5.56 NATO or Wylde chamber

[USAF_Vet]

I'm looking to replace the 5.56 NATO DPMS heavy bull barrel on my AR with something more light weight.

I shoot a mixed bag of 5.56 and .223 Remington ammo, mostly brass But some steel cases. Looking and researching new barrels, I'm seeing a lot of .223 Wylde chambers in these barrels.

I know that 5.56 barrel can shoot (and fire form) .223 rem, but a 5.56 is not recommended in a .223 rem barrel. But this .223 Wylde has be a bit confused, so I figured I toss out the question here while I'm still researching info.

Is there any benefit to the .223 Wylde over a 5.56 NATO chambered barrel for a run of the mill AR?

 

[redneck383]

The wylde chamber has a little less freebore than the 5.56 but can shoot either 5.56 or .223 safely. Supposedly a little more accurate than the standard 5.56 chamber.

 

[taliv]

wylde is officially awesome chamber.

the brass dimensions for all of them are the same, so none will fireform your brass to a different caliber (though all chambers are different and may vary slightly)

reality is, a lot of chambers marked NATO are really some bastardized version. same for 223Rem marked chambers. so it's hard to know what you've really got

 

[RainDodger]

Out of all my rifles, including some dedicated varmint rifles in .22-250 and .243, my Wylde-chambered 5.56 is the most "accurate". At least I can say that I can hold the tightest group of any of them with my Rock River Wylde-chambered AR. It's a 20", free-floated barrel with an upgraded trigger group. Absolutely love it.

 

[carbine85]

I went with the Wylde. It's the most accurate AR I have.

 

[Welding Rod]

All of my Wylde chambered barrels have been more considerably accurate than my 556 barrels, however my Wylde barrels also have had heavier profiles.

 

[Jim Watson]

Looking at the drawings and dimensions, it is hard to see what the Wylde has that others don't but it sure has a great reputation.

 

[tuj]

Wylde - go for it.

 

[alsaqr]

reality is, a lot of chambers marked NATO are really some bastardized version. same for 223Rem marked chambers. so it's hard to know what you've really got

Exactly.

Many .223/5.56mm chambers are botched. All too often the chamber you get depends on the condition of the reamer and the skill and concern of the person wielding the reamer. Many, if not most, .223/5.56mm barrels are chambered by cheap hourly labor rather than gunsmiths.

 

[USAF_Vet]

All of my Wylde chambered barrels have been more considerably accurate than my 556 barrels, however my Wylde barrels also have had heavier profiles.

This is kinda what I wanted to avoid. It's a lightweight build frankenrifle, not a target gun.

My next 5.56 rifle build may be more suited for that, but thats a little ways down the road since I have two more builds planned after I finish my current build and my lightweight build.

Food for thought anyway. Thanks for the info, guys.

 

[Welding Rod]

You might want to check out Fulton Armory. They sell light profile Wylde chambered barrel made by Criterion (good stuff in my experience). I believe they are 1:8 twist and are available chrome lined.

 

[futurerider103]

This is out of my 18in HBAR Wilson .223 Wylde 1/8 barrel in a YHM upper and RRA lower.
62gr ZQ1 with a 1-4 Millett DMS at 100yds. The top is a 4 shot group the bullseye was an adjustment shot.
I don't think I need anything better then this

 

[Gun Geezer]

A tad off topic. But, I have a nice bolt rifle in .223. Can the chamber be changed to the Wylde by an average smith?

I'd like to be able to shoot 5.56 in everything.

 

[dprice3844444]

try it first to see if you have any issues before spending the money

 

[Gun Geezer]

Uh, what??

I thought it would blow up or crack or such if I tried a 5.56 in a .223.

If I fired a few 5.56 thru it, what should I look for to indicate a problem?

 

[Gun Geezer]

Uh, what??

I thought it would blow up or crack or such if I tried a 5.56 in a .223.

If I fired a few 5.56 thru it, what should I look for to indicate a problem?

 

[futurerider103]

If it's chambers in .223 Remington and not .223 Wylde or 5.56 do not shoot anything but .223 Remington in it because it will cause over pressure

 

[Sam1911]

There have been approximately zero .223 bolt action rifles damaged by firing 5.56 ammo in them, but yours could be the first!

Probably the best article ever written on this subject. Like with REAL data and stuff: http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/5-56-vs-223/#bookmark0

One of many interesting quotes:

Summary: Velocities and pressures for 5.56 ammunition in a .223 barrel were not significantly higher than the same ammunition in a 5.56 barrel; in fact, they were in between the two 5.56 barrels. This doesn’t mean that your barrel will have the same results, and you should always be aware of pressure signs when holding metal objects containing 50-60,000psi of pressure only a few inches away from your face.