{"id":1992,"date":"2020-10-09T22:42:49","date_gmt":"2020-10-09T22:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/?p=1992"},"modified":"2023-11-14T17:22:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T17:22:20","slug":"223-vs-556","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/223-vs-556\/","title":{"rendered":".223 vs. 5.56 &#8211; What&#8217;s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span lang=\"EN\">I couldn\u2019t estimate the number of \u201cwhat\u2019s the difference between .223 vs. 5.56\u201d articles that have been written. Hundreds, if not thousands. In order to keep this article from rehashing what\u2019s already been written by smarter people, we\u2019re going to do this in a Q&amp;A format, where we answer all the questions people ask about 5.56 vs. .223 Remington.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>.223 vs. 5.56 Quick Facts<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The primary difference between .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO is pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">5.56 rounds are typically loaded to higher pressures than .223 Remington<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">.223 and 5.56 have identical external case dimensions<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The internal case dimensions of military 5.56 are often smaller because the case is thicker<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">You can shoot .223 Remington ammo out of a 5.56 chamber, but you shouldn\u2019t shoot 5.56 ammo out of a .223 chamber<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">.223 Wylde is a chamber design that safely fires both 5.56 and .223<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b><span lang=\"EN\">What is the difference between 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington?<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2170\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2170\" style=\"width: 1014px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2170 size-full\" title=\"wolf .223 vs. 5.56 frontier\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7534.jpg\" alt=\"a box and rounds of wolf gold 223 next to a box and rounds of frontier 556x45 ammo\" width=\"1024\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7534.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7534-300x113.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7534-768x290.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7534-200x75.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7534-750x283.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2170\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/223-rem-wolf-gold-55gr-fmj-1000.php\">Wolf Gold .223<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/hornady-frontier-5-56x45-ammunition-1000-rounds-of-55-grain-fmj-m193.php\">Frontier 5.56 M193<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b><\/b><span lang=\"EN\">The difference between 223 and 5.56 is pressure, mainly. What\u2019s important to remember is that the pressures for .223 Remington have been standardized by <a href=\"https:\/\/saami.org\/technical-information\/ansi-saami-standards\/\">SAAMI<\/a> (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer\u2019s Institute), so all commercially produced .223 in the USA will fall within those SAAMI specs. NATO ammo, on the other hand, is not pressure tested the same way as SAAMI ammo. It doesn\u2019t have a corresponding standard. Manufacturers load 5.56 NATO ammo to NATO specs. Generally speaking, 5.56 NATO rounds are loaded to a higher pressure than .223 Remington. <b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span lang=\"EN\">Are 223 and 5.56 cases the same size?<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2219 size-full\" title=\".223 vs 5.56\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7911-2edit.jpg\" alt=\"223 and 556 rounds next to each other to show their cases are the same size\" width=\"1024\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7911-2edit.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7911-2edit-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7911-2edit-768x414.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7911-2edit-200x108.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7911-2edit-750x404.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b><span lang=\"EN\">Yes, the external dimensions of 5.56 and .223 cases are identical. Military brass is typically thicker than other brass casings though. So, you&#8217;ll often find less room <strong>inside<\/strong> the casing of 5.56&#215;45 than in 223 Remington. (This is why with the same amount of powder charge, you&#8217;ll get higher pressure inside the smaller 5.56 casing than the .223 Rem.)<b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span lang=\"EN\">Can I shoot 5.56 NATO out of a .223 Remington chamber?<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2212 size-full\" title=\"ar15 and ammunition\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7799.jpg\" alt=\"an ar15 that shoots both 223 and 5.56 ammo\" width=\"1024\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7799.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7799-300x105.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7799-768x270.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7799-200x70.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7799-750x264.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">This is a little more complicated. Once again, because lawyers exist, I\u2019m going to say no, you should not shoot 5.56 out of a .223 Remington chamber. The reason for this is that 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington rifles have different sized chambers. It\u2019s a little more complicated, actually &#8212; .223 Remington doesn\u2019t have a \u201cstandard\u201d chamber size. It has an acceptable range of chamber sizes. If you stuffed a 5.56 NATO in the smallest SAAMI spec .223 Remington chamber you might produce unsafe pressures. <b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The reality of the situation is that\u2019s extremely unlikely. What\u2019s more likely is you\u2019ll blow the spent primer out of the back of the case and tie your gun up while you get the primer out of the gun\u2019s guts. On paper the answer is \u201cno, don\u2019t do it you might explode and break your gun,\u201d the real world answer is \u201cyou probably shouldn\u2019t do it but you also probably won\u2019t explode or die.\u201d But again, because lawyers exist: don\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span lang=\"EN\">Can I shoot .223 Remington through a 5.56 NATO chamber?