I am thinking of purchasing a CZ600 Trail, which is chambered in .223 Remington. The issue is that I have a large stockpile of 5.56 ammo. Now I have read about all the yes, no, maybe so opinions on shooting 5.56 in a .223, but am looking for any first hand experience/advice for doing such a thing in the CZ600 Trail. Thank you!
5.56 in a .223 bolt gun
- Thread starter rangebear
- Start date
redshooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Central Ontario
Twist rate is 1 in 7, so it's almost certainly throated with 75-80 grain projectiles in mind, I wouldn't have any concerns shooting 5.56 out of it.
Unless it's an older 223 with a 1 in 12 twist barrel, as a rule it'll be fine. I've shot 5.56 ball out of my old Rem 700, without problems, but for the unstable projectiles. Regardless I'd have no reservations about giving one a try, my best load through my Rem 783 is just below max in the 5.56 section of Hornady's manual, no issues. If you have pressure signs, sticky case is most likely, maybe a pierced primer, stop shooting it.
Unless it's an older 223 with a 1 in 12 twist barrel, as a rule it'll be fine. I've shot 5.56 ball out of my old Rem 700, without problems, but for the unstable projectiles. Regardless I'd have no reservations about giving one a try, my best load through my Rem 783 is just below max in the 5.56 section of Hornady's manual, no issues. If you have pressure signs, sticky case is most likely, maybe a pierced primer, stop shooting it.
- Location
- Frozen north
Full send
Long before the internet existed, millions, maybe billions of rounds of 556 were shot out of 223 chambered rifles. Nobody seemed to notice they were apparently risking their life until the internet commandoes came along to tell them so
Consider the rifle itself. The OD of the barrel is the same for much larger cartridges, meaning the chamber wall thickness is much less for considerably higher powered cartridges. If the rifle doesn't explode from a larger round, then why would a smaller round be a problem?
Homesteader
CGN Regular
- Location
- In a Wallow West of Edmonton.
You will know the first time you shoot it. Warmer weather will be more of a test. All of my bolts, but one over the years have been happy. It was a custom with a very tight. That bolt was not happy about being opened. The rest certainly didn’t have any indigestion.
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How is a 556 action "different" than a 223 action?
FortHunter
CGN Regular
- Location
- Nowhere relevant
No issues in my savage axis or CZ 600 alpha. The accuracy with the CZ was quite poor, but kind of expected with a 1-7" twist and 62grain projectile.
Pressure tolerances? I certainly wouldn’t have run it through if their website hadn’t stated it’s fine.
Lets explore this notion for a bit because the whole 223 vs 556 thing has LONG outlived its own stupidity.
If you were making actions for 30 different calibers, would you make 30 different actions or one? Dos anyone think that an action design and construction that can safely withstand something like 300 WM is somehow challenged by running a 556 in a 223 chamber ... in the same action?
IF 556 in a 223 chamber actually caused a real problem, it would be easy to find pictures and stories all over the place showing rifles that blew up as a result. That we don't see any such pics is defacto proof that this is not a real problem.
A more recent hype is the .223 Wylde chamber which supposedly would be the remedy to all these 223/556 concerns. I've never looked into the details as I think it's more of a marketing gimmick.
I shoot .223 and 556 out of a CZ 527 and a Vanguard all the time. Never had a problem.
I shoot .223 and 556 out of a CZ 527 and a Vanguard all the time. Never had a problem.
SustainingGopher
CGN Regular
- Location
- An airport
556 in a 223 is totally fine
Gunnerlove
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island
Lots of rifles won't care but be prepared for pressure signs and to know when to quit. My Ruger American Varminter in .223 pops primers 100% of the time and is a bear to open when firing SS109 or XM193.
It is chambered very short and tight and hates 5.56. I should try feeding it some MK262 but why bother when the internet can tell me that my actual proof and experience doesn't matter?
It is chambered very short and tight and hates 5.56. I should try feeding it some MK262 but why bother when the internet can tell me that my actual proof and experience doesn't matter?
The Wild chamber has the slightly tighter dimensions of a 223 chamber but with the longer throat of a 556 chamber.
brownbear53
CGN Regular
- Location
- Vancouver, BC
As others have mentioned before, 5.56 from a 223 chamber will run just fine in any modern firearm.
Manufacturers account for this in the design phase for the most part. The receivers are built to take 5.56 pressures even if they are stamped 223.
Often it has to do with the buyers perspective,
A hunter using match ammo/ specific hunting ammo has the assumption it must be shot through a 223 chamber for the best performance, and said person will not buy the same rifle chambered in 5.56. even though both the chambers are machined identically and would offer no difference in performance.
Same idea as to someone not wanting to shoot 30$ a box hunting rounds through a wk180 for range practice.
In some cases it also has to do with legalities.
Some European countries do not allow export of NATO chamberings for civilian use,
Allmost all IWI tavors were stamped 223, regardless of them being a 5.56 chamber for legal reasons (when manufactured and exported as rifles)
The X95s now are assembled in the states, but made and exported from Israel as non functioning rifle parts only. They have the exact same chamber but stamped 5.56
Running either 223 or 5.56 through any IWI is completely safe
Manufacturers account for this in the design phase for the most part. The receivers are built to take 5.56 pressures even if they are stamped 223.
Often it has to do with the buyers perspective,
A hunter using match ammo/ specific hunting ammo has the assumption it must be shot through a 223 chamber for the best performance, and said person will not buy the same rifle chambered in 5.56. even though both the chambers are machined identically and would offer no difference in performance.
Same idea as to someone not wanting to shoot 30$ a box hunting rounds through a wk180 for range practice.
In some cases it also has to do with legalities.
Some European countries do not allow export of NATO chamberings for civilian use,
Allmost all IWI tavors were stamped 223, regardless of them being a 5.56 chamber for legal reasons (when manufactured and exported as rifles)
The X95s now are assembled in the states, but made and exported from Israel as non functioning rifle parts only. They have the exact same chamber but stamped 5.56
Running either 223 or 5.56 through any IWI is completely safe
Blastattack
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
The two cartridges are fully interchangeable. Always have been, always will be. You will never create a safety problem by interchanging. It’s just not possible. You may encounter reliability issues chambering poor quality 5.56 into a tight .223 chamber, but the same could be said for just about any ammo. However this will not generate a safety issue. The pressure of the two cartridges is practically identical so that is not something even worth considering.
