sixxgunnernick
New member
Is this rifle able to run .223?
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Ruger 5.56
- Thread starter sixxgunnernick
- Start date
WeedWacker
New member
Yes.
.223 Remington is lower pressure than 5.56x45 despite having the same bullet diameter/case length.
A rifle chambered in .223 isn't engineered with the pressures of 5.56 in mind so using 5.56 loaded rounds in a .223 chambered rifle is inadvisable.
I have read accounts of people using 5.56 in some .223 AR's, but I'm a bit skeptical and would have to see it done over thousands of rounds and have a close inspection for receiver, bolt, and chamber cracking.
.223 Remington is lower pressure than 5.56x45 despite having the same bullet diameter/case length.
A rifle chambered in .223 isn't engineered with the pressures of 5.56 in mind so using 5.56 loaded rounds in a .223 chambered rifle is inadvisable.
I have read accounts of people using 5.56 in some .223 AR's, but I'm a bit skeptical and would have to see it done over thousands of rounds and have a close inspection for receiver, bolt, and chamber cracking.
Technosavant
New member
IIRC the Ruger Mini-14 is chambered to accept both 223 and 5.56 !!
I suspect he's asking about the SR-556, Ruger's piston driven AR, which should indeed be chambered for 5.56mm. I believe the only Mini-14 that has a .223 (not 5.56) chamber is the target model.
Before there was such a thing as the Internet, the two were the same thing. Ditto for 7.62NATO and .308 Win.
The SR-556 can use either. http://www.ruger.com/products/sr556Standard/models.html
The SR-556 can use either. http://www.ruger.com/products/sr556Standard/models.html
I suspect the listing of the target mini as .223 is just a 'typo'... I can't imagine they would go to the added trouble of only chambering it in .223... what would be the advantage.... and if nothing else the liability would out way any marketing advantage.
as for the original question... has to be the 5.56... you should 'always' be able to shoot .223 in 5.56 but not always the other way around, depends on the manufacturer.
as for the original question... has to be the 5.56... you should 'always' be able to shoot .223 in 5.56 but not always the other way around, depends on the manufacturer.
This comes up all the time ,most if not all rifles chambered in 5.56 will shoot 223 and visa versa . I have yet to see a problem in any quality rifle . I may be flamed for this statement ,but I'll stan by it .
Well, Flame, Flame, Flame. While you can get away with using 5.56 in a 223 barrel the higher pressures should erode your barrel faster as well as it not seating in the chamber as well because of the shoulder angle and burn out the throat faster.
Barrels are cheap to replace I guess, besides you didn't want an accurate rifle did you?
Jim
The 5.56 NATO and .223 are not the same cartridge. Neither are the 7.62 NATO and the .308 Winchester. This is why you have different reloading dies and reloading data for each. I would not fire a 5.56 in a .223, and I would not fire a .308 Win in a 7.62.
Not true, Hornady, RCBS, Lee, Lyman all list the same dies for .223/5.56 and .308 / 7.62x51 share the same dies as well.
tahunua001
New member
I hear a lot of piston guns have issues with the lower pressures of 223ammo. however I haven't heard too many people talking about the ruger 556 in particular. if you buy federal XM193 bulk it is 5.56 ammo made to the same specs as military ammo so it should definitely have enough pressure to knock that piston back. as far as actual firing you'll have no issues with damage to the gun, I'd start out by buying a couple 20 packs of cheap 223 ammo and see if your gun cycles well with it, if it does then you'll be fine shooting normal 223 ammo otherwise american eagle and federal xm193 will work just fine and is quite easy to come by.
Come and take it.
New member
One thing I can weigh in on is that the gas setting is a big deal on this subject. on full pressure mil-spec BRASS CASED ammo the no.2 setting is ideal. For most any other type of factory load you are best off using the no.3 setting. For hot handloads the no.2 would be a good setting as well.
sixxgunnernick
New member
How come my del-ton has a heavy duty barrel and says 5.56 on the barrel and reciever? The sales guy said it's a 223 but accepts 5.56.
Edward429451
Moderator
I talked to Ruger Factory about this and they said that all Ruger Mini-14's have always had a 5.56 chamber so will accept either the .223 Remington or the 5.56 Nato., regardless of the .223 stamping on the Rifles. The weapons that you do not want to shoot 5.56 in is in .223 Remington commercial chambers (Bolt Action Rifles), unless it has the Wylde chamber..
.308 Winchester and 7.62 Nato are different creatures also. That's why the surplus 7.62 gives your .308 feeding and extraction fits. Good luck with that!
.308 Winchester and 7.62 Nato are different creatures also. That's why the surplus 7.62 gives your .308 feeding and extraction fits. Good luck with that!