<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Yes, you can shoot 223 Remington Ammo in a 5.56&#215;45 rifle. It\u2019s perfectly safe, or at least as safe as firing any rifle is.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span lang=\"EN\">What is .223 Wylde?<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">.223 Wylde is a designation that became popular during the Great Black Rifle Awakening of the 2010s. In layman\u2019s terms, it\u2019s a chamber design that allows you to safely shoot 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington without issue. There are lots of fascinating technical articles about it, and a lot of manufacturers of AR-15 pattern rifles have adopted it as their chamber spec. <b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span lang=\"EN\">Why doesn\u2019t everyone use 5.56 chambers then?<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2213 size-full\" title=\"ar15 cal multi\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7803.jpg\" alt=\"showing the receiver of a Daniel Defense AR-15 that is marked &quot;cal. multi&quot;\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7803.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7803-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7803-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7803-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7803-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Because in a 5.56 chamber the distance from the bore to the rifling is longer. This unrifled area is the freebore. The more freebore a projectile has to pass before it engages the rifling, the more accuracy is lost. More freebore = less accuracy. That\u2019s why bolt guns chambered for .223 Remington specifically use .223 Remington chambers. It\u2019s also why the aforementioned .223 Wylde chamber uses the .223 Remington freebore. <b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span lang=\"EN\">How much more accurate is 223 over 5.56?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The difference in accuracy between 223 and 5.56 is not enough to matter to the average AR15 buyer. This is also why the manufacturers who don\u2019t use .223 Wylde chambers all use 5.56 chamber dimensions. A quick check on the internet shows that Sig, Springfield Armory, Daniel Defense, and Colt list their rifles as chambered for 5.56. In 2020, you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find a rifle from a reputable manufacturer that wasn\u2019t chambered for 5.56. This is thanks in no small part to the surplus 5.56 ammo that was plentiful before the pandemic. <b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span lang=\"EN\">What You Need to Know: .223 vs. 5.56<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2210 size-full\" title=\"shooting an ar15\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7828.jpg\" alt=\"jeremiah shooting an ar-15 on the range\" width=\"1024\" height=\"596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7828.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7828-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7828-768x447.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7828-200x116.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/BSS7828-750x437.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b><span lang=\"EN\">If you have an AR15 rifle made by a modern, reputable manufacturer you can shoot whatever you want through it and it will be fine. If you have a bolt action rifle that says \u201c.223 Remington\u201d on it, just shoot that. Pretty simple, right?<b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Hopefully this has cleared up any questions you had about the difference between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/223-ammo.php\">5.56 NATO and .223 Remington ammo<\/a>, and done it in a way that\u2019s accessible and easily understood. Perhaps someday we\u2019ll see great volumes of milsurp 5.56 NATO on the market again, and when we do you can point your friends to this article to help them out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/223-ammo.php?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_campaign=223vs556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4882 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-1024x580.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-1536x869.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-750x425.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/media\/223vs556-1140x645.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"b-share-calltoaction\">\n<div class=\"b-share-calltoaction--text b-share-calltoaction-text\">\n<div class=\"b-share-calltoaction-text__header\">\n<h2>Share this article with your friends!<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul class=\"b-social-icons clearfix\">\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/223-vs-556\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon facebook\">&nbsp;Facebook<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/223-vs-556\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon twitter\">&nbsp;Twitter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/223-vs-556\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon linkedin\">&nbsp;LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/223-vs-556\/\"\n               class=\"social_icon pinterest\">&nbsp;Pinterest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I couldn\u2019t estimate the number of \u201cwhat\u2019s the difference between .223 vs. 5.56\u201d articles that have been written. Hundreds, if&hellip;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-item-meta\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-content\/themes\/generatepress_child\/svg\/clock.svg\" width=\"14\" height=\"14\" alt=\"\"><time class=\"published\" datetime=\"2020-10-09T22:42:49+00:00\">Oct. 09, 2020<\/time><\/span><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-content\/themes\/generatepress_child\/svg\/comment.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"\">No comments<\/span><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/223-vs-556\/\"><span>Read more <\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-content\/themes\/generatepress_child\/svg\/chevron-right.svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-range-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1992"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5657,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992\/revisions\/5657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}