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if it says 5.56 you can shoot both. those stamped .223 are not rated for 5.56 pressure.Daltex1 wrote:Got a smith ar15 and was wondering if I can shoot 223 ammo, I have 5.56 stamped on barrel. Can I shoot both or just the 5.56 Thanx to all that reply
txinvestigator wrote:if it says 5.56 you can shoot both. those stamped .223 are not rated for 5.56 pressure.Daltex1 wrote:Got a smith ar15 and was wondering if I can shoot 223 ammo, I have 5.56 stamped on barrel. Can I shoot both or just the 5.56 Thanx to all that reply
Oh yeah, we need a pic!
http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm#diffTom wrote:txinvestigator wrote:if it says 5.56 you can shoot both. those stamped .223 are not rated for 5.56 pressure.Daltex1 wrote:Got a smith ar15 and was wondering if I can shoot 223 ammo, I have 5.56 stamped on barrel. Can I shoot both or just the 5.56 Thanx to all that reply
Oh yeah, we need a pic!
It isn't so much a pressure issue as it is a throat length issue. And while
this may result in higher pressures due to constrained bullets, it is all
about length, not pressure. Nato (5.56) is longer than SAAMI (.223).
One or my AR's (Armalite) is stamped 5.56 while the other (Bushmaster)
is stamped .223/5.56. Both shoot both cases fine as long as I ensure that
the max length is within SAAMI standards. I shoot long, heavy 75 gr
Hornady bullets in both with excellent results.
Kind Regards,
Tom
Cause and effect.txinvestigator wrote:http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm#diffTom wrote:txinvestigator wrote:if it says 5.56 you can shoot both. those stamped .223 are not rated for 5.56 pressure.Daltex1 wrote:Got a smith ar15 and was wondering if I can shoot 223 ammo, I have 5.56 stamped on barrel. Can I shoot both or just the 5.56 Thanx to all that reply
Oh yeah, we need a pic!
It isn't so much a pressure issue as it is a throat length issue. And while
this may result in higher pressures due to constrained bullets, it is all
about length, not pressure. Nato (5.56) is longer than SAAMI (.223).
One or my AR's (Armalite) is stamped 5.56 while the other (Bushmaster)
is stamped .223/5.56. Both shoot both cases fine as long as I ensure that
the max length is within SAAMI standards. I shoot long, heavy 75 gr
Hornady bullets in both with excellent results.
Kind Regards,
Tom
Q. What is the difference between 5.56×45mm and .223 Remington ammo?
In the 1950's, the US military adopted the metric system of measurement and uses metric measurements to describe ammo. However, the US commercial ammo market typically used the English "caliber" measurements when describing ammo. "Caliber" is a shorthand way of saying "hundredths (or thousandths) of an inch." For example, a fifty caliber projectile is approximately fifty one-hundredths (.50) of an inch and a 357 caliber projectile is approximately three-hundred and fifty-seven thousandths (.357) of an inch. Dimensionally, 5.56 and .223 ammo are identical, though military 5.56 ammo is typically loaded to higher pressures and velocities than commercial ammo and may, in guns with extremely tight "match" .223 chambers, be unsafe to fire.
The chambers for .223 and 5.56 weapons are not the same either. Though the AR15 design provides an extremely strong action, high pressure signs on the brass and primers, extraction failures and cycling problems may be seen when firing hot 5.56 ammo in .223-chambered rifles. Military M16s and AR15s from Colt, Bushmaster, FN, DPMS, and some others, have the M16-spec chamber and should have no trouble firing hot 5.56 ammunition.
Military M16s have slightly more headspace and have a longer throat area, compared to the SAAMI .223 chamber spec, which was originally designed for bolt-action rifles. Commercial SAAMI-specification .223 chambers have a much shorter throat or leade and less freebore than the military chamber. Shooting 5.56 Mil-Spec ammo in a SAAMI-specification chamber can increase pressure dramatically, up to an additional 15,000 psi or more.
The military chamber is often referred to as a "5.56 NATO" chamber, as that is what is usually stamped on military barrels. Some commercial AR manufacturers use the tighter ".223" (i.e., SAAMI-spec and often labeled ".223" or ".223 Remington") chamber, which provides for increased accuracy but, in self-loading rifles, less cycling reliability, especially with hot-loaded military ammo. A few AR manufacturers use an in-between chamber spec, such as the Wylde chamber. Many mis-mark their barrels too, which further complicates things. You can generally tell what sort of chamber you are dealing with by the markings, if any, on the barrel, but always check with the manufacturer to be sure.
