I am looking at buying an AR style rifle and from looking around I see a lot are made for .223 and some are made to handle both .223 and 5.56. I am wondering which is better to get. I understand on one hand I have options, but I would also think that while one can handle both, it still wouldn't be as good as one designed especially for one caliber. My logic tells me to buy the one specializing on 1 caliber and doing it well rather than trying to get one that can do both but does them ok. I am wondering if my logic is right or not, let me know what u think.
2007-12-27 05:58:18 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
I am an AR fanatic. I have built many of them for myself and for other members of the sheriff's department I worked for. I still build them to this day. Trust my experience. You want one chambered for the 5.56 cartridge and yes there IS a difference. The military round (5.56) uses a thicker brass and has slightly more powder which equals a faster bullet than does the .223 Now having said that, it is perfectrly alright to fire .223 in your 5.56 ar. but in an AR chambered for .223. you can have problems with the primers backing out when shooting 5.56 ammo in it. Also, the chamber on the .223 AR15 is slightly tighter normally and this can cause some failure to extract problems, and broken shells stuck in the chamber, which requires a special broken shell extractor to remove without damaging the chamber. On some of the .223 caliber AR's there are a few in that handle the 5.56 just fine. But odds are that you will have some kind of problem with a new one in .223. so, stick with the 5.56 chambered AR and then don't worry about shooting either one in it. Also, be advised that right now .223 and 5.56 ammo in bulk are very hard to come by, and very expensive compared to where it was before the war started. Right now, I can't find anything besides Russian made Wolf brand .223 in bulk and it is over $300.00 per thousand. The ammo manufacturers are so busy trying to fill the military contracts that it isn't making it to the commercial venue, and probably won't for at least 8 months after the war stops as they refill the suppy demand for the military. The more expensive ammo is available for it in 20 rnd boxes but who can afford that when shooting a lot?
shoot safe
2007-12-27 08:30:03 · answer #1 · answered by randy 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Randy and Ace are exactly right. 5.56 chambers are slightly bigger and will fire higher pressure rounds. .223 chambers are slightly smaller and tighter and are not rated to accept the same high pressures.
No problem to shoot .223 in a 5.56 chamber. Potentially HUGE PROBLEM to fire 5.56 in a .223 chamber. The higher pressure in the smaller weaker chamber can lead to catastrophic failure of the firearm.
If you want to shoot both, and not worry about ammo get the 5.56. If you are concerned more about match grade accuracy (and since you are asking this question I have a feeling it won't matter) then go with the .223. No offense meant by the previous but if you were truly concerned with extreme degrees in accuracy you probably would know the answer to this question or would find a more reliable source than yahoo answers.
2007-12-27 10:51:50 · answer #2 · answered by Maker 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Get the AR chambered for 5.56 NATO. The .223 and 5.56 are similar, and both will fire in either chamber rifle, however there are negative long term effects from firing mil-surp 5.56 in a .223 REM chamber. The 5.56 chamber has more leade - firing 5.56 in a .223 chamber (with less leade) creates higher pressure.
With the 5.56 NATO chamber you can fire mil-surp 5.56 and civilian .223 REM without worry. The people who tell you 5.56 and .223 are "exactly the same" (and give me thumbs down) don't know what they are taking about.
The ONLY real source on this is SAAMI.
In Rifle Chambered For.. Do Not Use These Cartridges
223 Remington......................5.56mm Military
Link of proof:
http://www.saami.org/Unsafe_Combinations.cfm
SAAMI is the Sport Arms and Ammunition Institute, and they are the ruling authority on unsafe combinations, because they actually test this stuff. Its what they do.
2007-12-27 06:13:28 · answer #3 · answered by DT89ACE 6 · 10⤊ 3⤋
The two are the same, but one chambered for 5.56x45 will have enough freebore to handle longer bullets and enough strength to handle slightly higher pressures. Most of those advertised as 223 Remington will be just as strong and have just as much leade, but not all.
2007-12-27 11:13:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
both are the same, though a 5.56mm has tighter tollerances than .223.
2007-12-28 10:14:09 · answer #5 · answered by PETER J 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You are probably going to be told that there is a difference between the two, but there is not. Some will say that military cases are thicker brass etc., and this is true, but .223 and 5.56 chambers are exactly the same. A rifle chambered for either will shoot the other with no problems whatsoever. The chambers of both rifles are identical.
In the USA and the UK we tend to use the .223 Remington designation, in Europe the tendency is to use the 5.56 NATO designation.
2007-12-27 06:12:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 14⤋
dumb. 223 remington is the non military designation for the 5.56 nato round.
2007-12-27 16:14:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 12⤋
.223 Remington is the civilian designation, and 5.56mm Nato is a military designation. They are one and the same round.
2007-12-27 07:18:59 · answer #8 · answered by WC 7 · 2⤊ 12⤋
they are the same calibre, one is inch the other is meteric.
2007-12-27 06:06:42 · answer #9 · answered by frank 5 · 4⤊ 14⤋