Technosavant
New member
How come my del-ton has a heavy duty barrel and says 5.56 on the barrel and reciever? The sales guy said it's a 223 but accepts 5.56.
Because it's chambered in 5.56. The sales guy may just be one of the "there's no difference" sort. The only ARs I've ever seen with a .223 chamber are the ones with heavy bull barrels for varmint control.
This explains the difference between 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington:
.223 Remington versus 5.56 mm NATO
These 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges are identical in appearance to .223 Remington. They are, however, not completely interchangeable.
While the 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington cartridges and chamberings are very similar, they are not identical.
While there is a myth that 5.56 NATO cases are thicker and hence have less capacity than commercial .223 cases, this has been shown to be false. Each brand of case and each manufacturing lot has a slightly different case capacity; 5.56 NATO and .223 commercial cases tend to have nearly identical case capacity when measured using the water test.[6] The NATO specification allows a higher chamber pressure. NATO EPVAT test barrels made for 5.56mm NATO measure chamber pressure at the case mouth, as opposed to the location used by the United States civil standards organization SAAMI. The piezoelectric sensors or transducers NATO and SAAMI use to conduct the actual pressure measurements also differ. This difference in measurement method accounts for upwards of 137.9 megapascals (20,000 psi) difference in pressure measurements. This means the NATO EPVAT maximum service pressure of 430 megapascals (62,000 psi) for 5.56mm NATO, is reduced by SAAMI to 379.21 megapascals (55,000 psi) for .223 Remington.[7] In contrast to SAAMI, the other main civil standards organization C.I.P. defines the maximum service and proof test pressures of the .223 Remington cartridge equal to the 5.56mm NATO.
The 5.56mm NATO chambering, known as a NATO or mil-spec chamber, has a longer leade, which is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point at which the rifling engages the bullet. The .223 Remington chambering, known as SAAMI chamber, is allowed to have a shorter leade, and is only required to be proof tested to the lower SAAMI chamber pressure. To address these issues, various proprietary chambers exist, such as the Wylde chamber (Bill Wylde)[8] or the ArmaLite chamber, which are designed to handle both 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington equally well. The dimensions and leade of the .223 Remington minimum C.I.P. chamber also differ from the 5.56mm NATO chamber specification.
Using commercial .223 Remington cartridges in a 5.56mm NATO chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223 Remington chambered gun due to the longer leade.[9] Using 5.56mm NATO mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223 Remington chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and even be unsafe, and the SAAMI recommends against the practice.[10][11] Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56mm NATO, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14, but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56mm NATO ammunition.[12]
.223 Remington versus 5.56 mm NATO
These 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges are identical in appearance to .223 Remington. They are, however, not completely interchangeable.
While the 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington cartridges and chamberings are very similar, they are not identical.
While there is a myth that 5.56 NATO cases are thicker and hence have less capacity than commercial .223 cases, this has been shown to be false. Each brand of case and each manufacturing lot has a slightly different case capacity; 5.56 NATO and .223 commercial cases tend to have nearly identical case capacity when measured using the water test.[6] The NATO specification allows a higher chamber pressure. NATO EPVAT test barrels made for 5.56mm NATO measure chamber pressure at the case mouth, as opposed to the location used by the United States civil standards organization SAAMI. The piezoelectric sensors or transducers NATO and SAAMI use to conduct the actual pressure measurements also differ. This difference in measurement method accounts for upwards of 137.9 megapascals (20,000 psi) difference in pressure measurements. This means the NATO EPVAT maximum service pressure of 430 megapascals (62,000 psi) for 5.56mm NATO, is reduced by SAAMI to 379.21 megapascals (55,000 psi) for .223 Remington.[7] In contrast to SAAMI, the other main civil standards organization C.I.P. defines the maximum service and proof test pressures of the .223 Remington cartridge equal to the 5.56mm NATO.
The 5.56mm NATO chambering, known as a NATO or mil-spec chamber, has a longer leade, which is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point at which the rifling engages the bullet. The .223 Remington chambering, known as SAAMI chamber, is allowed to have a shorter leade, and is only required to be proof tested to the lower SAAMI chamber pressure. To address these issues, various proprietary chambers exist, such as the Wylde chamber (Bill Wylde)[8] or the ArmaLite chamber, which are designed to handle both 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington equally well. The dimensions and leade of the .223 Remington minimum C.I.P. chamber also differ from the 5.56mm NATO chamber specification.
Using commercial .223 Remington cartridges in a 5.56mm NATO chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223 Remington chambered gun due to the longer leade.[9] Using 5.56mm NATO mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223 Remington chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and even be unsafe, and the SAAMI recommends against the practice.[10][11] Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56mm NATO, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14, but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56mm NATO ammunition.[12]