Is it 223 or 5.56?

B

Brianma65

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
197   0   0
Location
Canada
Just purchased 40 rds 223 from supplier to test in my su 16.Ammo is from bulk box and is wrapped in paper.It had a white sticker that said norinco223. On the bottom of the casing it's stamped c j 59.bought some federal and it's stamped223.how can I tell if norinco is really 223? I can get 1600 rds for $650 txt in , but I only want 223.any input is apprieated.
 
.223 and 5.56 are interchangeable( although the later can have looser tolerences wich can cause problems).

The only difference between 5.56 and .223 is the thickness of the brass case, 5.56 being thicker. Acording to the US army the max pressure for 5.56 is 62 366psi and the CIP max pressure for .223 remington is 62 366psi. The 5.56 chamber differse in that it has extra room in key places to give dirt and fouling somewhere to go so it doesn't cause malfunctions.
 
Its so expensive because I'm in nl , that's what I'm told anyway.I have a kel tec su 16 F ,and it's made for canadian markit, chambered in 223.Keltec recommends using 223 in this rifle. I think it has something to do with expansion .P & d said to use only 223 in the su 16 fx .but I'm really not sure.I asked the clerk at the sport store if the norinco were 223 and he said , oh ya! But I don't believe him.
 
Been doing some research and a lot of people use both 223 and 5.56 in there su 16 f.But a lot of people say not to use 5.56 in a rifle chambered for 223, but it is ok to use 223 in a 5.56 chambered rifle?To much info on the net.lol
 
Brianma65 said:
Been doing some research and a lot of people use both 223 and 5.56 in there su 16 f.But a lot of people say not to use 5.56 in a rifle chambered for 223, but it is ok to use 223 in a 5.56 chambered rifle?To much info on the net.lol
Click to expand...

To much info with so little proof. If it was actually a dangerous thing to do there'd be stories of blow up .223 rifles all over the Internet.

P.s norinco ammo is m193 spec 5.56 ball ammo.
 
what does the rifle have stamped on it? I would go with that. what do the stores have on the shelf? prolly all .223 and no .556 Im willing to bet. guess what your gunna use.
 
There are three stores that sell ammo here.Only one of them has norinco they have what appears to be a home made sticker on it that say norinco 223.I asked him to double check this and he confirmed that they were norinco 223.But you guys on here seem more reliable to me .Keltec recommends but I don't think they say must use 223 .It appears there su 16 ,s are a bit finicky,so why give it 1 more reason to mess up. Therefore I will use 223 .Yes a little more expensive ,but if it helps the gun perform better then I think it's worth it.One more thing if you don't mind? I heard something about a Beowulf 15 rd223 mag that is legal.Anyone else hear this? And thanks for all the input.This site is excellent !
 
the beowolf mag is stamped .50 caliber that holds 5 rounds. the sneaky little bastards that we are, found out the same mag holds and feeds 15 rounds of .223

good luck finding them tho unless you wanna pay $200 bux a mag. just pick up some LAR mags for 10 rounds and dont push your luck LOL
 
Somewhere I came across a very informative article that tested this specific myth. They used test barrels of both calibers, both "types" of ammunition. Sammi and NATO are measured at different locations of the chamber as well as with different methods. When tested the same way back to back in the same chamber........ Both were nearly identical. I believe about 200psi or cup. That's about 0.5% give or take a point or two. Velocity variations were indistinguishable.

It is nothing more than an illusion created by the methods of testing.

I wish I had that article saved. It may or may not be true but being the physics nerd I am, and given the numerical data along with detailed testing procedures, it is very believable.
 
Last edited:
fuzzynuts54 said:
Somewhere I came across a very informative article that tested this specific myth. They used test barrels of both calibers, both "types" of ammunition. Sammi and NATO are measured at different locations of the chamber as well as with different methods. When tested the same way back to back in the same chamber........ Both were nearly identical. I believe about 200psi or cup. That's about 0.5% give or take a point or two. Velocity variations were indistinguishable.

It is nothing more than an illusion created by the methods of testing.

I wish I had that article saved. It may or may not be true but being the physics nerd I am, and given the numerical data along with detailed testing procedures, it is very believable.
Click to expand...

This probably right, when you think of manufacturing process, when they change from one caliber to the other they do not retool everything. They would just change to head stamp of the gun. Most places the down time for a change over is over $1000 a minute. Head stamp roller 5 minutes all tooling hours, companies don't run like that.
 
After all the comments and opinions I've seen on this subject,here's what I came up with.5.56 ammo appears to be unreliable ,dirty,and the norinco I've bought looks cheap.I also read a lot of stories of 5.56 norinco not working properly.Not to much about the 223 though.The brass looks way better on the 223 factory stuff.If you spend $1000-$3000 on a rifle $1000-&2000 on optics $500 on accessories ,why cheap out on the ammo.Is the ammo not important?Im a carpenter by trade so I don't have lots of cash and would love the cheap stuff,but don't think it's worth the headaches.Also I am very new to firearms and don't know anything other than what I read here.Put the ammo in #### and fire.But I like it .thanks for all the info and hope I didn't offend anyone.
 
OF all the .223 rifles I have looked into, the ruger mini 14 target model, and any bolt action remington are the only two I have heard to NOT use 5.56 in. I am 99% sure the 1600 round cases are 5.56 by the way.

For the record, when it come to the .223 shooting 5.56 I checked into CZ rifles, Keltec, Remington, Ruger and Savage.
 
Last edited:
I understand that they are interchangeable ,but if your rifle is stamped either5.56 or 223 would it not be better to use what it stamped for? Unless it's stamped 5.56 and 223?
 
That's my understanding as well, Brianma65:) The original 5.56 was identical to the .223 Rem, but has since been tweaked, slightly. I won't use 5.56 ammo in my .223 Rem.

Brianma65 said:
Been doing some research and a lot of people use both 223 and 5.56 in there su 16 f.But a lot of people say not to use 5.56 in a rifle chambered for 223, but it is ok to use 223 in a 5.56 chambered rifle?To much info on the net.lol
Click to expand...
 
Brianma65 said:
I understand that they are interchangeable ,but if your rifle is stamped either5.56 or 223 would it not be better to use what it stamped for? Unless it's stamped 5.56 and 223?
Click to expand...

I agree with what your saying, always use what is stamped. Its a safe way to go, but not everyone follows manufacture specs. I for one interchange .223 and 5.56 with no problems. The weapon does't do anything different. Cylces the same and hits the target just as hard. I also interchange .308 and 7.62x51 with no different results. Always check and stick to what your comfortable with. Dont always take the advice from strangers, but if everyone is telling you the same thing..... Well maybe they are onto something.
 
My understanding of the su16f is that they are chambered 5.56x45 but are stamped 223 for import export reasons. I use 5.56 in my 16f without any reservation. The Norinco stuff is not great but works fine in my rig, may have to clean a little more but that isn't a big issue imo. The most accurate ammo in my 16f has been Fiocchi and the least accurate MFS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom