5.56/223 price and difference

[Gofast240]

So are we ever going to see .30-.35 / rnd ammunition again? Or is .55 and up our new normal?

Also what is the difference between the two, and is it ok to use .223 in a 5.56 chambered rifle and vise versa? May have already been covered but.......

Cheers

 

[Tjv787]

Pretty sure a rifle chambered in .223 can't use 5.56 ammo but a rifle chambered in 5.56 can use .223 ammo, but I'm a noob and cannot be trusted

 

[ShawnC6]

You won't see 30-35 cents again.

Optimistic I'd say 40-45 best you will see again.

5.56 chambered can shoot .223, .223 can probably shoot 5.56 but it wouldn't be recommended. Depends which gun it is...

 

[LuckyOnes]

You won't see 30-35 cents again.

Optimistic I'd say 40-45 best you will see again.

5.56 chambered can shoot .223, .223 can probably shoot 5.56 but it wouldn't be recommended. Depends which gun it is...

Agreed but i wouldnt do it, but yourself a 556 and forget the worry.
Or buy a 223 wylde.

 

[LUTNIT]

.223 and 5.56 are technically different cartridges but are inter-changable 99.99% of the time.

They both operate at the same maximum pressure but are designed to produce that pressure in differently cut chambers. Ammo manufacturers need to load ammo so it's safe in even a bare-minimum dimensioned chamber (tighter chamber = higher pressure). So for a .223 that means an ultra-tight, short throated custom-grade match chamber you wont find on any common off the shelf rifle. Most rifle manufacturers make their .223 chambers with dimensions at or around 5.56 dimensions and some manufacturers (like Savage) actually use longer throats than NATO spec. 5.56x45mm NATO is designed to produce the same pressure as .223 Remington in a larger chamber with a longer throat. This results in 5.56 usually being a touch hotter than .223 factory ammo which is designed to produce the same pressure in a tighter chamber with shorter throat.

Since pretty much all common factory rifles will have a larger-than-minimum dimensioned chamber for .223, it is perfectly safe to fire 5.56 in them. If you had a high-end competition rifle with a very tight chamber and short throat, I may not shoot 5.56 in it. Personally I wouldn't be using bulk 5.56 ammo in a custom match rifle anyway.

Some semi's in .223 are recommended from the manufacturer to not shoot 5.56 in. Some say this is just the lawyers talking and it's perfectly safe, others disagree. My AR is stamped "5.56/.223" so I shoot anything in it. My Savage Axis in .223 I would have no problem shooting 5.56 in since Savage uses quite generous chamber throats.

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One thing argued constantly is that 5.56 has a higher maximum pressure. It does by US standards but only by 0.26% (insignificant).

Maximum pressure for .223 Remington cartridge.
SAAMI (US) equipment and method – 55,000psi
CIP (European) equipment and method – 62,366psi

Maximum pressure for 5.56x45NATO cartridge.
SCATP-5.56 (US military) equipment and method (based on SAAMI methods) – 55,144psi
EPVAT (NATO) equipment and method (based on CIP methods) – 62,366psi

So if you use similar methods for measuring pressure, the max pressures are essentially the same. But again differently dimensioned chambers can change the pressure produced by the cartridge.

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For factory ammo I haven't seen US made 5.56 for under $.60 in a while or .223 under $.50. Considering our dollar is garbage and we get so much of our ammo through the US, I'm surprise it hasn't gone up more. If our dollar started doing better you can bet most retailers wouldn't lower the price either.

My .223 reloads with Campro bullets are running me about $.32. My reduced cast loads (which still cycle my AR and have no leading issues) run me about $.20.

 

[katazone]

So are we ever going to see .30-.35 / rnd ammunition again? Or is .55 and up our new normal?

Also what is the difference between the two, and is it ok to use .223 in a 5.56 chambered rifle and vise versa? May have already been covered but.......

Cheers

Once a new price standard is in effect, and if and when monetary exchange will be back in our favor, pretty sure dealers won't bring their prices down! + there is more and more demand as we are seeing more and more shooters....But I could be wrong!!!

Pretty sure a rifle chambered in .223 can't use 5.56 ammo but a rifle chambered in 5.56 can use .223 ammo, but I'm a noob and cannot be trusted

What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[secondstrike]

Doubt it's coming down ever. Even the norinco surplus was going for 40¢ on sale around here now.

 

[kjohn]

Doubt it's coming down ever. Even the norinco surplus was going for 40¢ on sale around here now.

No more Chinese stuff coming in. The government bureaucrats have mired the importers down with stupid rules and regulations. Hope that can be resolved.

 

[onetwentyish]

So are we ever going to see .30-.35 / rnd ammunition again? Or is .55 and up our new normal?

Also what is the difference between the two, and is it ok to use .223 in a 5.56 chambered rifle and vise versa? May have already been covered but.......

Cheers

Just an FYI, as I can see where this is going, the Tavor is chambered in 5.56 but stamped .223 for ease of export from Israel. You may use .223 in a 5.56, but do not use 5.56 in a true .223 chamber as the pressures are much higher.

 

[Travis Bickle]

Just an FYI, as I can see where this is going, the Tavor is chambered in 5.56 but stamped .223 for ease of export from Israel. You may use .223 in a 5.56, but do not use 5.56 in a true .223 chamber as the pressures are much higher.

It's not just a matter of pressure. It's the lead in the chamber just ahead of the free bore. Theoretically if you put a 5.56mm cartridge in a .223 Rem cut chamber, then there is supposed to be very little to no space between the shoulder of the projectile and the rifling. This is what COULD create a small pressure spike. It's also throat errosion at a faster rate but the difference in accuracy lost due to this over time is irrelevant unless you measure your groups in thousandths of an inch.
All of this is on paper and theoretically of course.
LUTNIT actually summed it up the best I've ever read so far anywhere on this site.
Any generic off the shelf rifle in .223 these days will have a chamber cut very generously in the lead. If you have a precision made .223 Rem match grade barrel with a laser cut chamber then I would not shoot 5.56mm in it.
Any off the shelf .223 be it Savage, Remington etc will have plenty of space in the lead to fire 5.56mm safely in it.
Once again I defy anyone to show me any evidence from anywhere, ever (including unkown source stories of internet forums full of misinformation and BS) of a .223 Rem rifle exlpoding or breaking because of 5.56mm ammo being fired through it. I have never personally had it happen to me, ever heard of anyone around me or even friends of friends stories or even random internet forums of it being an issue. Zero. The reason it persisits is legal liability on manufacturers in a day and age of lawsuits at every corner. Confusion between different ways of measuring chamber pressue from 3 different standards and uninformed internet rumours...

OP just check your cart case for signs of overpressure. The absoulte worst that can happen if the case has zero pressure signs on it is that over time you MAY errode the throat of the chamber IF it's a very tight cut chamber but the loss in accuracy would be literally unnoticeable even if you were shooting for match precision.
Also for some real world experience I have found that both the older Stevens 200 and the new Savage Axis shoot generic 55gr and 62gr FMJ 5.56mm very very well with zero signs of over pressure or loss in accuracy over many hundreds of rounds from personal experience.

And as always, fire one round in your .223 Rem then check the cartridge case very closely for any signs of overpressure. If you don't find any, shoot 2 to 6 more, check those cases very carefully. All good? Carry on then!