223 Wylde Chamber Question

[unlimited4x4]

I have a few lowers around and I want to do a 18" upper focused on accuracy. I've read the 223 Wylde chamber is supposedly very accurate. But, can you fire 5.56 in a 223 Wylde chamber repeatedly, safely? Most know 223 in a 5.56 is fine, but the reverse is not. But I read many threads of others shooting 5.56 in the 223 Wylde chamber. My thoughts are that I will most likely shoot ammo similar to the black hill 77 grain mk262 ammo. Can this be used in a 223 Wylde chamber?

 

[ZGunner]

223 Wylde is designed to fire both .223 Remington and 5.56 safely.

 

[Forsaken]

223 Wylde is right in the middle of those two rounds, so yes, it's safe to shoot 223/556.

 

[243winxb]

223 REM 75 GR BTHP SUPERFORMANCE® MATCH™

Superformance in Gas Operated Firearms http://m.hornady.com/ammunition/superformance-in-gas-operated-firearms

 

[1stmarine]

Yes.
The wylde chamber will take any 223 or 5.56 ammo.

If you are interested in top accuracy and preserving accuracy another question is what kind of ammo you want to shoot from a match barrel
but not because of over-pressure concerns but because of the cheap powders and bullets from surplus and some steel ammo.
Keep in mind some steel cased FMJs had bullets with a lot harder bullets and this has proven to reduce life over time unless is just
for occasional use. I don't shoot garbage from a match barrel unless there is an emergency that never really happens.

Also just fyi...there is no final resolution that says a 5.56 cannot be fired on a 223 chamber. The first thing would be to know what reamer
your chamber was made with and the actual dimensions of the given 223 chamber. There is a substantial nr. of reamer variations I know of
you can cut a 223 chamber with that are totally ok with 5.56. Many 223 commercial chambers are reamed with extra tolerances to avoid problems,
and potential liabilities so it is a good idea to ask the manufacturer.

But with the wylde you get a chamber that is closer to 223 but with extra freebore so it is ok with 5.56 and potentially more accurate
although there are other factors very important too like having the bolt matched to the barrel when headspacing to shoot match
ammo through it. As you know bolts dimensions change slightly so this is a good practice to increase the accuracy potential
of the barrel and rifle. Some custom shops that do match barrels will ask you if you want the bolt matched to the barrel during
headspacing. Never buy a carbine ported barrel. mid lenght ok, rifle is best from 18" and further. Never buy a barrel with 1/2" threads in the muzzle. 5/8 is ok.

A good bore is also key so spend a bit extra in a quality barrel like Krieger, Lothar Walter, Bartlein, etc... this truing the receiver,
you know... the whole accuracy tango. Or buy a lesbaer, white oak, etc... upper and be done.

I guess it depends on what your expectations are and if you want to compete with it and be competitive. ARs are capable of
amazing accuracy.

BTW the black hills MK262 copy awesome round. Also try the new 77gr TMK possibly the best round to date. Another
good one is the Double tap 80gr Amax. I have to try the new hornady ELDs. Didn't get a chance yet.

Good luck and sorry for the long explanation. I hope those small tips will help you.

 

[unlimited4x4]

Yes.
The wylde chamber will take any 223 or 5.56 ammo.

If you are interested in top accuracy and preserving accuracy another question is what kind of ammo you want to shoot from a match barrel
but not because of over-pressure concerns but because of the cheap powders and bullets from surplus and some steel ammo.
Keep in mind some steel cased FMJs had bullets with a lot harder bullets and this has proven to reduce life over time unless is just
for occasional use. I don't shoot garbage from a match barrel unless there is an emergency that never really happens.

Also just fyi...there is no final resolution that says a 5.56 cannot be fired on a 223 chamber. The first thing would be to know what reamer
your chamber was made with and the actual dimensions of the given 223 chamber. There is a substantial nr. of reamer variations I know of
you can cut a 223 chamber with that are totally ok with 5.56. Many 223 commercial chambers are reamed with extra tolerances to avoid problems,
and potential liabilities so it is a good idea to ask the manufacturer.

But with the wylde you get a chamber that is closer to 223 but with extra freebore so it is ok with 5.56 and potentially more accurate
although there are other factors very important too like having the bolt matched to the barrel when headspacing to shoot match
ammo through it. As you know bolts dimensions change slightly so this is a good practice to increase the accuracy potential
of the barrel and rifle. Some custom shops that do match barrels will ask you if you want the bolt matched to the barrel during
headspacing. Never buy a carbine ported barrel. mid lenght ok, rifle is best from 18" and further. Never buy a barrel with 1/2" threads in the muzzle. 5/8 is ok.

