Originally Posted by GrenadaRoger
The two cartridges are almost identical in size with the 5.56 slightly bigger
BUT 5.56 NATO cartridges have more propellant (or are hotter as shooters say) and thus produce more pressure upon ignition...the 5.56 Nato rifles have are built with stronger aand larger ingnition chambers to withstand the pressure. Thus, 5.56 ammo & rifles are more expensive but have greater ranges than the .223 cartridge/rifle...the stronger propellant makes the bullet fly faster and with less arc, hence the range is farther and shooting is more accurate
.223 rifles are not built with ignition chambers as strong or big as 5.56 rifles...thus it is dangerous to put 5.56 rounds in a .223 chambered rifle--the rifle can blow up in the shooter face. Still, the 223 is a relatively inexpensive round, great for plinking at the shooting range or shooting pests such as coyotes, hogs, prairie dogs, etc
the above assumes we are talking about factory manufactured ammunition, which is loaded with carefully selected propellant amounts and bullet weights. there are some shooters that assemble their own cartridges and install propellants that produce pressures above what is available from ammo sold by manufacturers...their goal is greater accuracy/range but there is a risk of exceeding pressure tolerances the rifle was designed for. Best thing for the novice, shoot only factory manufactured ammunition and the cartridge type the firearm was intended for.
I thought the collar dimensions were the principle difference and was surprised to read that the 5.56 has lower pressure in the barrel than the .223 exactly because of the collar. Maybe that info was wrong, I dont know... but barrel pressure != foot/pound impact at target so I suppose it could be true? I do appreciate the explanation in any case.
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