7.62x51 as a standard NATO cartridge ?

[The Lawspeaker]

Was it a mistake to adopt 7.62x51 as a standard NATO cartridge for rifles instead of an intermediate cartridge like .280 British?

An interesting discussion on Quora.

[Thorns]

I traded in an AR that was a .308 because it frankly had too much kick, I replaced it with two similar rifles that use .223. However, I find the .308 excellent and powerful for use in something like the BAR Hog Stalker for example, it's a much heavier gun than the AR I had originally and can handle the power better (if you have the strength to hold the gun).