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Thread: 223 vs 5.56

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    Default 223 vs 5.56

    Im new to the AR platform is there a differance between 5.56 and 223 other then price ?? I dont hunt. In a self defence situation ill more then likely use my handgun

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    .223 and 5.56 are almost the same. The 5.56 usually has thicker walls on the case. There are also different military ammo options with 5.56. A 5.56 rifle will shoot both. A .223 rifle will only shoot .223.

    I Have an AR chambered in 5.56 NATO and shoot mostly .223 through mine.
    FOAC Member, NRA Member

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    so would it be pretty much a waste of money to buy 5.56 when 223 is cheaper?

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    The 5.56mm and .223 Rem chambers are nearly identical. The difference is in the "Leade". Leade is defined as the portion of the barrel directly in front of the chamber where the rifling has been conically removed to allow room for the seated bullet. It is also more commonly known as the throat. Leade in a .223 Rem chamber is usually .085". In a 5.56mm chamber the leade is typically .162", or almost twice as much as in the 223 Rem chamber.
    You can fire .223 Rem cartridges in 5.56mm chambers with this longer leade, but you will generally have a slight loss in accuracy and velocity over firing the .223 round in the chamber with the shorter leade it was designed for.
    Problems may occur when firing the higher-pressure 5.56mm cartridge in a .223 chamber with its much shorter leade. It is generally known that shortening the leade can dramatically increase chamber pressure. In some cases, this higher pressure could result in primer pocket gas leaks, blown cartridge case heads and gun functioning issues.
    The 5.56mm military cartridge fired in a .223 Rem chamber is considered by SAAMI (Small Arm and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) to be an unsafe ammunition combination. Hope this helps!

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    Eveything helps My AR is labeled 5.56 223 I just got it on Monday its used but only 40 rounds were put through it and has a red dot scope on it , its a bushmaster so i guess until the zombies come for me ill just keep buying 223

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    Quote Originally Posted by jeep View Post
    Eveything helps My AR is labeled 5.56 223 I just got it on Monday its used but only 40 rounds were put through it and has a red dot scope on it , its a bushmaster so i guess until the zombies come for me ill just keep buying 223
    That is what I would do. Its also a little cheaper...

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    Quote Originally Posted by jade1911 View Post
    The 5.56mm and .223 Rem chambers are nearly identical. The difference is in the "Leade". Leade is defined as the portion of the barrel directly in front of the chamber where the rifling has been conically removed to allow room for the seated bullet. It is also more commonly known as the throat. Leade in a .223 Rem chamber is usually .085". In a 5.56mm chamber the leade is typically .162", or almost twice as much as in the 223 Rem chamber.
    You can fire .223 Rem cartridges in 5.56mm chambers with this longer leade, but you will generally have a slight loss in accuracy and velocity over firing the .223 round in the chamber with the shorter leade it was designed for.
    That's pretty close, but the 5.56 and .223 rounds are typically loaded to the same OAL. One won't shoot better than the other. Having a longer leade will allow you to add powder to the casing and you can get more speed since there is more volume for the gasses to fill when the bullet hits the lands. It's one way the Weatherby cartridges get their speed. The longer leade will decrease inherent accuracy when firing both 5.56 and .223 ammunition since the "jump" that the bullet has to make is the same. Loading closer to the lands generally (but not always) will help accuracy.

    Lycansmallclarificationthrope

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    Here's another, of many links, about it: http://www.frfrogspad.com/miscelld.htm#5.56%20mm%20NATO
    Has also been discussed here if you care to check with search.
    It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.

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    Default Re: 223 vs 5.56

    Quote Originally Posted by Lycanthrope View Post
    That's pretty close, but the 5.56 and .223 rounds are typically loaded to the same OAL. One won't shoot better than the other. Having a longer leade will allow you to add powder to the casing and you can get more speed since there is more volume for the gasses to fill when the bullet hits the lands. It's one way the Weatherby cartridges get their speed. The longer leade will decrease inherent accuracy when firing both 5.56 and .223 ammunition since the "jump" that the bullet has to make is the same. Loading closer to the lands generally (but not always) will help accuracy.

    Lycansmallclarificationthrope
    That is also correct but OAL depends on your chamber as well, and how long the leade is, and the shape of the particular bullet that you are using. (There is a lot more difference in the shape of bullets with the same weight and general description than most people realize. That's why I always like to start with the bullet manufacturer's spec for OAL if available. In an AR-15, the magazine limits OAL. Usually that means your bullet has to jump more than the .003" optimum for a bolt-action rifle. However, a tight "match" chamber might have a very short leade. Seating the bullet so that it actually touches the start of the rifling significantly increases chamber pressure and might be dangerous. Typically, a 5.56 Nato chamber will have a longer leade than a .223 chamber but you need to find out if you want to maximize accuracy. Hornady's OAL gauge is the best way that I know of to do these measurements, but there are older methods involving a disassembled bolt and dynkem or magic marker.The other difference between .223 and 5.56 is the headspace. A 5.56 chamber should be longer between the breech face and the datum point where the shoulder is measured. This means that you usually don't push the shoulder back as far when resizing 5.56 as you would for .223. However, headspace varies from rifle to rifle and IRRC the .223 NO GO chamber headspace gauge is longer than the GO 5.56 headspace gauge. IOW the acceptable ranges overlap. Generally, you want the shoulder .003-.005" shorter than your chamber. Again, you need to measure your chamber (Hornady & others make headspace gauges). The spent brass may be bigger than your chamber because extraction occurs while the case is still expanding. I didn't understand the effect of cartridge headspace on accuracy for a long time. I just knew it was important. Basically, a cartridge sized to just fit into the chamber will tend to center the neck & bullet better in relation to the throat of the chamber. If the shoulder is pushed right into the front of the chamber, it's like pushing a cone into a funnel.
    Higher bullets weights chambered in 556 may actually have better accuracy than 223.

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