5.56 chamber question

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Partyguy816

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I have always heard that you can use 5.56 in .223 or .223 in 5.56, but I can't remember which way it is. I have a bushmaster that is about 2 years old or so that has a SS barrel, and I want to order some ammo that is 5.56, but I'm not sure what I can order. How much of a difference is there between the two becides 60,000cup for the 5.56 and 50,000 for the .223. My rifle lower says .223-5.56, but I want to get the opinion of everyone first.

Thanks.
 
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Yep from what I have heard do not shoot any round that is not listed on the gun or in the manual for the gun.
 
If you have a 5.56 NATO chamber, you can safely fire .223 SAAMI from it.

If you have a .223 SAAMI chamber, you SHOULD NOT fire 5.56 NATO from it. It was not designed to handle the pressure from a 5.56 round.

Some people (esp. gun shop folks for some reason) say that you can but I wouldn't recommend it.

Greg
 
Some people (esp. gun shop folks for some reason) say that you can but I wouldn't recommend it.
Click to expand...
And many, many folks have been doing it for decades with no apparent ill effects - but mostly in bolt actions and not semiautos. A bolt-action will not be nearly as pressure-sensitive as will your Bushie...

But specific to your question - since it sounds like you have a 5.56x43 chamber, I'd expect that you could run either commerical 223 or NATO 5.56 stuff.
 
Just remember...

The little number(.223), CAN go into the larger number(5.56mm) :neener:: !
The large number(5.56mil spec), can NOT SAFELY go into the smaller(.223commercial) chamber! It ain't rocket science :uhoh: ...Don't trust it.....? Don't do it. But my 5.56 chambered Bushmaster M4gery has had a steady diet of .223 winchester brass for over a year with no Kaboom :confused:.

PS. It says on the mag-well .223-5.56.....
 
I have a...

Olympic Arms CAR97 M4 with a barrel marked 5.56 NATO ( 5.56x45mm ). I know for a fact that you can fire both .223 rem ammo and 5.56mm through it.
However, the military round ( 5.56 NATO ) cannot be fired in a barrel marked .223, due to the pressures generated in the chamber. From the markings on the lower you describe, your Bushy, if it has the original upper ( read barrel ), should be able to fire both.

:evil:
 
There are very slight differences in the 5.56 Nato and .223 Chamber. The main difference is the throat length. In the 5.56 Nato chamber the throat is much longer to help eliminate the high pressures of the hot military rounds. The .223 chambers throat length is much shorter and can cause some pretty high pressures if you try shooting the 5.56 Nato ammo in it. I would not recommend it personally but I know people who do shoot 5.56 Nato ammo in a .223 Chamber.

On the barrel, in front of the front sight, it will be stamped:
"B MP 5.56 NATO 1/9 H BAR" (exactly that way). On some barrels, it may be under the handguard, but it will still say that exact thing. The only difference might be a 1/7 instead of a 1/9 . This denotes the rifling twist. (If it is stamped like this then you can use the 5.56 Nato and the .223 ammo.)


Or call the manufacturer and give them the serial number and find out what they say about it.
 
Well, like everything else I didn't keep it. I sent Bushmaster an email today and here is their response incase anyone ever searches this thread in the future.

"All Bushmaster rifles are chambered to accept 5.56mm ammunition and always have been. The NATO Spec 5.56mm chambers have a longer "leade" or throat than the SAAMI Spec .223 caliber chambers which have about half of the leade or throat of the 5.56mm chambering. While it is safe to fire both 5.56mm and .223 caliber ammunition in our rifles, the 5.56mm ammunition should not be fired in rifles chambered in .223 caliber as they will develop very high pressures."

So basically what I've already been told.

Now I just need to find some ammo.

Thanks.
 
Just throwing in another vote for the .223 is safe in a 5.56 chamber. Regardless which you actually have, you can shoot .223's in it all day long.

A rifle with 5.56 nato chamber can shoot .223 safely.

A rifle with a .223 chamber should not be fed 5.56 nato (you may get away with it but you are risking a catastrophic failure).

Do not go by what is stamped on the receiver. You must go by what is stamped on the barrel. If it is stamped 5.56 you are good to go.

You stated you have a stainless steel barrel? There is a good chance you have a .223 chamber. The .223 chambers are used for accuracy in competition and varmint style ARs. You need to find the stamp on the barrel or contact the manufacturer to verify the chamber before trying any 5.56 nato ammo (assuming the manual is generic for their line of ARs). As I said, don't go by what is stamped on the receiver. Manufacturers may use the same lower for all configurations.
 
Partyguy816

Just missed your post when I answered. Sounds like you are good to go with the Bushy.

Don't turn your nose up at .223 though. It is easier to find and may even be more accurate. Try both. You definitly want the 5.56 nato for any defensive needs but the .223 is good for all around general shooting/plinking.
 
