[Woody]

I can get either in bulk right now for virtually the same price. My barrel is 5.56 Still playing around just watching brass fly. But going to try to get a little more serious and see how good she really shoots. So far I've only run federal 5.56 fmj should I stick with it or mix it up

[purehavoc]

See what she will shoot . That way u know what will and what won't run

[synical]

I like your title! I hear so many people say 5.56 wont run in a .223 or vise versa and I tell them its the same thing and they always argue its so funny! I watched a video on youtube the other day about running wolf ammo for cheap ammo. It said just to watch it depending on if you have a barrel less than 20" to watch and see if the carrier is messing up the casing when its ejected. Something about the shortened barrels sometimes have timing problems. If it is stop using it if not keep shooting. Its cheap to shoot but not as accurate as a match load. But good to just play around with.

[FCross7]

Originally Posted by synical

I like your title! I hear so many people say 5.56 wont run in a .223 or vise versa and I tell them its the same thing and they always argue its so funny! I watched a video on youtube the other day about running wolf ammo for cheap ammo. It said just to watch it depending on if you have a barrel less than 20" to watch and see if the carrier is messing up the casing when its ejected. Something about the shortened barrels sometimes have timing problems. If it is stop using it if not keep shooting. Its cheap to shoot but not as accurate as a match load. But good to just play around with.

They're not the same thing. Close, but not identical. 5.56 has a longer throat and is typically loaded to about 20,000 PSI higher than .223.

It's safe to shoot .223 in a 5.56 chamber, but not the opposite.

-Fred

[Secondhand_Hero]

Originally Posted by FCross7

They're not the same thing. Close, but not identical. 5.56 has a longer throat and is typically loaded to about 20,000 PSI higher than .223.

It's safe to shoot .223 in a 5.56 chamber, but not the opposite.

-Fred

Fred's right, it's along the same lines as .38 special and .357 mag. Just because you can put a .38 through a shiney .357 Python doesn't mean a bullnosed .38 won't blow up in your face trying to pop out a .357 mag. Sometimes due to munitions being poorly manufactured you can fit something somewhere it shouldn't be but if you're that ballsy why not just bite the top off of an M-40 grenade and throw it at your target?

[Secondhand_Hero]

Originally Posted by Woody

I can get either in bulk right now for virtually the same price. My barrel is 5.56 Still playing around just watching brass fly. But going to try to get a little more serious and see how good she really shoots. So far I've only run federal 5.56 fmj should I stick with it or mix it up

And Woody, after correcting that comment, i'd most certainly try other munitions. You'd be surprised just how much of a difference it makes buying better rounds and choosing the round type based on the use. Federals are pretty infamous rounds for jamming, running hot, and going off target. There's plenty worse but Feds are about as lowly of a big brand as you can get. If i may make a suggestion, i'd say to most undoubtedly try your hand with a box of subsonic .223s. They'll get where they're going quickly and efficiently. Perfect for sighting in an AR15. No real need to buy 5.56's for nooby target practice in an AR15, especially FMJ's. .233's will run you a lil cheaper and the subsonics won't run as hot not to mention a lil less kick. If you're sighting in with a good scope from a good distance up to 5.56 for added affect but for close range .223's will work just dandy

[mjkeat]

What advantages would jumping back and forth b/w sub and supersonic ammo make when not running a suppressor? Would it not be a hindrance to getting a proper zero when going back to supersonic ammo considering there will more than likely be a shift in POA POI?

And what's up w/ the 5.56 when shooting out to extended distances and .223 for shorter distances? Isn't the heavier stuff that's designed for distance .223?

I think we need to reconsider our ammo advise.

[synical]

If you look at the fps and distance on both rounds and the size its the same I have looked it up many times and can not find a difference between .223 and 5.56

[Paladin201]

5.56 and .223 are NOT the same. They are NOT interchangeable. .223 is manufactured to SAAMI specs. 5.56 is to military specs. They are different. It is perfectly safe to fire .223 in a rifle chambered for 5.56. It is NOT safe to go the other way. One difference is that the 5.56 spec allows for higher chamber pressures. That doesn't mean that every 5.56 round out there actually yields higher pressures, but they can. The spec allows it. The other difference is that the 5.56 spec allows for loading longer/heavier bullets than .223. To allow for this, the throat of 5.56 barrels are manufactured with a longer leave. The spec for 5.56 calls for a leade of.162, rather than the .085 of the .223 spec. If you load a .223 round into a 5.56 barrel, the bullet will sit farther back from the lands then it was designed for. This is safe, but can result in a slight loss in accuracy. But if you load a 5.56 round with say a 62gr or larger bullet, in a .223 barrel, the bullet will be forced into the lands when chambered. This can result in substantially increased chamber pressures when fired.

Yes, you can find a gazillion people who say they have fired 5.56 ammo in a .223 gun without any problems. In most cases you can get away with it. Most gun companies over manufacture the gun chambers and barrels to take higher pressures than the specs call for, as a safety margin. But that doesn't mean you can assume they all do, every time.

To put it simply, it is dangerous to shoot 5.56 ammo in a rifle chambered for .223. Not an opinion. Fact.

[Paladin201]

Sorry Fcross7, I jumped in there before I read your reply. This topic always gets me going, as it constantly keeps popping up. Just like people arguing that 308 Winchester and 7.62x51 Nato are the same. They aren't. Loading any gun with ammunition other than what's it's specifically chambered for is a dicey proposition.