I have a whole bunch of 5.56 stockpiled but like the higher end .223 for longer range shooting (out too 600).
-
ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info
Long term affects of shooting.223 in a 5.56?
- Thread starter Carey1465
- Start date
Besides saving a lot of money?
5.56 vs .223: The .223 Remington and 5.56×45 NATO cartridges are very similar, and externally appear the same. But there are some differences that lie beneath the surface.
The 5.56 case has thicker walls to handle higher pressures, meaning the interior volume of the case is smaller than that of a .223. This will alter the loading data used when reloading 5.56 brass to .223 specs.
Some 5.56 loads have a slightly longer overall length than commercial .223 loads. The significant difference between the .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO lies in the rifles, rather than the cartridges themselves. Both the .223 and 5.56 rounds will chamber in rifles designed for either cartridge, but the critical component, leade, will be different in each rifle.
The leade is the area of the barrel in front of the chamber prior to where the rifling begins. This is where the loaded bullet is located when a cartridge is chambered. The leade is frequently called the “throat.” On a .223 Remington spec rifle, the leade will be 0.085”. This is the standard described by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI). The leade in a 5.56 NATO spec rifle is 0.162”, or almost double the leade of the .223 rifle.
A shorter leade in a SAAMI spec rifle creates a situation where the bullet in a 5.56 NATO round, when chambered, can contact the rifling prior to being fired. By having contact with the rifling prematurely (at the moment of firing), chamber pressure can be dramatically increased, creating the danger of a ruptured case or other cartridge/gun failure
The reverse situation, a .223 Rem round in a 5.56 NATO gun, isn’t dangerous. The leade is longer, so a slight loss in velocity and accuracy may be experienced, but there is not a danger of increased pressures and subsequent catastrophic failure.
How serious is the danger of firing 5.56 ammo in .223 guns? Dangerous enough that the SAAMI lists 5.56 military ammo as being not for use in .223 firearms in the technical data sheet titled “Unsafe Firearm-Ammunition Combinations.”
However, the danger may be lower than SAAMI or ATK suggest. In Technical Note #74 from ArmaLite, the company states “millions of rounds of NATO (5.56x45mm) ammunition have been fired safely in Eagle Arms and ArmaLite’s® SAAMI chambers (.223 Remington) over the past 22 years,” and they have not had any catastrophic failures.
According to ArmaLite: “Occasionally a non-standard round (of generally imported) ammunition will fit too tightly in the leade, and resistance to early bullet movement can cause elevated chamber pressures. These pressures are revealed by overly flattened primers or by powder stains around the primer that reveal leaking gasses.”
Here’s the bottom line. If you want to follow the safest possible course, always shoot .223 Remington ammunition in rifles chambered for .223. The .223 Rem cartridge will safely shoot in any rifle chambered for the .223 or 5.56.
If you want to shoot 5.56 NATO rounds, make sure you have a rifle designed for the 5.56 military cartridge. Shooting 5.56 in a normal .223 Rem rifle can result in bad things.
.223 Wylde: A chamber cut for .223 Wylde is a hybrid between the .223 Remington and the 5.56x45mm, enabling you to shoot both rounds, but supposedly with better accuracy when using .223 Remington ammunition.
I make sure that my AR's are chambered in 5.56x45mm and shoot whatever I want out of them.
The 5.56 case has thicker walls to handle higher pressures, meaning the interior volume of the case is smaller than that of a .223. This will alter the loading data used when reloading 5.56 brass to .223 specs.
Some 5.56 loads have a slightly longer overall length than commercial .223 loads. The significant difference between the .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO lies in the rifles, rather than the cartridges themselves. Both the .223 and 5.56 rounds will chamber in rifles designed for either cartridge, but the critical component, leade, will be different in each rifle.
The leade is the area of the barrel in front of the chamber prior to where the rifling begins. This is where the loaded bullet is located when a cartridge is chambered. The leade is frequently called the “throat.” On a .223 Remington spec rifle, the leade will be 0.085”. This is the standard described by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI). The leade in a 5.56 NATO spec rifle is 0.162”, or almost double the leade of the .223 rifle.
A shorter leade in a SAAMI spec rifle creates a situation where the bullet in a 5.56 NATO round, when chambered, can contact the rifling prior to being fired. By having contact with the rifling prematurely (at the moment of firing), chamber pressure can be dramatically increased, creating the danger of a ruptured case or other cartridge/gun failure
The reverse situation, a .223 Rem round in a 5.56 NATO gun, isn’t dangerous. The leade is longer, so a slight loss in velocity and accuracy may be experienced, but there is not a danger of increased pressures and subsequent catastrophic failure.
How serious is the danger of firing 5.56 ammo in .223 guns? Dangerous enough that the SAAMI lists 5.56 military ammo as being not for use in .223 firearms in the technical data sheet titled “Unsafe Firearm-Ammunition Combinations.”
However, the danger may be lower than SAAMI or ATK suggest. In Technical Note #74 from ArmaLite, the company states “millions of rounds of NATO (5.56x45mm) ammunition have been fired safely in Eagle Arms and ArmaLite’s® SAAMI chambers (.223 Remington) over the past 22 years,” and they have not had any catastrophic failures.
According to ArmaLite: “Occasionally a non-standard round (of generally imported) ammunition will fit too tightly in the leade, and resistance to early bullet movement can cause elevated chamber pressures. These pressures are revealed by overly flattened primers or by powder stains around the primer that reveal leaking gasses.”
Here’s the bottom line. If you want to follow the safest possible course, always shoot .223 Remington ammunition in rifles chambered for .223. The .223 Rem cartridge will safely shoot in any rifle chambered for the .223 or 5.56.
If you want to shoot 5.56 NATO rounds, make sure you have a rifle designed for the 5.56 military cartridge. Shooting 5.56 in a normal .223 Rem rifle can result in bad things.
.223 Wylde: A chamber cut for .223 Wylde is a hybrid between the .223 Remington and the 5.56x45mm, enabling you to shoot both rounds, but supposedly with better accuracy when using .223 Remington ammunition.
I make sure that my AR's are chambered in 5.56x45mm and shoot whatever I want out of them.
you can tend to get .223 a tiny bit cheaper than 5.56
I picked up a box that contains 600 rounds. Lol. Birthday gift from the girlfriend.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yep. .223 can be fired out of 5.56 all day. Other way around not so bueno. And AE is good stuff.
Should I consider trying to reload myself? Is it worth it and how safe is it? Im sure with all the info on the Internet I would be fine. I would hate to miss an important step and have the damn thing blow up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