I'm not turning my nose up at it. I've just heard that 5.56 was cheaper, so I thought I'd see if I could find some. I have about 860 rounds of wolf left, so I'm looking to buy some more. It's all for plinking anyways. Becides lake city who or where else can you buy surplus from?
 
Good question....

I also await the answers :) ...I would like to find a good supply of 5.56 mil spec. ammo to play with though my M4gery...

I have noticed that when switching between wolf .223(the nasty laquered stuff :cuss: ) and Winchester white box value pack(pretty gleaming brass and no odor ;) )in one sitting, the Winchester has a much snappier recoil than the Wolf? Is the .223 Winchester loaded closer to the Nato mil spec. or is Wolf simply garbage...Or is there something else I am missing....

:confused:
 
Ammoman

I recommend the Federal XM193 in the 20rd boxes(Part Number #223-0100, 0110). This is the good stuff. He still has some in stock. All prices include shipping. This is a good site to order from.

There is what is called XM193PD (Part Number #223-55GR56-500, -1000, -2000). If the 20rd boxes are available I recommend you buy that first. The PD stuff is concidered practive only and does not have consistant quality. It is packed loose in a box. This is sometimes referred to as "floor sweepings". Basically it is the stuff that did not pass QC for various reasons. 99% of the stuff in the box is okay to shoot but you should examine each round before loading. I have not personally bought this stuff but word on the street is quality can vary greatly from case to case.

XM193 is getting harder and harder to find. I would not wait around to order any once you find it. Ammoman does tend to have it in stock consistantly but does run out time to time.

Cheers
 
There are also intermediate chambers like the 223 Wylde, which provide safe reliable operation with 5.56 ammunition but more accuracy than a big 556 chamber.

I have that chamber in the majority of 556 uppers. They digest XM193 and Black Hills heavy match without fail, and shoot subminute with the good stuff.

-z
 
I have noticed that when switching between wolf .223(the nasty laquered stuff ) and Winchester white box value pack(pretty gleaming brass and no odor )in one sitting, the Winchester has a much snappier recoil than the Wolf? Is the .223 Winchester loaded closer to the Nato mil spec. or is Wolf simply garbage...Or is there something else I am missing....
Click to expand...

The WWB is not loaded to nato spec (although there is Winchester that is nato spec but it has dried up). It's just that the wolf is that much underpowered compared to other .223.

Whether or not Wolf is garbage is an unending debate that really does not have an answer. It is up to the individual to decide that. It is underpowered, dirty, and not as accurate (all other things being equal) to other brands of ammo. But it is cheap. It is great for plinking/blasting away but I would never use it to see how close I can get the holes on the target together. I would never use it for any kind of defensive role either. I have used plenty of Wolf in my SKS without a hiccup.

For every perons that says it is crap, will destroy your rilfe, make your dog sick, knock up your daughter, etc, etc, etc. There are 10 people you say it is great cheap plinking ammo and never had an issue.

I have 40 rds of the polymer Wolf .223 55gr waiting to go the range next time out. I decided I need to see for myself how it runs. If my ARs like it and I don't have any issues with it, I may just buy a case for plinking in the desert. Buying the XM193 gets expensive and I am trying not to shoot up what I have when plinking. I would rather save the XM193 for actuall range duty.
 
Tracers and Bullets and Brass galore!!!!!!!!!

Rexrider, You may have to make room for me and my guns to move in after showing me that link.....I bet I am going to blow half of next months bill money on a XM193-500rnds and some tracers combo for a July fourth light show :) ! Thanx for the imfo, cheers back at cha!

PS Safety first of course :uhoh: :p :)
 
Hah.....

Those darn bills always get in the way, don't they?

Just be careful with the tracers, they can start a brush fire. Keep a fire extinguisher handy :D
 
wolf ammo always causes my bushy XM15 to jam. ALWAYS. i think it's the lacquer on the cases causing the cases to get seized in the chamber. In every other rifle and pistol I own, wolf ammo shoots flawlessly.

Wolf ammo is cheap, smelly, dirty and of questionable reliability in rifles with tight tolerences, but In my experience it's good stuff for the money.

I've since "moved up" to S&B ammo and it seems to work pretty well for my needs. No more jams.

As for tracers starting brushfires... I don't know about that. I've tried to set off some hairspray cans with some standard GI tracers and failed miserably. About all I've been able to do with tracers is singe the edges of the holes in the paper targets I use.
 
I'm glad this worked out for you. I guess it all comes down to presure ratings. If the gun maker says its cool I would go for it and if some thing would happen then you get free money :evil:
 
Speaking of Wolf ammo...

...the newer stuff is not "laquered" any more. Wolf heard the feedback...and made the change. As for my OLY...except for a few hundred rounds of Lake City...I've shot thousands of rounds of Wolf .223 ( 55 & 62 grain FMJ & HP ) without any problems...and at half the price of the Federal and Winchester per thousand round case.

I'll use the LC for match and the Wolf for plinking.... :evil:
 
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