Ammo 223/556?

[Gabe]

Ok, does anyone shoot or practice with 556 instead of 223? Not sure but I saw some bulk 556 instock and for about the same price as the out of stock 223. What are the differences pros / cons?

I know ammo is difficult to find, if anyone has any direction they want to send me, I would be glad to follow.

Thanks

 

[JustSayWhen]

Gabe,
5.56x45 is a hotter round meaning that it makes more pressure in your chamber and it moves faster. It also is a tad bit longer if I remember correctly than the .223. If your firearm is chambered in 5.56 (most AR-15's are chambered in this) or .223 wylde, you can shoot 5.56 or .223 through it. For trigger time either round will work. If your firearm is chambered in .223 (without the wylde) it is recommended you only shoot .223 because it is a tad bit shorter and the pressure of a 5.56 will hurt the firearm in the long run. Check your barrel to see what your firearm is chambered in. Most likely it will be 5.56 and in that case for practice you can shoot both. When you sight in your rifle find what ammo you will be shooting in a competition or hunting and make sure to use the same ammo/grain weight doing the activity as you do sighting in. This might not make a huge difference but some will you would be surprised. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. And if I made any mistakes please one of the more experienced guys correct me!

 

[jtischauser]

^^^^This guy knows his stuff^^^^

I will add that any ammo is good practice ammo right now if it runs in your gun.

 

[JustSayWhen]

Thanks Jesse.

 

[Gabe]

Thanks. So basically for plonking, practice cheapest 223 or 556 I want to shoot. Then find the ammo that shoots best in gun sight in with it and start kicking ass. Does that sound like I got it right?

 

[JustSayWhen]

Yes sir!

 

[Gabe]

If you were going to buy 1K 223 would you buy 55gr or 62gr if it was same price 556 NATO FMJ?

 

[jtischauser]

Is the 62 gr green tip?

 

[Gabe]

No. It's Magtech is that any good. It is on BO. But it should come eventually.

 

[JustSayWhen]

What twist is your barrel. General rule of thumb (so it is not always true) 55 gr. is best with 1/9, 62gr. and up is best with 1/8 or 1/7, my colt is a 1/7 and I get the best groups with a 62gr. (out of what I have tried so far). There are a lot of other factors as well. A guy I work with knows so much about ammunition and how different small things affect the grouping he could probably teach a semester on it in college. So find what groups best and shoot that. Hope this helps!

 

[Gabe]

I think the stag 3G I ordered is 1/8? Hope they ship soon?

 

[JustSayWhen]

Well in that case Jesse should tell you what grain and type work best... I wish I had a 3g!!!!!

 

[jtischauser]

Black hills 69 gr Sierra Match Kings work great in ever barrel I've ever shot them in.

You gotta try a bunch if different types to see what works best for your barrel and your budget.

I used to run the then $.60/round 69's on long range accuracy required stages. Basically anything past 4" target at 100 yards and further.

Now I run PMC in everything cause its all I have. It's not sub MOA ammo but it works everytime and holds under 2 MOA which will suffice for now.

Hornady superformance shot really flat and accurate for me too but now it's probably $2/round if you can find it.

 

[Matt1911]

Just be sure to not mix brass cased ammo and steel or laquored when buying the cheapest ammo available. Rounds tend to get stuck in the chamber sometimes when switching between types.

 

[Gabe]

Well in that case Jesse should tell you what grain and type work best... I wish I had a 3g!!!!!

Me too! It hasn't shipped yet and I ordered it two days ago.