5.56 in a Colt ".223" Chamber?

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B. Lahey

New member
Is this a safe combo?

The Colt website lists the chambers of their target ARs as ".223". Is it a real .223 chamber (unsafe for milsurp as I understand it) or a 5.56-style deal?
 
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spyderdude

New member
It is my understanding that you can shoot both .223 and 5.56 out of a 5.56 chamber, but you cannot shoot 5.56 through a gun chambered in .223. Something to do with the higher pressures:confused:
 
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B. Lahey

New member
OK...

From the Armalite deal I'm guessing the Colt chamber is a true .223, for the accuracy benefit and whatnot.

But the Armalite deal also says you can shoot 5.56 safely in a .223 chamber as long as it's not "inferior foreign ammo" or whatever they call it, and that goes against everything I have read so far.

Can't say I put a lot of faith in anything that this new company that decided to call itself Armalite says, though. Didn't they have a terrible reputation before the name change?

Does anyone here have a Colt AR? Did it explode when you fired 5.56 in it?:)
 
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George Hill

Staff Alumnus
Go ahead and beat me up... but I've fired tons of 5.56mm out of .223 chambered rifles and I've had no problems. None.
The only KB's I've even seen with AR type rifles, have been from firing HSM brand .223 Remington ammunition. Blew the Armalites quite wide open.
 
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Bartholomew Roberts

Moderator
I've never seen a rifle damaged by firing 5.56mm ammo in a .223 chamber; but I have seen rifles that fail to function when you do that because of the case sticking/increased pressure.
 
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IZinterrogator

New member
I always go with what is marked on the barrel. Not the receiver, not the website, the barrel. For Colts, that is 5.56 and that is what I use in them.
 
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B. Lahey

New member
I always go with what is marked on the barrel. Not the receiver, not the website, the barrel. For Colts, that is 5.56 and that is what I use in them.
Click to expand...

There's the answer I was looking for! Thanks IZ!

The Colt website is pretty lame, not much info at all, but I figured with the Colt tradition of military ARs the chances of them being unsafe with milsurp were pretty slim. Still, I had to ask.

Glad my hunch was right.
 
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kraigwy

New member
It is my understanding that you can shoot both .223 and 5.56 out of a 5.56 chamber, but you cannot shoot 5.56 through a gun chambered in .223. Something to do with the higher pressures
Click to expand...

No sir, that is not correct, I've been shooting 5.56 in my 223 chambered Rem bolt gun for 30 years. That was my Le Sniper rifle which I carried 5.56 ball as a service round.

I was also running the AK NG Marksmanship program which gave me acess to tons of 5.56 that we shot in serveral chambers, both 223 and 5.56.

Now I'm shooting a White Oak AR in Service Rifle HP matches. Its has a tighter then normal 223 chamber but still shoots the 5.56 with ZERO signs of pressure.

The problem comes with reloads. One has to make sure the cases are propertly sized as in all gas guns, the bolt starts openning while the bullet is still in the barrel. This means you still have pressure building up inside the case, pushing the should forward while the bolt is pulling the rim backwards. One needs to chech the case making sure the shoulder is set back propertly, With a Wilson Case Gage or simular tool. You slide the case in the gage making sure the base is flush. It not you run into failure to chamber, faliure to extract, or in worse cases, slam fires. Slam fires are not that common with the ARs as they are with the M1A and M1s.

Anyway, to see what I'm talking about regarding the 5.56 and 223s, that a factory round of each, (or unfired new cases) and you'll see the will be flush in the wilson case gage.

Contrary to all the rumers, you can shoot both 223s and 5.56 in the 223 Chambers and visa versa.
 
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Bogie

New member
Ogre, if the case head will fit in the magazine and fit the boltface, someone will try it... I'll bet that somewhere, somehow, someone has tried to fire a .30M1 down a .223 pipe...

Personally, regarding 5.56 vs. .223...

If I'm so darn worried that the rifle will blow up with a few extra PSI, I sure as hell ain't gonna shoot it at all...
 
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zippy13

New member
I was all set to say that I just go by the instruction manual, but this .223/5.56 controversy post dates the manual. In my mind's eye, I was sure my Colt's Sporter Match HBAR has 5.56mm on the receiver. Imagine my surprise when I realized it's labeled .223! Then I read...
IZinterrogator said:
I always go with what is marked on the barrel. Not the receiver, not the website, the barrel. For Colts, that is 5.56 and that is what I use in them.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's exactly the way mine is marked -- I never noticed it before. Many thanks, IZinterrogator, now I can go directly to the range with my white boxed 5.56mm's without stopping off for some .223's along the way.

Here's a scan from the 1990 Colt's Sporter Manual, has it changed much over the years?

 
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blhseawa

New member
All, I know is that I have successfully fired .223 Rem marked ammo in my 5.56 chambered Bushmaster AR-15 20" chrome-lined MP barrel just fine.

I also, have a DPMS 24" bull SS barrel chambered in .223 Rem. that I've fired more XM193 5.56 than I can count.

Now it is true, I shoot 55 gr. Ball and 55 gr V-Max in the DPMS.

I been able to mic. XM193 5.56 and .223 Rem from Rem and Win and I can't find a single difference in the ammo.

I've just not experienced any issues in using either 5.56 Nato (M193) or .223 Rem in either chamber.

I don't have any experience with ss109 or m855, so I can't speak.

As all ways, YMMV.
 
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