From wjkuleck@alum.mit.edu Wed Oct 23 15:49:32 2002 Path: news.redhat.com!news-reader.ntrnet.net!news.onramp.ca!xcski.com!news.kjsl.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news2.wam.umd.edu!gun-control From: "Walter J. Kuleck, Ph.D." Newsgroups: rec.guns Subject: RE: .223 vs 5.56 Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 10:29:21 +0000 (UTC) Organization: The Hennepin Group, Inc. Lines: 52 Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: sniper.cs.umd.edu X-Trace: grapevine.wam.umd.edu 1035368961 28338 128.8.128.79 (23 Oct 2002 10:29:21 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@wam.umd.edu NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 10:29:21 +0000 (UTC) In-Reply-To: <028f01c2796c$91f86840$7e5cf7a5@b5g4x8> Originator: magnum@cs.umd.edu (News Moderator) Xref: news.redhat.com rec.guns:117684 Hi, ?, .223 Remington and US 5.56MM ammunition are very similar, so similar that for all practical purposes the cartridge cases are interchangeable. The specifications for the loaded ammunition are subtly different, however. See: http://www.fulton-armory.com/556-vs-223-Chambers.htm SAAMI proscribes the use of 5.56MM military ammunition in rifles chambered for .223 Remington, as explained in the FAQ article referenced. Remington was the original manufacturer of the ".222 Special" ammunition designed by Gene Stoner for his AR-15 design. This cartridge design was standardized as 5.56MM (5.56x45mm) by the US Army. Concurrently, Remington added the cartridge to their product line as the ".223 Remington. However, there are small, subtle differences between the two. If you held the two cartridges side by side you'd never be able to tell. Army 5.56MM ammunition has more tolerance in the case neck diameter than the civilian SAAMI .223 Remington chamber drawing. It is possible to fire .223 Remington cartridges in 5.56MM chambers. It is also possible to fire 5.56MM cartridges in .223 Remington chambers, but the tighter civilian chamber spec may cause certain types or lots of 5.56MM ammunition to fit too tightly for proper function, if not safety. Best regards, Walt Kuleck Author, "The AR-15 Complete Owner's Guide" --available from http://www.fulton-armory.com/ --see the review in American Rifleman ----- Original Message ----- From: "rat a tat tat" Newsgroups: rec.guns Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 6:19 AM Subject: .223 vs 5.56 > ... or > ... ----------------------------------------------------------- Learn about rec.guns at http://www.recguns.com -----------------------------------------------------------