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Posted: 7/10/2012 4:29:49 PM EDT
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I'm new to their whole AR thing but I wanted to make sure I'm correct on this.
If my barrel says 5.56 - it can handle .223 Just not vice versa. |
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If marked 5.56, .223 is not a problem. .223 has a steeper neck (for accuracy) so you generally loose a little accuracy with .223. .223 Wylde is a hyprid designed to shoot the two rounds with better accuracy.
Currently, I'm only aware of one rifle type that's marked .223 but is actually chambered for 5.56…Mini-14's (Target Rifle is one of the strict .223 versions). Don't know what pistol parts go for, in the past PSA has been great for me but here lately I've been finding better deals from Del-ton. |
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Quoted:
Other than the primer pockets. what else must be considered when reloading spent 223 casing as opposed to reloading spent 556 casings? Nothing other than the usual. When you fire a .223 out of a 5.56, the neck/collar will form to fit the chamber of the 5.56. When you put said case into the resizing die, it will resize everything to .223 specs (or 5.56 if it's a 5.56 die). Once fired (from the same chamber) a 5.56 case should have the exact outer dimensions as a .223 case in theory. The only really thing to worry about is 5.56 cases tend to be over max length when it comes to once fired brass for .223 specs. |
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Other than the primer pockets. what else must be considered when reloading spent 223 casing as opposed to reloading spent 556 casings? Nothing other than the usual. When you fire a .223 out of a 5.56, the neck/collar will form to fit the chamber of the 5.56. When you put said case into the resizing die, it will resize everything to .223 specs (or 5.56 if it's a 5.56 die). Once fired (from the same chamber) a 5.56 case should have the exact outer dimensions as a .223 case in theory. The only really thing to worry about is 5.56 cases tend to be over max length when it comes to once fired brass for .223 specs. Same die dude... No such creature as a '5.56 die'. 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Other than the primer pockets. what else must be considered when reloading spent 223 casing as opposed to reloading spent 556 casings? Nothing other than the usual. When you fire a .223 out of a 5.56, the neck/collar will form to fit the chamber of the 5.56. When you put said case into the resizing die, it will resize everything to .223 specs (or 5.56 if it's a 5.56 die). Once fired (from the same chamber) a 5.56 case should have the exact outer dimensions as a .223 case in theory. The only really thing to worry about is 5.56 cases tend to be over max length when it comes to once fired brass for .223 specs. Same die dude... No such creature as a '5.56 die'. There actually is, just not commercially available. The guys who have them, acquire them by machining .223 dies…usually this is only done by companies that reload 5.56 spec ammo for training purposes. |
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Sorry, some of the details of the answers you have been given are just a little off.
The difference in any given die is based on manufacturer's habits and SAAMI specifications. If they call it 223 it must follow SAAMI. If someone has it modified, they can call it anything they want. There is no practical reason a die would be called different than 223. The chamber specification differences are not the reason folks justify the modifications to their dies. The 556 chamber is not only intended for higher pressure loadings, it has the properties of many military chambers in terms of leaning toward reliability side of trade studies when swallowing defects. Some of the dimensions which add to the statistics for going bang when the trigger is pulled on beat up or dirty ammo, especially in automatic and semi-automatic guns, are in conflict with accuracy. So, that committee had good reasons for modifying the 223 designs, but the cartridge and die dimensions are not different. The 556 specs allow for higher auto reliability. If their pressure wasn't so much higher, they would have been downward compatible. 223 versus 556 Dimensions http://www.ar15barrels.com/data/223-556.pdf Here is a table of the difference that shows the values you would get from Clymer reamers. Keep in mind that the official differences are shown here. SAAMI Rifle Specifications and in here are some short paragraphs about the differences as well. Wiki Article 223 556 differences post GunZone Article Edit: Armalite Version |
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