Which calibers do you shoot...?!

[escapedthematrix]

You are one of the worst sources of advice on this forum. I am a RO at a local range. I see ARs go through more brass and steel than I could count. A properly maintained quality AR will go through THOUSANDS of rounds without a malfunction.

You choose a wack job with a cheap AR and proclaim it as gospel. It's more likely that you had a potato peeler with M16 stamped on the side than it is for you to know what you are saying to give good advice.

And since you didn't answer the reloading question you probably don't (I do) so do not give reloading advice.

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I understand that the wack job was also using a high capacity mag which are more likely to jam than a standard 20 or 30 round mag. I was also under the impression that .223 and 5.56 were the same but after reading these posts i'm re-thinking. I have used both in my AR. Its a Colt HBAR and I have never had a jam.

 

[SHOOTER013]

My 2 cents...

Don't know how a 5.56 versus .223 caliber discussion got started in my thread...but since it is here and there seems to be confusion...OK then !!


5.56x45mm NATO vs. .223 Remington


There are several differences between these two types of ammo, but the main concern involves the difference in pressure. The unit of measurement used to determine the pressure at which ammo is meant to be fired is copper units of pressure, or CUP. The .223 ammo is meant to be fired at a maximum of 55,000 CUP, while 5.56 is made to withstand 62,000 CUP. This difference means that the 5.56 will fire as if it is being fired from an M16, something the civilian AR-15's chamber might not be able to handle.

The difference between the M16 and the AR-15 that affects the two types of ammunition is called "leade." Leade is often referred to as the "throat" of the gun and is the area of the barrel that lies in the area just in front of the chamber. This area is designed to allow the bullet to be placed before being discharged. The throat of an M16 is nearly twice that of an AR-15, allowing greater CUP.

Firing 5.56 ammo from an AR-15 can have several consequences. It can cause the gun to malfunction, such as misfiring, or it could cause the AR-15 to blow a case head on a cartridge being fired. The latter can be dangerous. For this reason, it is considered unsafe by such organizations as the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute. The institute lists the AR-15/5.56 weapon/ammo combination in its Unsafe Arms and Ammunition Data Sheet.

 

[SHOOTER013]

My 2 cents... (continued)

The .223 Remington cartridge was developed in 1964. It fires a .224-inch diameter bullet, with bullet weights ranging from as low as 40 grains for varmints to as high as 90 grains for big game hunting applications. The 5.56 mm NATO cartridge has the same exterior dimensions as the .223 Remington. It also fires a .224-inch projectile in a wide variety of bullet weights, but, being a military cartridge, it is produced with bullets developed specifically for battle applications, such as tracers.

While the .223 Remington and 5.56 mm NATO share similar exterior dimensions, the chambers from which they are fired are different. The distance from the case mouth to where the rifling starts is called freebore or leade. The leade for a 5.56 NATO chamber is approximately twice as long as for a .223 Remington. The 5.56mm NATO chamber leade is .162 inch, while the .223 Remington's leade is .085 inch.

The 5.56 mm NATO's brass casing has greater wall-thickness than the casing for a .223 Remington. This is because the 5.56 mm NATO develops higher chamber pressure. The 5.56 mm NATO develops 62,000 psi, while the .223 Remington produces at 55,000 psi.

Due to the differences in leade and pressure, the cartridges are not interchangeable. The .223 Remington can be safely fired in a rifle with a 5.56 mm NATO-spec chamber, but it is extremely dangerous to fire a 5.56 mm NATO round in a .223 Remington chamber. The operating pressure alone makes this a dangerous practice. Also, pressure can dramatically rise beyond safe levels because the 5.56 mm NATO would not have enough leade in a .223 Remington chamber.

 

[9026543]

My Bushmaster AR-15 is stamped 5.56/223. Haven't had any problems firing any ammo yet.

 

[SHOOTER013]

Can you take a pic of that stamping...I would like to see it !!

 

[lukem]

Here are the calibers I currently shoot:

9MM
.40 S&W
45 ACP
.223
.22
.32
.380

 

[Warbirds]

My Bushmaster AR-15 is stamped 5.56/223. Haven't had any problems firing any ammo yet.

