Ammo cartridge checking

[Gunner3456]

I admit I haven't seen it all, but I've not seen a .223 rifle which wouldn't chamber a 5.56 NATO. That doesn't mean you should shoot the 5.56 in a .223 chamber.

First you say your gun is "AKS-223 CAL .5.56X45mm Semi Auto," Then you say "This is my problem. My rifle is only chambered for the .223 and not 5.56 Nato or milspec."

Which is it? Is the barrel stamped 5.56x45, or what? What makes you say it is 5.56x45mm?

My next move would be to grab a handful of those "darker" ones and head for a friend's or a friendly gun shop and see if those rounds would chamber in a 5.56. If they won't something is wrong with them. If they will, something might be wrong with your gun.

You said "They are not marked on the green ammo cases that they are in. I guess that the darker ones are 5.56's and the brighter ones are .223's."

Are they not head stamped? Guess work isn't good here...

 

[Father of four]

I am still learning about firearms and ammunition. I for sure have ALOT to learn. That is the main reason I keep in contact with this website.

My gun is a AKS-223 CAL .5.56X45mm Semi Auto. I think my problem is it is chambered for the .223 and not 5.56 Nato or milspec. And I didnt know I had two maybe three diferent types of ammo that I was trying to fire threw it it. They all looked the same but are not!

My understanding (which I may be wrong) is that there are two types of 5.56 ammo. One being 5.56, the same as .223. The other 5.56 is NATO or Milspec (military surplus?)

My gun is not set up to fire the NATO or milspec type. There are guns that have that capability. Mine does not.

Yes you are right.I will take the ammo to a gunsmith to see what I have. I do guess that the darker colored ammo is indeed the 5.56 NATO or milspec.

Like I said I am trying to figure it out and I do thank you for your advice and knowledge in trying to help Gunner. Just trying to learn from some of you experts. Thanks again, Howard

 

[Father of four]

Here is a good read for anyone like myself who would like to learn more about the .223 cartridge.

http://www.6mmbr.com/223rem.html

 

[Father of four]

Here is another interesting read about the .223 and the 5.56.

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

 

[Father of four]

The head stamps are...

Shiny brass, .223

LC 67, LC 75, LC 78, LC 83, LC 84, LC 85, LC 86 = Lake City and year?

RA 68 = Radway Arsenal and year ?

TW 71= not sure ?

Darker brass, 5.56 ?

LC 75, LC 81, LC 85, LC 86

WCC 84, WCC 87


Could they use the same case but one be sized for a .223 or 5.56? Or did the person who reloaded the Darker brass cases do a bad job?

 

[Father of four]

This is exactly what I have. Plus the original detachable bayonet, green sling, oil bottle. Plus a black sling, (6) 30rd magazines and a bunch of ammo I'm not sure of. :huh: HEHE...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=168999295

And mine is prettier!

 

[Gunner3456]

My gun is a AKS-223 CAL .5.56X45mm Semi Auto. I think my problem is it is chambered for the .223 and not 5.56 Nato or milspec.

This is confusing and contradicts itself. If your gun is .223 and 5.56x45, it will fire either. 5.56x45 IS the NATO mil spec ammo.

What makes you say it is 5.56x45? Do you see that on the barrel somewhere? Do you even see it on the receiver?

And I didnt know I had two maybe three diferent types of ammo that I was trying to fire threw it it. They all looked the same but are not!

My understanding (which I may be wrong) is that there are two types of 5.56 ammo. One being 5.56, the same as .223. The other 5.56 is NATO or Milspec (military surplus?)

NO. There is .223. There is also 5.56x45 which IS 5.56 nato. They are very similar in size but the 5.56x45 is more powerful.

My gun is not set up to fire the NATO or milspec type.

But just above you said "My gun is a AKS-223 CAL .5.56X45mm Semi Auto." If that's true, then you are set up to fire 5.56 NATO mil spec. ???

There are guns that have that capability. Mine does not.

Still contradicting earlier statements.