Dear tom,Tom wrote:Cause and effect.txinvestigator wrote:http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm#diffTom wrote:txinvestigator wrote:if it says 5.56 you can shoot both. those stamped .223 are not rated for 5.56 pressure.Daltex1 wrote:Got a smith ar15 and was wondering if I can shoot 223 ammo, I have 5.56 stamped on barrel. Can I shoot both or just the 5.56 Thanx to all that reply
Oh yeah, we need a pic!
It isn't so much a pressure issue as it is a throat length issue. And while
this may result in higher pressures due to constrained bullets, it is all
about length, not pressure. Nato (5.56) is longer than SAAMI (.223).
One or my AR's (Armalite) is stamped 5.56 while the other (Bushmaster)
is stamped .223/5.56. Both shoot both cases fine as long as I ensure that
the max length is within SAAMI standards. I shoot long, heavy 75 gr
Hornady bullets in both with excellent results.
Kind Regards,
Tom
Q. What is the difference between 5.56×45mm and .223 Remington ammo?
In the 1950's, the US military adopted the metric system of measurement and uses metric measurements to describe ammo. However, the US commercial ammo market typically used the English "caliber" measurements when describing ammo. "Caliber" is a shorthand way of saying "hundredths (or thousandths) of an inch." For example, a fifty caliber projectile is approximately fifty one-hundredths (.50) of an inch and a 357 caliber projectile is approximately three-hundred and fifty-seven thousandths (.357) of an inch. Dimensionally, 5.56 and .223 ammo are identical, though military 5.56 ammo is typically loaded to higher pressures and velocities than commercial ammo and may, in guns with extremely tight "match" .223 chambers, be unsafe to fire.
The chambers for .223 and 5.56 weapons are not the same either. Though the AR15 design provides an extremely strong action, high pressure signs on the brass and primers, extraction failures and cycling problems may be seen when firing hot 5.56 ammo in .223-chambered rifles. Military M16s and AR15s from Colt, Bushmaster, FN, DPMS, and some others, have the M16-spec chamber and should have no trouble firing hot 5.56 ammunition.
Military M16s have slightly more headspace and have a longer throat area, compared to the SAAMI .223 chamber spec, which was originally designed for bolt-action rifles. Commercial SAAMI-specification .223 chambers have a much shorter throat or leade and less freebore than the military chamber. Shooting 5.56 Mil-Spec ammo in a SAAMI-specification chamber can increase pressure dramatically, up to an additional 15,000 psi or more.
The military chamber is often referred to as a "5.56 NATO" chamber, as that is what is usually stamped on military barrels. Some commercial AR manufacturers use the tighter ".223" (i.e., SAAMI-spec and often labeled ".223" or ".223 Remington") chamber, which provides for increased accuracy but, in self-loading rifles, less cycling reliability, especially with hot-loaded military ammo. A few AR manufacturers use an in-between chamber spec, such as the Wylde chamber. Many mis-mark their barrels too, which further complicates things. You can generally tell what sort of chamber you are dealing with by the markings, if any, on the barrel, but always check with the manufacturer to be sure.
Short chambers can have the effect of higher pressure. I don't know what
commercial ammo your source is comparing, and they don't say. And I
don't know that ALL military ammo has more pressure than ALL
commercial ammo, and I would doubt that is the case based upon my
experience with other commercial loadings.
But the point is the same. You should not assume that 5.56 ammo will be
OK in a .223 chamber for at least the throat length issue.
I take the word of Clint McKee over just about anyone. He says don't do
it because of the throat length. That is good enough for me.
Kind Regards,
Tom
Kevin,KBCraig wrote:Clint McKee is not a "source"? *snort!*
I don't know of anyone more studied nor more expert on the most arcane technical aspects of service rifles, than Clint McKee and Walt Kuleck. This includes SAAMI vs. MILSPEC, variations in chamber sizes and brass specs, and measuring pressure by PSI vs. CUP.
http://www.fulton-armory.com
Kevin
Oh, absolutely! I've lived in this house longer than I ever lived in any one place. I'm not a Texan, but it grows on you after a while.Tom wrote:Thanks Kevin, and you will stay on here after the move North, right?
Steve,stevie_d_64 wrote:I have a Bushmaster A3, that is stamped for both .223 and 5.56
Do I shoot them both??? Or better yet have I shot them both through the same rifle...
Yes...
I have had zero misfeeds (which is unlikely in the first place) or FTF's...With either round...
The only obvious thing I would do is make sure you don't mix and match between the two...I know that could be considered stupid for me to even mention, and in all actuality it may not create a problem...I guess its just a quirky thing about me I suppose...
The makers of ammo I have used through mine have been:
- PMP (South African)
- Lake City
- Federal
I buy in bulk as well...And try to keep about 5K on hand on a rotational useage schedule...