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Surplus NATO 5.56 through TC Contender

The Tinman
Does anyone one know if it's OK to shoot surplus 5.56 NATO ammo through a Tompson Center Contender chambered for .223? I know that there are headspace, shoulder and chamber pressure issues between the two rounds, but I'm thinking that TC might have addressed them in their Contender pistol.
Any thoughts??
Also, how do you feel about a scoped, 14" TC in .223---is it a decent varminter??
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  • gskyhawk
    I have the same barrel , i don't think i have ever shot any surplus thru it , but I don't know why you couldn't, the nato round is loaded to a little higher presure so I'm told,

    is it a decent varminter?? YES it will loose some vel. compared to a rifle barrel but its still an easy 200++ yard gun if you can do your part
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  • richbug
    Take a magic marker, color the bullet of a loaded cartidge from the lot you intend to shoot. Chamber the round and remove it. If all of the ink that you put on the bullet is still there you should be good to go.
    The problem with nato 556, is not headspace or pressure, but how far out the bullet is seated and the bullet Ogive radius. If the ink is not displaced, that means the bullet did not contact the rifling. The pressure problem that exists is due to the bullet not getting a running start into the barrel.

    My border collie is smarter than your honor student.
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  • gunnut505
    I question the wisdom of firing "mil surplus" ammo in a single shot intended primarily for precise target shooting.
    What could be the possible benefit (aside from finding out you can't hit very well with non-match grade ammo)?
    If you want to just burn some rounds, why not toss it into a Mini-14 and have a field day.

    Oh yeah, you do know you can practice dry-firing to get trigger control down without having to do anything more than open & close the action, right?

    Adding a 2-7 scope with long eye relief (like the Simmons or Burris ones for pistol) will help a lot on varmints, try some soft points for quick stops on 'yotes under 200yds. Adding a shoulder (think,"purse")sling can aid your stability on the longer shots without having to carry steady sticks or leaning on a tree.

    "Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID
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  • The Tinman
    Gunnut, the mil-spec surplus ammo would not be the primary ammo of choice---I handload. What I am asking is that while I'm "tossing" cheap, surplus 5.56 NATO ammo through my AR-15---a form of therapy for me----is it safe to toss a few of those same rounds of 5.56 NATO through a TC Contender? I have a Ruger #1 chambered in .22-250 that will tag rockchucks out to 600 yards. I handload for this. I group my cases, neck-size only, and use great care crafting ammo for this type of shooting. But for grins and jolleys, I think a pistol chambered in the same caliber as my therapy piece would be fun. And the thought of not having to police my brass is an important factor of therapy shooting.
    I'm just wondering if a Thompson Center Contender, chambered in .223 can shoot the same cheap stuff my AR-15 does?
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  • Pearyw
    I have a 10" 223 Contender and I have shot a lot of mil spec ammo thru it over the years without problems. I have never used the steel case ammo. I use a lot of military brass when I reload for it. If ypu really want to be cheap, I bought a 22LR insert for mine. I was surprised when I found that it would hit within a 1/2" at 50yds of where I had it sighted with 55 gr 223 ammo. It also shot 3/4" groups with good 22 LR ammo.
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