Shooting .223 In A 5.56 Firearm

[DrBleachCocktail]

Good evening gents, I wanted to know when shooting my rifles chambered in 5.56 is it okay and safe to shoot .223 ammo in it? I’ve been getting mixed answers from people saying it’s the same thing, same diameter but never can fully get down to actual facts whether or not if it’s okay and safe. I would like to know your guys thoughts and recommendations on this.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

You are fine to shoot .223 in a barrel with a 5.56 chamber but NOT okay to shoot 5.56 in a barrel with a .223 chamber. .223 Wyld however, will handle both safely.

 

[DrBleachCocktail]

You are fine to shoot .223 in a barrel with a 5.56 chamber but NOT okay to shoot 5.56 in a barrel with a .223 chamber. .223 Wyld however, will handle both safely.

Ahh thanks man highly appreciate it.

 

[Calculon]

You are fine to shoot .223 in a barrel with a 5.56 chamber but NOT okay to shoot 5.56 in a barrel with a .223 chamber. .223 Wyld however, will handle both safely.

This is the answer. There are articles that detail the similarities and differences that are worth reading. The major difference is 5.56 is typically loaded hotter/higher pressure as a military cartridge. A 5.56 could theoretically blow up a.223 chambered rifle.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

This is the answer. There are articles that detail the similarities and differences that are worth reading. The major difference is 5.56 is typically loaded hotter/higher pressure as a military cartridge. A 5.56 could theoretically blow up a.223 chambered rifle.

In addition to this, I seem to recall mentions of there being a slight varience in the case shoulder and neck.

 

[DrBleachCocktail]

Thanks gents for taking time to answer this question, reason for asking is because I can’t seem to find ammo anywhere trying to buy a case load of ammo.

 

[meketrefe]

yes 99.9% chance you are fine to shoot 223 on any designated 223 or 5.56 chamber.

the only considerations would be:
A - you want to shoot ammo with a bullet that is too long for the twist one might have that will not stabilize in a given barrel that means an old 5.56 rifle. For example a 70gr barnes TTSX will not properly stabilize in a 1:9 twist.
B- you want to shoot hypervelocity soft jacket ammo in a barrel that has a tight rate of twist. Like for example a 45gr varminter in a 1:7 or 1:6 twist
that might result in jacket separation. certain old surplus fmjs will also separate from time to time and those are ut it is not that frequent and more due to the bad quality of old surplus ammo form the east / asia.
C-your 223 is loaded for match chambers (specialty loads) and not within SAAMI or CIP specs (Dimensions standards/authorities). That will be
very rare unless you ordered the ammo to be specialty match ammo or got passed to you from a BR shooter even if it is for single load or not.

A and B are not safety considerations but will result in less than desirable results and will not work.
C is a safety consideration but most likely people who has some custom order ammo knows why and if you get something at a state sale with
a special spec or that is above standard overall length then ask before using that ammo.

Keep in mind that any modern firearms in 5.56 and .223 made in the last 20 years is most likely compatible with any sort of standard 223 or 5.56 round with a few exceptions and this is mainly done by the manufacturers to avoid any potential liabilities. Even if it is designated as a 223 is most likely chambered with a reamer that will take any sort of commercially available / over the shelve ammo.
There are over a dozen variants of reamers/chambers between 223 and 5.56 I can think of, all with very close dimensions and most being
cross compatible.

so you are ok to shoot all 223 given some considerations above.

What rifle / barrel do you have and what is the twist?

I hope this helps.

 

[holdover]

I have a new white oak 18 inch barrel in 223 wylde with a twist of 7 . I wanted the 8 , but somehow I ordered it wrong.
what weight will shoot the best ? I like the heavier rounds but now I'm not sure they will shoot well . any factory recommendations?

 

[BDinPutnam]

@meketrife not to go too far down the rabbit hole but I was under the impression part of the difference between .223 and 5.56 was the military tracer rounds have longer bullets than most standard .223 loadings and so the distance to the lands is slightly longer in 5.56?

 

[meketrefe]

@meketrife not to go too far down the rabbit hole but I was under the impression part of the difference between .223 and 5.56 was the military tracer rounds have longer bullets than most standard .223 loadings and so the distance to the lands is slightly longer in 5.56?

Hi. There are differnces in the chamber but more related to the overall clearances, neck length and step angle to allow for dirt and debris and variations in military ammo differences from all over.
Many 5.56 have also extra freebore.
In terms of tracers the critical factor is the rate of twist and the only reason for the military to have a 1:7 twist.

 

[meketrefe]

I have a new white oak 18 inch barrel in 223 wylde with a twist of 7 . I wanted the 8 , but somehow I ordered it wrong.
what weight will shoot the best ? I like the heavier rounds but now I'm not sure they will shoot well . any factory recommendations?