A good bore is also key so spend a bit extra in a quality barrel like Krieger, Lothar Walter, Bartlein, etc... this truing the receiver,
you know... the whole accuracy tango. Or buy a lesbaer, white oak, etc... upper and be done.

I guess it depends on what your expectations are and if you want to compete with it and be competitive. ARs are capable of
amazing accuracy.

BTW the black hills MK262 copy awesome round. Also try the new 77gr TMK possibly the best round to date. Another
good one is the Double tap 80gr Amax. I have to try the new hornady ELDs. Didn't get a chance yet.

Good luck and sorry for the long explanation. I hope those small tips will help you.

Thanks for the replies and taking the time. I'm just starting to understand what is needed for a consistently accurate rifle. I have no intentions of using standard 5.56 in it and already planned on a rifle length gas system. I've read a few posts where the Lothar barrels were used and the owners were very happy with them. Matching the bolt to the barrel is new to me though. I haven't come across any discussions regarding that. I'll read up on it before I ask any further questions. Thanks to all.

 

[Llama Bob]

5.56 can be used in a Wylde chamber with no safety issue. However, don't assume that it will be more accurate. The Wylde chamber, at least according to PTG's reamer prints, is tighter than 5.56 in the freebore but looser in the body and neck.

It's also worth noting that the 5.56 chamber is proven reliable with military ammo in field conditions. The same cannot be said for chambers of other dimensions. Depending on how important reliability and ammo compatibility are for you, that may or may not be a major concern.

 

[1stmarine]

Some discussions are not part of the main stream so might find a few threads here and there and/or competition forums.
Lothar walther custom shop will send you a barrel with a matched bolt if you want. I bought from them before.
The idea is to buy a barrel that is chamber tighter for match loads vs a looser chamber. Once you buy bolts from different
vendors the dimensions vary slightly so it does the head-space. Normally nothing dangerous but a barrel with tighter tolerances
for the rounds you are going to shoot has more potential to be accurate than a looser chamber.
With so many vendors cutting parts this way you know the chamber is the best it can be.
Match makers will either give you the bolt with it or will tell you precisely what bolt to buy.
Some people give the gunsmith a couple of their rounds and/or resized brass so they will use that for cambering with
the specific bolt in question.
Again, not a determining factor alone but one more step to consider if you want to dance the accuracy tango.
I love to have a few accurate uppers (the kind of repeatable accuracy) that is why I am giving you some of these ideas.
If we were talking about bolt action some of the directives are the same.

 

[1stmarine]

fyi.. list of reamers brands... as you can see here a small sample of 223 chambers some with plenty of freebore and can be headspaced
to run with any ammo including any 5.56.. like others said ... assume nothing....

 

[Chip1wa]

White Oak Armament reams their barrels to the wylde chamber. When I first got my 16" WOA complete built upper it took awhile, but I've worked up a load that gives 5 shots you can cover with a dime at 100 yards.

 

[farmerboy78]

White Oak Armament reams their barrels to the wylde chamber. When I first got my 16" WOA complete built upper it took awhile, but I've worked up a load that gives 5 shots you can cover with a dime at 100 yards.

WOA has several readers they use as well, not just the wylde. They also make the .223 woa chamber.

1/2" threaded are 100% fine at the muzzle, my woa sdm has 1/2" threads from them (that I shoot suppressed) that is stupid accurate.

My woa complete sdm upper is also a wylde chamber with a 1in8" twist that will shoot black hills 77gr ammo to 1/2" and my handloads <3/8".

 

[farmerboy78]

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with the white oak armament with their wilson barrel. Mine is.... but, you can spring a little more cash and get a higher end barrel. But from the people at woa, 99% of people will not see an accuracy gain from going to the kreiger over the Wilson. But, you will get more barrel life from the kreiger

 

[carbine85]

I'll also add that you want the 1:8 twist, which is typical in the Wylde chamber barrel.

 

[SSN Vet]

I was interested in the Wylde chamber for the "budget accuracy AR build project" I wrapped up a year ago, but found the selection of barrels (especially competitively priced barrels) in Wylde to be very limited.

I wound up with a 22" Wilson Bull barrel with a 5.56 chamber and am getting 0.75 MOA pretty consistently with my hand loads, shooting off of a cheap bipod.

(I built the rifle for $600)

 

[SwampWolf]

Rock River Arms uses the Wylde configuration in the chambers of their "National Match" rifles. They explained, "The .223 Wylde chamber was designed as a match chambering for semi-automatic rifles. It will accommodate both .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO ammunition. It is relieved in the case body to aid in extraction and features a shorter throat for improved accuracy."

 

[unlimited4x4]

Thanks all for the knowledg and advice. I'm going to soak all this in before I ask any more questions.