The 5.56mm NATO chambering, known as a NATO or mil-spec chamber, has a longer leade, which is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point at which the rifling engages the bullet. The .223 Remington chambering, known as SAAMI chamber, is allowed to have a shorter leade, and is only required to be proof tested to the lower SAAMI chamber pressure. To address these issues, various proprietary chambers exist, such as the Wylde chamber (Rock River Arms) or the ArmaLite chamber, which are designed to handle both 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington equally well. The dimensions and leade of the .223 Remington minimum C.I.P. chamber also differ from the 5.56mm NATO chamber specification.
Using commercial .223 Remington cartridges in a 5.56mm NATO chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223 Remington chambered gun due to the longer leade. Using 5.56mm NATO mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223 Remington chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and even be unsafe, and the SAAMI recommends against the practice. Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56mm NATO, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14, but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56mm NATO ammunition.
5.56mm NATO round
Used by | NATO | |
---|---|---|
Wars | Vietnam War–present |
Parent case | .223 Remington | |
---|---|---|
Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |
Bullet diameter | 5.70 mm (0.224 in) | |
Neck diameter | 6.43 mm (0.253 in) | |
Shoulder diameter | 9.00 mm (0.354 in) | |
Base diameter | 9.58 mm (0.377 in) | |
Rim diameter | 9.60 mm (0.378 in) | |
Rim thickness | 1.14 mm (0.045 in) | |
Case length | 44.70 mm (1.760 in) | |
Overall length | 57.40 mm (2.260 in) | |
Rifling twist | 178 mm or 229 mm (1 in 7" or 9", originally 1 in 14") | |
Primer type | Small rifle | |
Maximum pressure | 430.00 MPa 62,366 psi |
.223 Remington
Parent case | .222 Remington Magnum | |
---|---|---|
Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |
Bullet diameter | .224 in (5.7 mm) | |
Neck diameter | .253 in (6.4 mm) | |
Shoulder diameter | .354 in (9.0 mm) | |
Base diameter | .376 in (9.6 mm) | |
Rim diameter | .378 in (9.6 mm) | |
Rim thickness | .045 in (1.1 mm) | |
Case length | 1.76 in (45 mm) | |
Overall length | 2.26 in (57 mm) | |
Rifling twist | 1 in 12 in (typical) | |
Primer type | Small rifle | |
Maximum pressure | 55,000 psi (380 MPa) |