Page 1 of 1

.223 vs 5.56mm

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:32 am
by toyfj40
I have a NEF single-shot .223 Rifle with the heavy barrel.
I like the single-shot, as it keeps me from burning thru a
box of ammo in a single clip... :roll:

I usually buy an inexpensive .223 ammo at Academy.
The other day they had Winchester Q3131 which is labeled
as "5.56mm", not ".223".

I'm (sorta) aware of the SAAMI .223 "civilian" cartridge
versus the NATO 5.56mm ...
I asked about the difference and was told that there would
be none... just brand, powder, bullet variations.

I **thought** that the NATO-5.56mm was a different bullet,
with different powder/primer and thicker case to accommodate
the "more power" that is used in the NATO loads.

I looked up the Winchester Q3131 'ballistics' on their webpage
versus their .223 ammo... and they are basically the same.

My question:
Can you contribute some better insight into the .223 vs 5.56
cartridges ?? Are they the same ? can they be used interchangably ?

Seems odd that Winchester will market/sell .223 and then
have these labeled as 5.56mm (not NATO)...
thanks.