Ok, has anyone done this yet? If so who and where is the info??? Since the 5.56 and the 5.45 are so close Im thinking this might be an ideal conversion.

Thoughts?

Well, I suppose some nutcase somewhere has, or has tried to; but for the love of me I can't see why you would. Let see; you'd need a whole new barrel, or have to set the existing barrel breech back enough (and shorten the gas tube), to rechamber to the 5,45, then you'd have to recut the bolt face to the larger base diameter.

That would leave you with a rifle whose magazines wouldn't accept more than 5 or 6 rounds, though you might be able to fiddle one of the 7.62x39 Frankenmags enough to make it work w/the 5.45.

And when you were all through, you'd have a rifle chambered for a cartridge that is 10-15% less powerful than you started with---though I will admit the military bullet is probably a more deadly missle than the 5.56 issue piece.

Interesting idea.

Not sure about the dimensions of the 5.45 vs. 5.56

Alexander Arms made one.

One of my many talents.  

I've only ever seen ten-round magazines for them, though.  Do you know of higher capacity?  I wonder if it won't feed with larger mags...

I don't know how many times it's been said but

 anything the 5.45 can do the 5.56 can do better

Oh, interesting.  I think it would be fun to have one.  

Quoted: Oh, interesting.  I think it would be fun to have one.

+1

I think you'll find what you looking for here
http://www.alexanderarms.com/website/
I have one and love mine

Sorry for the hijack...


The gain (if there is one) isn't significant enough to warrant an AR-15 type rifle in 545 in my opinion. Seems more of just a toy for someone who wants to be different.


AR mags are smaller, and lighter. It would require a lot of changes to the whole system to guarantee reliability I'd imagine. From the gas system, to carrier and buffer weights. Bah....it if ain't broke...


The only thing 545 has going for it, is less recoil than the 556 (which is pretty lame, since neither has ANY recoil...hell, I don't even like to use the word "recoil" and 556 in the same sentence)


And...


It is a long projectile that is very bottom heavy because of the cavity at the front. Pretty much the same thing that 68+ grain 556 ammo is accomplishing now. OTM is the same concept. Long projectile that is rear heavy = MUCH increased yaw. Yaw is good. While yaw doesn't guarantee fragmentation, it in itself is quite destructive. Earlier the yaw, the more destructive fragmentation can be.


Still, the nod goes to 556 since you get the same effect, but with a much bigger heavier bullet.


I would really, really hate to base my collection on a caliber whose primary source of ammunition is Wolf. Wolf isn't that great, and moreover....all it takes is 1 executive order to block the import of Wolf forever. Imagine the price for that stuff made domestically! ouch.

Sounds like they would be fun rifles even if making them was not a fun process.  

Quoted: The gain (if there is one) isn't significant enough to warrant an AR-15 type rifle in 545 in my opinion. Seems more of just a toy for someone who wants to be different.

There is a reason that the the Russians went to 5.45 from 7.62.  They stopped just short of where they should  have been going...

Quoted: Quoted: The gain (if there is one) isn't significant enough to warrant an AR-15 type rifle in 545 in my opinion. Seems more of just a toy for someone who wants to be different. There is a reason that the the Russians went to 5.45 from 7.62.  They stopped just short of where they should  have been going...

They knew what they were doing.  The Russian military 5.45 round has a larger wound cavity and is far more devastating in soft tissue than our M855.

Our M855 would have more lethality if it had an air cavity behind the jacket in the tip, wouldn't it?