5.56 (brass only) ok for .223

[Iheartguns]

Hey guys -

I've read the debate about 5.56 being milspec and therefore higher pressure than .223. That said, I have a potential source of 5.56 once-fired brass that I'd like to use.

Would loading it with light .223 loads (to reduce pressure) work?

Andy

 

[rcmodel]

5.56 brass is .223 brass for all practical purposes.

Some 5.56 brass is heavier/thicker then .223, but some isn't.

You can treat it as .223 brass using .223 load data.

Start at the starting load, and work up, as you always should be doing anyway.

It will have crimped primers, and the crimp will have to be delt with before you can reload them.

rcmodel

 

[Blind Bat]

IHeartGuns meet rcmodel. He's forgotten more than most of us will ever learn.

 

[Iheartguns]

IHeartGuns meet rcmodel. He's forgotten more than most of us will ever learn.

Clearly.

Thanks very much for your help. Final question re: the thickness of the case walls...

Say I have "standard" .223 brass and 5.56 brass which is slightly thicker. Since the outer dimensions of the .223 brass and 5.56 brass are the same, won't thicker casewalls on the 5.56 mean there is less volume INSIDE the casing? If so, my hypothesis would be that the same powder charge in both cases would make the 5.56 higher pressure.

That said, should I separate .223 brass from 5.56 brass and have a slightly lower charge (in the 5.56) for the same performance?

Thanks again,
Andy

 

[Ben Shepherd]

If you're loading plinkers/range ammo, go ahead and run mixed cases, just stay in the bottom 2/3rds of the powder charges listed.

 

[ants]

Go to this study on the 6mm Benchrest site.
http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html
About half way down there is a table called Case Weight vs. Capacity. They compare the case volumes of a bunch of commercial and military brass. You can see that each manufacturer independently determines its own standard, regardless of military or commercial. Weight is certainly related to volume, but you cannot conclude that military is greater than or lesser than commercial.

 

[rcmodel]

You can do what you want.

But if it was me, I would sort them by head-stamp, and load them that way.

Just one less variable you have to worry about when working up a load.

For instance, if your rifle malfunctions during load development, did it choke on the load, or choke on a particular brand of mixed brass?

rcmodel

 

[SyberShooter]

There are older posts here that debunk the thickness theory for 223/5.56 (NOT 308/7.62) brass.

I recently prepped and sorted several hundred cases, including trimming to length and primer pocket reaming/decrimping. I then sorted them into 14 different headstamps. I then weighed a sample of 10 each and then calculated average weight, std deviation, and extreme spread.

Of the 14 different groups, most weighed in the 92-95 grain range, Rem and FC had a number of cases that were in the high 90's (97-99) and only (3) grouped in the 108-110 grain range (DNL, PMP and older PMC).
Interestingly Guatamalan (IMG) was one of the most consistant with the loaest ES & SD (at least the batch I weighed) with Hornady TAP a close second. Winchester and LC were right in the middle of the group

 

[WarHall]

I'd tend to be more concerned about the primers

And the firing pin situation myself.

 

[IndianaBoy]

I'd tend to be more concerned about the primers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And the firing pin situation myself.

What?

 

[rcmodel]

What firing pin situation?

rc

 

[IndianaBoy]

RC.... It just came to me.


Some people say that you have to use mil-spec primers in the AR family because of the floating firing pin. I have some of the CCI primers that are thus packaged....

But somebody forgot to tell all the regular Winchester and CCI small rifle primers that I have used with nary a slamfire.


Pure myth at work again. The world of firearms is full of myths and half-truths.

 

[delta5]

If you were going to carry this ammo into battle where it will see much use and abuse, I could see a use for mil-spec primers. But just for plinking around at the range? Waste of money for the most part.

 

[matrem]

"Waste of money for the most part."
I'll agree that they're not necessary(for most of us),but at the "local" shop the CCI # 41s are the same price as 450s.
I certainly can't imagine that they would "hurt" anything.

 

[P-32]

I like Lake City for use in my AR's. Federal brass stinks.

 

[fastbike]

Why so? I haven't noticed any particular difference between Federal, Rem, Win, etc in my RRA. For that matter, haven't noticed any particular difference in .45acp or 45 Colt for that matter.

"I like Lake City for use in my AR's. Federal brass stinks."