Reloading 5.56mm

[steverjo]

I have several thousand rounds of Federal 55gr XM193 5.56mm ball. The head stamp is LC 08. This is to be used in an AR-15 style rifle.

I have looked in several reloading manuals but have not seen any instructions on reloading 5.56. Is it the same as .223? What primers to use? powder? quantities?

If it is to be loaded to the same specs as .223, why can't you shoot 5.56 from a rifle marked as .223?

Help!! Please.

 

[evan price]

The two can be reloaded virtually identically.

5.56 is a looser chamber spec than .223 is and some 5.56 may be too long to properly fit a .223 chamber.

Unless you have some sort of custom Match-grade rifle it will most likely have a .mil-spec 5.56 chamber.

Most AR type rifles are a 5.56 chamber.

Reload using the .223 specs. Small rifle primer, pick your powder (I like H335).

A SAAMI-spec .223 chamber has a shorter leade than a NATO-spec .mil chamber. That means a 5.56 round may be too long to chamber without jamming the bullet into the rifling in a SAAMI-spec .223 chamber.

 

[243winxb]

5.56mm & 223Rem are Different

http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html This site has lots of information on the difference of the 3 chambers used and what makes the 5.56mm diffrerent from the 223Rem. There is loading data for both bolt action and AR firearms. Don't miss all the different barrel rifling twists available, along with bullet weights. Also look here http://www.ar15.com/

 

[243winxb]

SAAMI " 5.56MM Ammo Unsafe In 223Rem" Factory Military Ammo

http://www.saami.org/Unsafe_Combinations.cfm Some Military factory ammo in 5.56mm maybe loaded to higher pressures than 223 Rem factory ammo. When reloading just work up a load using the same components, brass, primer, bullets, powder lot number. Stay away for the maximum charge.