Wylde chamber what is it, and is it worth more $$$

[danprkr]

I've been reading a lot about barrels chambered in .223 Wylde. I've never heard of it, but the research I've been doing seems to me to be a cross between the looser 5.56 and the civilian .223 Remington chambering.

I have a couple of questions:

* Is this an accurate assessment of what this .223 Wylde is?

* If I'm building a SHTF rifle, and my main focus is to make sure it feeds and goes bang would I be better of with a true 5.56 chamber or does it matter?

Any ideas/help appreciated.

 

[kyle1974]

it's a compromise chamber between 5.56 and 223.

it's not a different caliber. The dimensions of the chamber are modified so that you can shoot 223 ammo, or most of the 5.56 ammo.

it is not safe to shoot 5.56 ammo in rifles chambered for standard 223

some of the AR manufacturers are no chambering in the wylde chamber to be more universal.

 

[longdayjake]

my wylde chamber does not wear out brass as fast as my 5.56 chamber. Its also more accurate, but that could be because of the barrel.

 

[JDGray]

My RRA uses a Wilson Match barrel with said chamber, absolutly reliable and very accurate. Mine and yours, SHTF situations, will probably end very quickly, unless your LE. (The tighter chambers, not gonna matter)

 

[Brimic]

If you reload, a Wylde chamber is a blessing- I get cases stretching (measured on a cartridge headspace guage) up to around 0.006-0.007" in 556 chambers and around 0.001-0.002" in my Wylde chambered rifle. Tighter chamber= longer brass life.
That being said, I only shoot carefully made handloads in that rifle, keep it very clean, and I can't speak for how it would work with some of the steel cased ammo.

* If I'm building a SHTF rifle, and my main focus is to make sure it feeds and goes bang would I be better of with a true 5.56 chamber or does it matter?

I don't see how a Wylde chamber would be of any advantage whatsoever for that rifle. Its a tighter chamber and you can already shoot either .223 or 556 ammo in a 556 chamber.

 

[bhk]

I would guess that most .223 marked ARs actually have some type of hybrid chamber similar to the Wylde, even though that don't advertise as such. When asked, I know Bushmaster (maker of the Remington R-15) states the R-15s marked as .223 actually have a hybrid chamber and it is ok to shoot 5.56 in them. I think they chamber them this way for liability reasons, and mark them .223 for PC and sales reasons. I have heard the same of other makers.

I have no doubt that the ARs designed primarily as high grade target rifles and marked .223 are really .223s, but who knows for sure. I guess a direct question to the company or a chamber cast is the only way to know for sure.

 

[BWB]

Can anyone direct me to documented evidence that "it is unsafe to shoot 5.56 ammo in a .223 chamber"?

 

[danprkr]

Can anyone direct me to documented evidence that "it is unsafe to shoot 5.56 ammo in a .223 chamber"?

Not I, I thought they were the same until I started doing this build. If I could find my reloading books and dig them out of storage I'd check the case dimensions, but if I recall from memory they were the same in the last reloading manuals I bought.