Ceska said:
Care to back that up? I call BS on that.
EDIT: So as not to hyjack,
.223-5.56 SAAMI INFO
Federal American Eagle. The box is marked 223, the ammo is marked NATO Lake City. It's EXACTLY the same stuff that the military uses. Sold on the civvy market as 223. But to look at the actual markings on the cartridge, it is indeed military spec using the vaunted 'thicker' military brass - which, incidentally I've found is a myth. Brass from different manufacturers weighs different. Some civvy brass is heavier tham some NATO stuff, and vice versa. Don't believe me? Weigh it yourself and find the *truth* instead of regurgitating something you heard on the Internet.
Aside from a few legal differences in the methodologies in how the cartridges are measured, they are in fact the same damn stuff. Despite the hair splitters on the Internet arguing about trivial differences that exist only on paper in a lawyer's office.
And NATO primers are crimped and sealed for two reasons: more durable ammo (water proof/resistant), and better function in semi-automatic rifles and MG's in the field where headspace may not be totally up to spec (to prevent primer back out causing jams)
Anyway, I've long been tossing around the idea of a field .223. I've come to the conclusion that it'll either be a tikka t3 (hunter: walnut/blued. None of that crass synth/ss for me, I have taste

) or a stevens 200/savage. Both are light, accurate, and have a fast twist (which I've come to appreciate in a varmint gun. And it provides the option of using heavier bullets for longer range stuff)