Bolt Action 5.56 help

B

Blade37db

New member
In the market for a 5.56 (not just .223) bolt action rifle and am wondering if there are any that I'm not looking at. Currently, the ones that I know of that meet my criteria of:

5.56
1:9 twist (or faster)
Iron sights

Are:
CZ 527
Mossberg MVP Scout/Patrol
Ruger Gunsite Scout

Am I missing any others?
Thanks!
 
Okaaaaaaaay...here we go again.

I have an older Colt AR 15 and two CZ bolt guns. I know the CZs are stamped 223 Remington and I think the AR is stamped 5.56. I have used factory loaded 223 and 5.56 military ammo in all of them. I cannot discern any difference. All the rifles will chamber and function fine with either ammo. What am I missing? Are there any bolt action sporting rifles claiming to be in 5.56?
 
I have an older Colt AR 15 and two CZ bolt guns. I know the CZs are stamped 223 Remington and I think the AR is stamped 5.56. I have used factory loaded 223 and 5.56 military ammo in all of them. I cannot discern any difference. All the rifles will chamber and function fine with either ammo. What am I missing?
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I dont think youre missing anything. My experience has been the same.

Are there any bolt action sporting rifles claiming to be in 5.56?
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I picked up one of the Mossberg MPVs a couple of months ago, and it is marked "5.56 NATO". Im shooting both out of it too, and the world has not stopped turning.

Since the Mossberg is in the list above, Ill say this, if I were to do it again, Id probably pass. Its "OK", but thats about it. Action is rough and choppy, and its not really all that accurate, 3" or so at 200 yards is the best Ive got out of it so far. More than doable, but not in the Remington or Savage league.
 
I just bought the new 1:9" 527 carbine and now that it has a couple hundred through it, the action is quite slick. With a cheap 4x scope and sandbagged I have no trouble picking off clay pigeons at 330 yards with the cheapest 55gr bullets I can find and a casefull of 4895.

Per CZ USA, it is actually 223/5.56.
 
I'm quite sure someone will chime in with the specific technical details soon. My understanding is that it is safe to fire 223 Remington from a 5.56 NATO but not the other way around. 223 Wylde is the safe way to go.

A friend that owns a Remington AR type rifle chambered in 223 Remington tried to chamber a 5.56 NATO round and the bolt would not close.
Test was repeated with numerous different rounds with the same result. 223 Remington ammo from multiple manufacturers chambered just fine.
 
I just bought the new 1:9" 527 carbine and now that it has a couple hundred through it, the action is quite slick. With a cheap 4x scope and sandbagged I have no trouble picking off clay pigeons at 330 yards with the cheapest 55gr bullets I can find and a casefull of 4895.

Per CZ USA, it is actually 223/5.56.

This seems to be the leader in the clubhouse at this point.
 
A friend that owns a Remington AR type rifle chambered in 223 Remington tried to chamber a 5.56 NATO round and the bolt would not close.
Test was repeated with numerous different rounds with the same result. 223 Remington ammo from multiple manufacturers chambered just fine.
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Sounds like something might be up with your buddys gun.

I have four AR's, two are 5.56 specific, two are .223. All feed commercial .223 and GI/surplus 5.56 interchangeably, and all shoot factory loaded ammo about the same as far as accuracy goes.

I also reload and shoot both commercial and military brass, without issue in all four guns, and get the same case life with both types (the military brass is shorter lived in all guns).
 
There are a couple small differences in the two chambers.
The 5.56 chamber has a slightly longer leade to the rifling, and the neck area of the chamber is a bit larger in diameter.
This is because military spec brass is thicker than commercial, and it needs the extra room to expand and let go of the bullet.
Often, both rounds will seat in a 223 chamber. They will both fire in it. However, a pressure spike is created by the extra tightness as the bullet must be forced from the case neck, and then it hits the rifling sooner. This is also what leads to the slightly better accuracy of 223. The headspace mostly overlaps, but 223 goes more to the tighter end, and 5.56 goes further on the long end.
This pressure spike is not normally enough to blow up a gun, but it is an overpressure condition, and will cause accelerated wear and fatigue over time. In semiautos, it can cause the primer to be popped out as the action opens.
The wylde chamber was developed to get the best of both worlds. The tighter accuracy of the 223 chamber, without the pressure spike.
 
I have the MVP Patrol and while the action is a bit sloppy and the fit is not very good, it is accurate and reliable. With Nosler 50grain BTs to 69s, I am getting around 1.5" groups at 200 yards.
 
I would be curious if the bolt guns that are marked 556 (MVP for example) ACTUALLY have 556 chambers or if they are actually 223 chambers.
 
There is a reamer that will convert a 223 chamber into a 5.56 chamber, without altering headspace.
It only opens up the neck and leade.
Its not cheap, though.
 
My Stag AR has a 5.56 chamber so I'm good to go.However,if I owned a .223 rifle,it would NEVER see a 5.56 round Period!
 
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