White oak cut great barrels. 7 twist should shoot pretty well even it is not needed but there is no reason to worry it should be less accurate. Plus you can try the longest bullets the 22 caliber has but most likely will be VLDs and solids that will require single feeding(too long for a 223 magazine)
Dont worry too much, yours should be fine.
Only if you shoot 35,45gr hypervelocity varminter rounds with soft jackets be in the lookout for jacket separation since accuracy will.suck and might spray the target with fragments if it comes totally apart.

 

[holdover]

Those VDL's are sick. looks like 2moa@ 1000 yards. from a kreiger barrel AR platform , WTF! I wouldnt have thought anything like that is possible

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bergerbullets.com

You got me wanting to handload now.

 

[Phauxtoe]

READ THE MANUAL!
Many guns will be labeled .223 but also safely shoot .556
Mini 14 is an example (except the target model)

 

[Jsmegs77]

My Troy PAR .223 can safely shoot 5.56, according to the manufacturer. It's labeled .223, and seems to prefer it.

 

[S&W Fan]

The CZ 527 American and 527 Carbine in .223 will also shoot 5.56 according to the manual. Their claim is because the guns are built in Europe to CIP standards they don’t differentiate between the two , and therefore build them to the higher pressure standards.

 

[Criticalt]

yes 99.9% chance you are fine to shoot 223 on any designated 223 or 5.56 chamber.

the only considerations would be:
A - you want to shoot ammo with a bullet that is too long for the twist one might have that will not stabilize in a given barrel that means an old 5.56 rifle. For example a 70gr barnes TTSX will not properly stabilize in a 1:9 twist.
B- you want to shoot hypervelocity soft jacket ammo in a barrel that has a tight rate of twist. Like for example a 45gr varminter in a 1:7 or 1:6 twist
that might result in jacket separation. certain old surplus fmjs will also separate from time to time and those are ut it is not that frequent and more due to the bad quality of old surplus ammo form the east / asia.
C-your 223 is loaded for match chambers (specialty loads) and not within SAAMI or CIP specs (Dimensions standards/authorities). That will be
very rare unless you ordered the ammo to be specialty match ammo or got passed to you from a BR shooter even if it is for single load or not.

A and B are not safety considerations but will result in less than desirable results and will not work.
C is a safety consideration but most likely people who has some custom order ammo knows why and if you get something at a state sale with
a special spec or that is above standard overall length then ask before using that ammo.

Keep in mind that any modern firearms in 5.56 and .223 made in the last 20 years is most likely compatible with any sort of standard 223 or 5.56 round with a few exceptions and this is mainly done by the manufacturers to avoid any potential liabilities. Even if it is designated as a 223 is most likely chambered with a reamer that will take any sort of commercially available / over the shelve ammo.
There are over a dozen variants of reamers/chambers between 223 and 5.56 I can think of, all with very close dimensions and most being
cross compatible.

so you are ok to shoot all 223 given some considerations above.

What rifle / barrel do you have and what is the twist?

I hope this helps.

You are the reason I never answer questions about ammo.
This of course is not an insult, you are an ammo encyclopedia.

 

[meketrefe]

You are the reason I never answer questions about ammo.
This of course is not an insult, you are an ammo encyclopedia.

I understand. Thanks for the kind words.
I know a little and I wish I knew as much as some others already forgot.
...just trying to help people dance the calibers tango.

 

[meketrefe]

This is just some of the different 223 and 5.56 reamer variants barrel makers use to chamber rifles and most of them are compatible so when
people say "223" I ask which one of them? ... might be actually a chamber that is even more forgiving than a 5.56 and with added accuracy to shoot anything you want. look at the ptg 223 and compass lake 5.56 they are virtually identical in the critical dimensions that are the neck length (M) and case to mouth.(K) so if you have either that 223 or that 5.56 you have virtually the same chamber for all practical purposes.

 

[FrankenCub]

Those VDL's are sick. looks like 2moa@ 1000 yards. from a kreiger barrel AR platform , WTF! I wouldnt have thought anything like that is possible

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Our new 22 caliber 85.5 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target™ Bullets feature an improved center of gravity and ballistic coefficient. Utilizing advanced and proprietary manufacturing processes, our new innovative Meplat Reduction Technology™ (MRT™) System applies controlled pressure along the...

bergerbullets.com

You got me wanting to handload now.

Nice, supersonic past 1000yds too. My barrel isn't worthy of those though.

 

[Acer-m14]

now if you chamber a 300BO in that .. you will get a really really long bullet LOL ..

 

[ArmedCorgi]

now if you chamber a 300BO in that .. you will get a really really long bullet LOL ..

Almost made it.