Thread: 5.56 ammo in a .223 savage rifle

can you shoot 5,56 ammo,non NATO, ammo in a savage 100 .223? without failure? problems? gun failure? the rifle has only been shoot twice with only about 200 rounds through it. thanks. HELLO, KNOWBODY KNOWS?

I think Savage doesn't officially support it. However, many people do it and haven't had an issue.

I seem to remember someone on a forum somewhere said Savage would make them a gun that was "officially" chambered in 5.56.

Lots of threads on this at Savage Shooters Forum - Index

Due to the higher chamber pressures of the 5.56 round it is NOT recommended to shoot 5.56 ammo in a rifle chambered for .223. However, if you shoot a rifle chambered for 5.56 you can shoot .223 without any safety issues. Chances are you will be fine but then again you could be one of the few that has their gun explode in their face. In my opinion it's always better to be safe then sorry. Just my $.02

Read this: http://www.thegunzone.com/556v223.html

thank you. great article. apprieciate the input, all.

got eaten someplace.

So here it is again:
The leade between the two is different as well as case pressures. Get a copy of Guns Magazine Sept. 2010, and look at page 28-29 (going from memory here as I don't have it with me). Also look at the picture on page 29 that shows what the difference between a 5.56 and .225 is when loaded, it's about .150".
You can shoot .223 in a 5.56 but not 5.56 in a .223 UNLESS the chambers are designed for it, some are, some aren't.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
WAC Member
ACSWW Member

SAAMI lists this as an "unsafe gun and ammunition combination" in thier documentation.

To be frank, yes, you can put 5.56 ammunition into that gun and pull the trigger. However, you will end up with erratic pressures, likely deformed brass, blown primers and the like. You should have no expectation of accuracy.

However, most of the 5.56 ammo you will find on the market is not loaded to military specs. Unless it's M855 green tip, I would not expect it to actually generate true military pressures. If this is the commercial white-box XM193, or similar, it is most likely safe to fire in your gun as the ammunition industry tends to avoid selling ammunition which may explode when someone puts it in the wrong gun. (This is standard practice for 8mm mauser ammo, just in case someone puts it in a j-bore)

At this point, commercial .223 ammo is availible, despite it being more expensive than it was, this is a known-safe combination, and one which will probably give you better results unless you just like to hear the gun go off.