This is exactly what I have. Plus the original detachable bayonet, green sling, oil bottle. Plus a black sling, (6) 30rd magazines and a bunch of ammo I'm not sure of. :huh: HEHE...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=168999295

And mine is prettier!

That ad says only .223 and doesn't mention 5.56. There are lots of .223's which are not designed for 5.56 NATO, however all guns which are made for 5.56x45 NATO will fire .223.

I don't get from that ad why you are saying your gun is "AKS-223 CAL .5.56X45mm" and that ad doesn't claim that.

What makes you say "My gun is a AKS-223 CAL .5.56X45mm?"

Still, the 5.56 rounds should chamber in a .223. See if they will chamber in a different 5.56 gun to find out if something is wrong with them.

 

[Gunner3456]

The head stamps are...

Shiny brass, .223

LC 67, LC 75, LC 78, LC 83, LC 84, LC 85, LC 86 = Lake City and year?

RA 68 = Radway Arsenal and year ?

TW 71= not sure ?

Darker brass, 5.56 ?

LC 75, LC 81, LC 85, LC 86

WCC 84, WCC 87


Could they use the same case but one be sized for a .223 or 5.56? Or did the person who reloaded the Darker brass cases do a bad job?

LC is Lake City, WCC is Winchester. The numbers are the year of manufacture.

We won't know if the darker cases are bad until you try to chamber them in a different 5.56x45 NATO gun.

Most reloaders use the same dies for sizing .223 as they do for 5.56. They should all fit. I don't see any gross differences in case length or overall length in your pictures above. It could be that the cases didn't get full length resized on the darker rounds. They could then be "fatter." That's why we need to know if the darker ones will chamber in a different gun.

 

[Father of four]

Its not hard for idiots like me to contradict them selves. Sorry. here is the proof you want stamped on the receiver. I cant find any stamped information on the barrel.

 

[toolfan]

Its not hard for idiots like me to contradict them selves. Sorry. here is the proof you want stamped on the receiver. I cant find any stamped information on the barrel.

You should be fine with 5.56.

Both 5.56x45 and .223 are the same externally, 5.56 generates higher pressures. The chambers for each are slightly different, but the round itself is the same dimensionally.

It sounds like there is something wrong with the rounds that won't chamber, as both .223 and 5.56 will chamber in a gun chambered for either. Either the OAL or the brass is too long, or the brass hasn't been resized properly and is too fat.

 

[Father of four]

I got this from...http://www.thegunzone.com/556v223.html

"It is possible to fire .223 Remington cartridges in 5.56mm chambers. It is also possible to fire 5.56mm cartridges in .223 Remington cham*bers, but the tighter civ*il*ian chamber spec may cause certain types or lots of 5.56mm ammu*ni*tion to fit too tightly for proper function, if not safety."

That is what I was trying to say when I was referring my rifle is only chambered for the .223 and not 5.56 Nato or milspec.

But I "Think" that the problem is in the darker brass reloads not being reloaded correctly. I will take the ammo to my gunsmith to see what he thinks.

Thanks Gunner for your help.

 

[Father of four]

or the brass hasn't been resized properly and is too fat.

Yep that's what I think. Thanks for the info.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Your rifle is very sturdy and should be able to shoot both cartridges of they are properly dimensioned. In fact it is clearly marked with both in that picture you posted

Again, case gauges are quite cheap and to reload for this gun you should have one, anyway. 5.56/.223 is a somewhat difficult caliber to reload for newbies due to resizing issues. You need to check finished dimensions as you go along

 

[Father of four]

Thanks Blitzkrieg. :gun11:

 

[Blitzkrieg]

YW.. here is the critter:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=456614

 

[Father of four]

I have been sick with the cold/flu junk for the past 6 days, but feeling better tonight. Our money is tight ATM, so I took my AK apart again and checked another 2,000 or so .223/5.56 cartridges by hand by sliding them into the barrel and letting them drop into place. Any that did not seat properly I set aside. So far I have 447 that did not seat properly. They all were the darker casings. I still have plenty to check but I am going to take a dozen or so of the two types of ammo I have and the gun to the Gun Smith probably Monday to see what he/they think.