Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

.223/5.56

SuburbanNoize
I know the difference between the two rounds.

How unsafe is it to fire 5.56 in a .223 chambering? On Rock River Arms website, they offer there stuff in .223 but they make it sound like you can shoot 5.56 in them.

Whats the pressure difference in the two?
0

Comments

21 comments

Date Votes
  • MVP
    Take note of the 223 wylde chamber offered by RRA in their barrels.
    The 223 wylde is designed so that 223 and 5.56 can safely be fired from the same rifle.
    I know I didn't answer your question though
    0
  • SuburbanNoize
    quote:Originally posted by MVP
    Take note of the 223 wylde chamber offered by RRA in their barrels.
    The 223 wylde is designed so that 223 and 5.56 can safely be fired from the same rifle.
    I know I didn't answer your question though


    Nope you, almost nailed it, i should have included the wylde after .223

    I figured .223 wylde, and .223 were the same but i guess not. Thanks buddy.
    0
  • bigtire
    I look at it this way.

    Have you EVER heard of a catastrophic failure caused by it?

    Have you ever even heard of a minor problem from doing it?

    I have not.

    My guess is that pressures are just barely over spec and the lawyers insist on the warning.
    0
  • 4440rk
    I took a quick at their web site as I do not have any RR barrels. They show .223/5.56 chamber and Wylde chambers. So, you should be good to go for either.
    0
  • MVP
    Check this link out.

    http://www.thegunzone.com/556v223.html
    0
  • mrseatle
    my barrel says 5.56 NATO but .223 Remington seems to work ok[8D][;)]
    0
  • mrseatle
    quote:Originally posted by MVP
    Check this link out.

    http://www.thegunzone.com/556v223.html


    Lots of good info at that link...

    Winchester's "generic" or "budget" USA, or "white box," brand of ammunition actually has two different 55-grain FMJ rounds, and one has to look closely at the "small print" to discern the difference.

    For openers, in addition to the ATK-operated Lake City plant2, Winchester is also a primary supplier of M193 to the U.S. military. That particular X223R1 round is commercially available in the white USA box product encoded "Q3131." What few realize is that Israeli Military Industries (IMI), the sole supplier of ammo to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), also supplies their M193 as a subcontractor for Winchester; that round is often made available in the USA white boxes marked "Q3131A." By most reports, qualitatively, it is the same round and performs virtually the same as the home-grown variant.
    0
  • dbain99
    Its the other way around the .223 is usually loaded hotter than a 5.56 so there is more pressure from the .223 round. Problems are truely few and far between other than the Ultramax double loads.
    0
  • mcaso
    A gunsmith friend of mine says that the difference in pressure is because they don't measure it in the same place?
    0
  • 4440rk
    Is the .223 Remington the same as the 5.56x45? The answer is yes and no. There ARE differences between the .223 Remington as shot in civilian rifles and the 5.56x45 in military use. While the external cartridge dimensions are essentially the same, the .223 Remington is built to SAAMI specs, rated to 50,000 CUP max pressure, and normally has a shorter throat. The 5.56x45 is built to NATO specs, rated to 60,000 CUP max pressure, and has a longer throat, optimized to shoot long bullets. That said, there are various .223 Remington match chambers, including the Wylde chamber, that feature longer throats. Military 5.56x45 brass often, but not always, has thicker internal construction, and slightly less capacity than commercial .223 Rem brass.
    Should you be worried about shooting 5.56x45 milspec ammo in a .223 Remington? The answer really depends on your chamber. 5.56 x45 ammo is intended for chambers with longer throats. If you shoot hot 5.56x45 ammo in short-throated SAAMI-spec chambers you can encounter pressure issues. The new long-throated 'Wylde' chamber allows safe use of military ammo. Wylde chambers are quite common in Rock River guns. Other manufacturers, such as Fulton Armory, offer modified "match chambers" with extended throats that allow safe use of 5.56x45 ammo in .223 Remington rifles. For a complete discussion of the .223 Rem vs. 5.56x45 question, read this Tech Notice from Winchester, and this GunZone Commentary by Dean Speir. Without belaboring the point, we'll repeat the official SAAMI position: "Chambers for military rifles have a different throat configuration than chambers for sporting firearms which, together with the full metal jacket of the military projectile, may account for the higher pressures which result when military ammunition is fired in a sporting chamber. SAAMI recommends that a firearm be fired only with the cartridge for which it is specifically chambered by the manufacturer."


    I have a true .223 chamber bull barreled AR and just prefer to never shoot 5.56 in that one. The others with 5.56 or Wylde chambers > all the time.
    0
  • CHEVELLE427
    quote:Originally posted by mrseatle
    my barrel says 5.56 NATO but .223 Remington seems to work ok[8D][;)]


    info i found said,

    if your barrel is for 5.56 you can use both 5.56 and 223

    if barrel is for 223 it said dont use 5.56.

    i think it has to do with psi and a bolt action 223 gun
    0
  • Nighthawk
    My Bushmaster has .223/5.56 marked on the barrel, and states it can safely fire either one.
    0
  • fideau
    5.56 is a higher pressure round. Not recommended to shoot in rifles chambered for .223. You can however shoot the .223 round in a 5.56 rifle. Again, your question is "fire 5.56 in a .223 chambering?". NO.
    0
  • bigtire
    But really...

    Has anyone ever heard of a catastrophic failure regarding this?
    0
  • Colt Super
    I don't give a damn.

    If it blows up, I'll sue everybody.

    Doug
    0
  • SuburbanNoize
    quote:Originally posted by bigtire
    But really...

    Has anyone ever heard of a catastrophic failure regarding this?




    Thats really what i wanted to know.
    0
  • slipgate
    This is what "mine" says...

    Accommodates the full range of 5.56mm ammunition, including the NATO M855/SS109 and U.S. M193, utilizing a rifling twist of 1 turn in 7" (178mm)
    0
  • Nighthawk
    Any AR-15 that meets Mil-Specs I would think could shoot 5.56 Nato safely.
    0
  • FrancF
    quote:Originally posted by CHEVELLE427
    quote:Originally posted by mrseatle
    my barrel says 5.56 NATO but .223 Remington seems to work ok[8D][;)]


    info i found said,

    if your barrel is for 5.56 you can use both 5.56 and 223

    if barrel is for 223 it said dont use 5.56.




    To avoid arguments, 5.56 has a slightly more over size throat than the .223. The 5.56 is designed to handle all the variances of military ammo. If you will, it has a sloppy chamber as compared to a .223.

    5.56 Brass in a .223 chamber will jam more often than not. But not the other way around.
    0
  • pitbud5
    quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
    I don't give a damn.

    If it blows up, I'll sue everybody.

    Doug
    [:D]
    0
  • Mobuck
    I have never had a problem using military (the real stuff) 5.56 ammo in several Savage 223 rifles. I HAVE had issues when I tried some Win. white box 5.56 in a NEF handi rifle. No failure but indications that were enough to cause me to stop using it after 3-4 shots. I'm sure if you try enough different 223 rifles you will sooner or later find one with a slightly tight neck/chamber that will stick a case or pop a primer. Use your own best judgement.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity