I recently acquired a Howa 1500 chambered in 223, and I'm curious to know if it is advisable to shoot XM193 FMJ rounds through this gun. I already have the ammo for my V93, but that gun has a fluted chamber and renders the cases unsuitable for reloading, so if I want to use the cases they'd have to fired in the new gun. I have heard stories about military ammo causing permanent damage to sporting barrels (compromising future accuracy), and I don't want to run into overpressure situations if the chambers are subtly incompatible.
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Shooting XM193 in a 223 Rem.
- Thread starter Daekar
- Start date
Cheaper Than Dirt says no.
Additionally, SAAMI also says that we should not use 5.56 military ammo in rifles chambered for .223 Remington.
The primary differences between .223 Remington and 5.56 x 45 mm (NATO) are that .223 Remington is loaded to lower pressures and velocities compared to 5.56 NATO and the 5.56 NATO chamber has a longer leade. .223 Remington ammunition can be safely fired in a 5.56 NATO chambered gun, but the reverse can be an unsafe combination. The additional pressure created by 5.56 NATO ammo will frequently cause over-pressure problems such as flowing brass, difficult extraction, or popped/punctured primers, but in extreme cases, could damage or destroy the firearm.
Additionally, SAAMI also says that we should not use 5.56 military ammo in rifles chambered for .223 Remington.
I've used M193 in a couple of Savage bolt actions w/o any problems. I'd try it in my Howa/Wby Vanguard but that rifle has a very tight chamber and the surplus ammo I have doesn't chamber readily. I have no big urge to gall the bolt lugs/recesses by forcing the bolt closed so am just passing the M193 on to other more compromising rifles.