I know the chamber pressure is higher with 5.56 rounds (or it it chamber pressure is higher if shooting 5.56 in a 223 chamber?), but my rem700 vtr chamber looks like it had pretty thick metal around the chamber compared to my AR.
Whenever i research this i normally read. Do not shoot 5.56 in your 223 because your gun is not “tested” for 5.56. Has anybody here ever shot 5.56 rounds from a 223 with success? I trust the opinions of the people here more than most places which is why I am asking here.
A while ago i decided i would not risk this, but my 223 is basically a paperweight since i cant find 223 anymore (I’m good on 5.56). Rather than admit defeat i figured i would ask the question despite the flame risk for asking this:)
Are there any more options? Does anybody know of a 5.56 or wylde barrel that goes on a rem 700?
5.56 gets shot in .223 chambers all the time for a variety of reasons. Opinions run high on this topic and has been discussed quite a bit. Ned C. has done a lot of work with this and I value his opinion on the topic. There is a thread in the AR tech forum on it and I’m pretty sure its on his website as well.
Here is just one of the first articles that come up in a quick Google search. The main problem is the difference in pressures that the chamber is tested for. I know I shot a friend’s bushmaster which was stamped as a 5.56 and when I put xm193 in it I blew the primers out 2x before I realized the problem. He later had a gunsmith measure the chamber and realized it was only a .223 Chamber.
Can your rem 700 handle it? Probably but is it worth the risk to you to chance it? It wouldn’t be for me.
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A lot would depend on how the throat is cut in the VTR. My 22-250 VSSF had the throat cut so long you couldn’t get a varmint weight bullet anywhere near the lands while trying to maintain any kind of seating depth.
That lucky gunner article is good. I had not noticed that. Again, I was looking for reputable sources, and not just internet hearsay (which is why I looked on M4 Carbine). That lucky gunner article was the best one I have seen that shows actual real data to back up his claim.
Thanks for the ammo link, but I should have been more clear. I have trouble finding 223 for “plinking-prices” that is not steel-cased/russian or otherwise questionable.
5.56 NATO ammo fired in a true 223 Remington SAAMI chamber can result in pressure spikes exceeding 70k psi which is in the range proof loads generate. A rifle has a finite number of proof loads it can handle before it fails.
The major difference between a 5.56 barrel and a true 223 RFemington SAAMI barrel is in the leade. The 5.56 has a longer leade with a gentler angle feeding the bullet into the rifling. 5.56 ammo is loaded to make full pressure with a longer leade to increase velocity. The extra leade allows for a greater effective case volume.
A true 223 Remington SAAMI chamber has a much shorter leade. The bullet hits the rifling sooner and pressure reaches it’s peak with a smaller effective case volume, increasing pressure. 223 Remington ammo is tailored to make it’s full working pressure with the shorter leade.
The key to the above is “true” 223 Remington SAAMI dimensions. I suspect makers of modern 223 rifles cut their leades a little longer to reduce pressure from 5.56 NATO ammo.
You can make a Cerro Safe casting of the chamber & leade of your rifle to see if it’s a true 223 SAAMI barrel, or if there’s enough leade to safely shoot 5.56. If there isn’t enough leade, a special reamer can be used to cut it so there is. In doing so, it’s likely 223 ammo will not reach it’s full pressure and give lower velocities
I’m afraid “plinking prices” may be what’s throwing you off–because that number has changed in the last two years! These days, “plinking prices” is the same as “premium prices” a few years ago. I use steel-cased (read: Russian) ammo as plinking ammo–might be time to consider that.
As a corollary question, what about shooting .223 in a 5.56 chamber? What effect would you see?
ETA: got some of that from the linked articles–lower velocity, sounds like. What about a .223 Wylde? What I hear is 5.56 chambering with .223 accuracy–does that make sense?
This is the best article I have found regarding the difference between .223/5.56 chambers. I would recommend you find someone with one of Ned’s reamers and cut your chamber to his specs. I have reamed 10 chambers with his tool. These included 1 DD, several Bushmasters, DPMS and Rock River. The reamer removed metal from all of them.
I would not worry about the difference in a factory Remington barrel. If you notice a problem you can open the throat with a reamer. But the factory barrel should have a generous throat for this reason.
Check the primers for signs of pressure. Is the bolt easy to operate after firing? If all is well, I would not worry about it. But the case will fail before the rifle. Look at the brass.