.223/5.56 question?

S

soren57

New member
okay heres the thing, I just got my saiga .223 today and was wondering if i could shoot 5.56 out of it. And last question,can i use a ar15 muzzle break on my saiga rifle if i decide to get the barrel threaded


thanks in advance
 
The short and simple answer is no.
You can safely shoot .223 from a 5.56 chamber, but not vice-verse.
5.56 NATO develops higher chamber pressures.
 
No. The big difference is the 5.56 is military and has higher chamber pressure then the sporting .223 round. No do not use ar parts on a saiga. The Saiga rifle system is proprietary, meaning only saiga parts will safely fit on the saiga rifle.
 
I don't see how a Muzzle break makes ANY difference at all. If you thread the barrel 1/2 x 28 go ahead and put whatever muzzle device you want on the gun. Nothing magic about them.

I do agree that a gun marked .223 should use .223. Leave the mil-surp stuff to the 5.56 chambers or Wylde Chambers.
 
If it says 5.56 on the barrel you can shoot both. If it says .223 you can only shoot .223. That simple. If you get the barrel threaded just show the gunsmith the break you want and he should be able to thread your barrel properly.
 
I believe the muzzle brake is illegal unless you follow the 922r rules. Google "saiga-12 forum" and they have good explainations of how to add parts and stay within the law.
 
Has anyone here had, or know of anyone that has had any kind of issues shooting 556 in 223? I'm just asking out of interest.

I shot some American Eagle XM193 in two different .223 sporters (that I no longer have). It did not have the NATO cross on the head stamp. It fired fine but was rough looking @100yards, and I didn't bother again. When I bought it to try, I was told by the store owner that the whole issue is bogus and not to worry about it. I'm not taking sides but just wondered what your experience has been.

Also I have a lot of FMJ PMC .223 which I have seen claimed that it is identical to XM193 but I can't find that reference now. We've all ready read the pages of opinion professional and otherwise, but it occurs to me I've never seen proof of an issue. I have also not seen chrony tests to see how different the external ballistics are.

-SS-
 
I have an older 188 series Mini Ranch that's labeled .223 on the receiver, yet- it's actually chambered in 5.56...specifically states so in the manual.

A bit confusing, I suspect Ruger did it for political correctness...

I have seen similar confusing "specs" for the .308 Win./ 7.62 x 51 NATO where the two are seemingly used interchangeably. It's interesting that the opposite holds true here, the .308 develops higher chamber pressures than the NATO round.

If the manual is not clear, I would contact the manufacturer for clarification.

With that said, we have shot 5.56 from our Rem.700 bolt (.223) on rare occasions (ammo availability) with no issues, but I'd never do it on a routine basis.
 
Interesting

over the course of time i have done some research on this particular topic.

BLUF .223 Remington is an approved cartridge with specifications from SAAMI. 5.56MM Military is not. (weird huh its born of NATO agreements and spelled out in STANAG's).

if you peruse www.saami.org you will find a listing of unsafe cartridge combinations http://www.saami.org/specifications...1-Unsafe_Arms_and_Ammunition_Combinations.pdf
page 7 details the 223 to 5.56mm warning. the .223 cartridge drawing is here http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rifle/223 Remington.pdf

in fact in 1979 SAAMI recognized there was an issue despite the 5.56mm having been derived from the .223. basically it was caused by the 5.56mm being rated at 60,000 PSI and the .223 being rated at 55,000 PSI. this increase in cartridge case pressure and the shorter leade in the typical .223 chamber causes a dangerous pressure condition.

if you really want to find out if your chamber is capable of shooting 5.56mm i would advise taking a chamber cast of it and measuring it, compare those measurements to the specs for 5.56mm and make an informed choice.

or you could just send your firearm to a gunsmith and specify that they re-chamber it to 5.56mm specs.
 
DON'T rechamber a Saiga, the chambers and bore are chrome lined for longevity and reliability.

Most "milsurp" 5.56 is some variant of M193 or M855. Why a 55 grain projectile at 3,200 FPS is ok as 223 Rem but not ok as 5.56 Nato is beyond me. The "max pressure" isn't the same as "working pressure" in a load, only in what the rifles firing that load have to be proofed to work with.

The "longer lead" wasn't put in there for longer bullets, it was put in there for looser clearances (as opposed to tolerances) so that things would be reliable for fully automatic fire and when crud got put into the system.

It is your rifle, and everyone on the internet has an opinion. This is mine.

Jimro
 
I read a lot of guys on the internet who say no. But I've known guys who have done so for years. Never heard of anyone ever having a problem.
 
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