.223 vs 5.56

gixer1

Well-Known Member
Has anyone had any issues with .223 vs 5.56 such as buying ammunition or having one or the other on your FAC for authority to purchase/possess?

Seems like a bit of jobsworthy thing to pick up on?

Regards,
Gixer
 
5.56 pressures are higher, so they're not suitable for most rifles chambered for .223.

5.56 can fire .223, but the opposite isn't recommended 👍
 
I guess the main question here is - would an FAC with .223 be able to purchase/obtain a firearm stamped .223/5.56 wylde chamber type?
 
Is it not just the throat difference that makes potential higher pressure rather than the rounds being higher pressure??
I can't remember the details, but it's something like that 👍

I guess the answer to your question would best come from your FLO? Personally, I would say 'yes'. If you have a .223 slot as long as the rifle you intend buying references .223 you should be covered? You know how quickly things can go pear-shaped though, so probably best check?
 
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I guess the main question here is - would an FAC with .223 be able to purchase/obtain a firearm stamped .223/5.56 wylde chamber type?
Yes, because it is NOT a .223/5.56 chamber officially.

It is a .223 Wylde.

I’m in the process of purchasing one. You can safely fire 5.56 ammunition, but it is a .223 chamber officially
 
I had a Howa which was on my certificate as ".223" and the NRA armoury refused to sell me 5.56 ammo (well, actually slightly more complicated than that - they refused to enter it on my certificate but, in the usual way with the NRA, were happy to sell it to me as long as I said I was going to use it all before leaving Bisley).

I now have an AR15 with a Wylde chamber and it's on my certificate as 5.56/.223
 
Yes, because it is NOT a .223/5.56 chamber officially.

It is a .223 Wylde.

I’m in the process of purchasing one. You can safely fire 5.56 ammunition, but it is a .223 chamber officially

I’m in the same position - just want to make sure when I go to pick it up it’s not an issue as my FAC states .223.

So by that description - it’s .223….wylde albeit - but still a .223….


There is also a bit of discussion on if a straight pull is a “bolt action” - to me, it is as it has a bolt…that works in an action….🤷🏻‍♂️
 
I had a Howa which was on my certificate as ".223" and the NRA armoury refused to sell me 5.56 ammo (well, actually slightly more complicated than that - they refused to enter it on my certificate but, in the usual way with the NRA, were happy to sell it to me as long as I said I was going to use it all before leaving Bisley).

I now have an AR15 with a Wylde chamber and it's on my certificate as 5.56/.223

Quite correct. My ammo allowance, from Essex, says .223/5.56
I’m in the same position - just want to make sure when I go to pick it up it’s not an issue as my FAC states .223.

So by that description - it’s .223….wylde albeit - but still a .223….


There is also a bit of discussion on if a straight pull is a “bolt action” - to me, it is as it has a bolt…that works in an action….🤷🏻‍♂️

No, some bolt bolt actions are straight pull, but straight pull does normally have a separate definition.

My slot only states calibre, not action
 
Quite correct. My ammo allowance, from Essex, says .223/5.56


No, some bolt bolt actions are straight pull, but straight pull does normally have a separate definition.

My slot only states calibre, not action
Not from what I’ve seen - almost all the straight pull owners have “bolt action” on their certificate.

All the Blaser/merkel owners I know just have “bolt action”….
 
Is it not just the throat difference that makes potential higher pressure rather than the rounds being higher pressure??

Yes. 5.56mm has more 'freebore' and a shallower leade angle.

Also, 223 and 5.56 pressures are obtained / set using different measuring methodologies and aren't directly comparable (US SAAMI vs EU CIP and the latter rates 223 Rem as the same >60K psi max pressure as 5.56).

For actual 5.56 use/pressures in a 223 Rem rifle see:

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/5-56-vs-223

(Note the author's comments that outside of a ballistics lab, your chances of owning a rifle with a SAAMI-compliant 223 Rem chamber are virtually zero. That certainly ties in with most people's experiences of '223' factory rifles where the chamber throat is usually so long that bullet shanks are outside of the case-mouth before the ogive contacts the rifling.
 
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