Is that stamping on the receiver or the barrel? My receiver says "multi" and it is the 5.56 on the barrel that matters.

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[lukem]

Can you take a pic of that stamping...I would like to see it !!

Here is a picture of my Bushmaster Patrolman M4 with 223 - 5.56 MM stamping.
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[Warbirds]

Here is a picture of my Bushmaster Patrolman M4 with 223 - 5.56 MM stamping.
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Do you have a pic of the barrel markings?

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[lukem]

Do you have a pic of the barrel markings?

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Hard to make out but it is:

6 MP 5.56 NATO 1/9

 

[SHOOTER013]

Thanks Luke...

Never seen an AR dual stamped that way before...but, having said that...it is probably

a 5.56x45mm barrel...which allows a .223 Rem to be shot from it. ( not visa versa )

 

[Warbirds]

Luke

I see your Bushmaster M4 and raise you a Bushmaster A3 flat top. Also marked 223/5.56 but the barrel also clearly states 5.56.

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[9026543]

Here is a picture of my Bushmaster Patrolman M4 with 223 - 5.56 MM stamping.
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Mine has the same marking on the receiver. If the barrel is marked it is under the hand guard and haven't had it off in a long time.

 

[Rhino]

Ah got me an AK. It shoots them thar 7 pohnt six twos, nails, carpet tacks and jest about evrythin else ah got a mind tah put in it. Rat now ah'm a tryin tah git it to shoot mah muther in law!

 

[Warbirds]

Someone mentioned that this thread was hijacked with a 223/5.56 conversation. I don't think so, I think it applies.

What you shoot can be very dangerous if you don't know what you should shoot.

For example, you can buy real cheap 9mm lead bullets, right? I can't, it isn't safe to fire lead in my HK, if you own a glock the same rule applies. It isn't safe to fire lead in a polygonal barrel.

I read on a forum about a guy using bullets pulled from 7.62.54r (mosin nagant rounds) to reload for 300 blackout (7.62x35) rounds instead of more expensive 7.62x51 nato bullets. After all 7.62 = 7.62 = 7.62 right???? No... the next guy explained that a 7.62x54r bullet is actually .312 in diameter not the .308 that he needed for a 300 blackout and he was more than likely causing dangerous pressures in his barrel.... he just didnt know it.

Here is a final fun one for you. Did you know you can fire a 308 round in a 30-06? You can, but you are effin stupid to do it.
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On the left is what they should have shot, on the right is what they did shoot, and in the middle is what happens to the brass if you stupidly fired a 308 in a 30-06.

If I can find it I will post a picture of the 9mm brass that made it into my 40sw magazine and into my gun. The extractor held it in place and when it went pop instead of bang and the slide didn't move I knew I had screwed up. Ever since I have made sure to never have open boxes of different ammo on the bench, especially while distracted by coaching my wife.

Those last two examples are a little off subject, but the 223/5.56 brings to light that if you own a gun you should know what the barrel is chambered for and what ammo is safe to fire from it. You own a 223 and you fire 5.56 ammo from it...... please sign up for additional insurance and please put me as your beneficiary.

As a responsible gun owner you should know the difference.

 

[S&W645]

Here is the side of my Colt AR-15 A2 Sporter II. And then the barrel. Lower is marked "CAL. .223" while the barrel is marked "C MP 5.56 NATO 1/7". It is the barrel's chamber that sets which it is safe to shoot. In this case, both 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington.

 

[Darroch]

Handgun
.38 S/W Special
9x18mm Makarov (x2)
.40 S&W (x2)

Rifle / Carbine
.22 Long Rifle (x2)
30-30 Marlin
7.62x39mm (x3)
7.62x54R
7mm Remington Magnum

Shotgun 12 gauge (x4)
20 gauge (x3)

.50 Muzzleloader


Air Gun
.177 pellet

 

[donp326]

45 ACP
9mm x 19
308/7.62 NATO
338 Winchester Magnum
5.56 NATO

Reload them all too.

 

[donp326]

Oh 12 guage too but don't reload that one.

 

[bobbyhbiker]

.380-9mm-.25-270-308-.22-20ga Bobbybiker