thanks for the info..

Exactly the info I was looking for..I just got a RRA 16" gun marked 5.56.

I was told they were different and in other conversations told they were the same..

That solves that..thanks again

 

My understanding is mini 14 is chambered for and uses same leade as 5.56. If anyone knows different please let me know.

This is an excellent post and should be saved by all, and or printed out for reference.

 

Thompson contender

I don't know about the Mini-14 Popeye, but I had a TC pistol that consistently show pressure danger signs and I didn't know what was wrong. Maybe the barrel was .223 and I was shooting 5.56.

 

My understanding is mini 14 is chambered for and uses same leade as 5.56. If anyone knows different please let me know.

This is an excellent post and should be saved by all, and or printed out for reference.

Dear popeye,

Your understanding appears to be correct. The manual for my Ranch Rifle says that it is, "...designed to use either standardized U.S> Military, or commercial sporting .223 (5.56mm) caliber cartridges manufactured in accordance with U.S. industry practice." Stay safe, Gary

 

Gary W Trott

Thanks, I bought a used mini 14 a while back, no manual.

 

I guess the mini will take any kind of ammo! mine takes everything even that wolf that everyone complains about I love it.

 

Greg1911

I love the Wolf .223 also I think it shoots great , my Bushy AR-15 will gobble up all that you will give it. Plus its only $100 per thousand rds thats the part I love.

Coltman

 

I know that price is great, where do you get yours? I was shooting it thru thick plates of steel and I was impressed by its penetration.

 

Greg1911

I picked up a case at a gunshow about 4 months ago, it was the 55grn. FMJ I ended up paying $96 even for it.

I haven't had a chance to try the .223 on steel plates yet but I've done it with the 7.62x39 Wolf HP in my AK-47. I was shooting at a piece of 3/8 inch Ibeam at 50yrds and they cut right through it.

I've also shot alot of .45 Wolf in my Colt 1911 without any problems. And I've seen it at the gunshows for $64 for 500rds.

Coltman

 

WOW!!

Valuable information.

I was told that the .223 was the civilian term for the 5.56 nato. Now I know the difference.

Thanks

Jobe

 

I think it was late 1966 when an Austin, TX, TV station showed footage of the military's new WunderWeapon and its cartridge. The newsies showed suitable awe at the destruction of concrete blocks, and went, "Oh, wow!" at the idea of a 55-grain bullet at 3,000 ft/sec.

Having played with a Swift and a Varminter some 16 yeqrs before, I was--somehow--not as awestruck.

The Mini-14 came out and I bought one. I knew guys at Fort Hood, and there was a reasonable supply of "surplus" ammo. It shot just fine.

I've owned a few ARs and a few Minis. As I look at how they're built, and compare them with bolt actions, I have great difficulty worrying about the difference between GI ammo and non-GI ammo. Looks to me like a bolt action will take more pressure than either of the semi-autos.

When target shooters find improved accuracy with bullets seated out almost touching the lands, why is leade an issue? I have often seated max-load bullets to almost touching the lands, and have had no pressure signs. I just can't buy into this "leade" argument.

Sorry.

, Art

 

Further in the hearsay department, I heard that Colt and Bushmaster had 5.56 mm chambers and other makers had .223 chambers. Anyone know the story on this?

 

Too my knowledge bushmaster and KAC are the only ones at present chambering for the 5.56 and soon possibly RRA.

Karsten

 

I am not sure I quite believe Winchester's claim of significant difference between 5.56 NATO and REM .223. They suggest that the 5.56 produce higher pressures and greater velocity over .223, but the difference in velocity is quite small with NATO rounds rated at 3300 fps for a 55 grain bullet and much of the commercial .223 loads for a 55 grain bullet produce velocities of 3100 to 3250 fps with most being 3200 or better. Maybe I am missing something? It looks to me like the greatest difference in velocity is only by a few percent.

 

Can one tell by the headstamp on the case of the cartridge whether it's a 5.56 or a .223?

I have a Thompson Center Contender barrel marked .223, I assume this is really .223, and that I shouldn't fire 5.56 ammo in it.

But if I already have some ammo, my question is,

Does all 5.56 ammo say 5.56 on the case? If it says .223, then it must be safe for a .223 chamber, right?

 

.223 in a T/C Contender

If it says .223 Rem, it should be safe for your contender, no questoin.

As far as mil-surplus ammo, most of it will be headstamped by manufacturer and year (LC 75 being Lake City 1975, for example). It will not say 5.56 or .223 on it either way MOST of the time. That said, some might say 5.56 NATO, but should or would not say .223 Rem. because the .223 Remington is a commercial load, not military.

Hope this confuses the issue more...

 

Rem. The 5.56 cartridge case may have thicker walls, and a thicker head, for extra strength. This better contains the higher chamber pressure. However, a thicker case reduces powder capacity, which is of concern to the reloader.

I think this myth originally got started because of the difference in the .308 and 7.62 nato cartridges. Although loading manuels do warn reloaders that there is a difference between these two cartridges because of the case thinkness and dimensions they make no mention whatsoever about the same being true for the .223 Rem. v/s the 5.56 mm cartridges.

It is only common sense to realize that a round loaded to extremely high velocity may indeed cause problems if the weapon in question did not have the correct lead in the throat. Having said that I have seen absolutely no one at our range have any problems firing millitary 5.56 ammo in commercial guns. Not that it could not happen but I have not seen it happen. W.R.

 

Suppose I'll throw my hat into this...I took a defensive class with John Farnam a while back and this subject came up with respect to .223 and 5.56mm auto-loading rifles.

Someone asked about the Mini-14...it is best to get a gunsmith familiar with the issue to check your rifle because Mini-14's have been made with both SAAMI(.223) and NATO(5.56) chambers and there is no way to tell just by looking at the exterior of the rifle.

For the AR-15, I'm only familiar with three brands, Bushmaster, Colt and Armalite. Bushmaster rifles are chambered for 5.56NATO and are so marked. The same is GENERALLY true of Colt but I have been told that there are SAAMI chambered Colt's on the market. I am told that this happens when some one "builds" and AR on a Colt reciever but all Colt rifles supposedly leave the factory chambered for 5.56NATO. Armalite does give one cause for concern since they manufacture barrels and guns chambered both ways. According to Armalite, for the AR15's, the chrome-lined, "moly" barrels are NATO chambered where as the "stainless" match barrels are SAAMI chambered. All of Armalite's AR-10(308) rifles are supposed to be chambered for 7.62NATO unless they are chambered for the smaller .243 cartridge.

Another pretty slick autoloading 5.56mm rifle is the Robinson Arms M96 Expeditionary rifle. These are all chambered for 5.56NATO and are gaining a reputation as being the rifle the AR15 should have been. Having seen them and shot them...I'm inclined to agree but I had to settle for the AR15 to keep my budget in check and to be sure that I had easy access to spare parts.