ID 223/5.56 brass

[bloodman]

how can one tell the difference between 5.56 and 223 brass?

 

[Leo]

There isn't any difference in any way that would would affect it's use for your needs. Load it to your specs and your good to go.

 

[billybob44]

I know this sounds like a SA comment, but .223 brass will be headstamped with ".223 Rem+the Mfg". 5.56 brass may/may not be 5.56 headstamped, but probably will have the Mfg.+year produced. I have a good stock of LC 09..Lake City made in 2009.
As said upthread, you will NOT see or measure any difference in the two...Bill.

 

[indyjohn]

So, I suppose for our new poster it is prudent to state:

.223 through a 5.56 chambered barrel - good to go.
5.56 through a .223 chambered barrel - no go! (Google it for further info)

The above is very true if you're buying ammo. What Leo is telling you refers to brass that you would process in reloading.

I have 5.56 brass with headstamps of LC '06, '08, '12 that will run through my .223 WIN chambered ARs with no problem after I've resized them in my press.

 

[CountryBoy19]

For years a wives-tale floated around that 5.56 brass was heavier in the head/web area than .223 brass. But in recent years this myth/wives-tale has been proven inaccurate and the brass is exactly the same for both. The only real difference is pressure and a few minor dimensional differences in the actual chamber of the gun.

 

[bloodman]

so I guess the 5.56 is the +P version of the 223 Remington

 

[indyjohn]

so I guess the 5.56 is the +P version of the 223 Remington

In a very general sense, yes.

The only ammo I've shot that was actually labeled 5.56 was boxes of Federal XM193. You could tell and hear that it was hotter, but it fed through my carbines with no problems.

 

[sloughfoot]

In a very general sense, yes.

The only ammo I've shot that was actually labeled 5.56 was boxes of Federal XM193. You could tell and hear that it was hotter, but it fed through my carbines with no problems.

I plead with you to run this through a chronograph. Please report your findings.

I am weary of being the "lone voice in the desert".

(All 55 fmj ammo is loaded to the same velocity range. It doesn't matter if it is 5.56 or 223)

 

[indyjohn]

I plead with you to run this through a chronograph. Please report your findings.

I am weary of being the "lone voice in the desert".

(All 55 fmj ammo is loaded to the same velocity range. It doesn't matter if it is 5.56 or 223)

Ok slough, you got me to think for a minute about my statement.

For the OP: My perception of 'hotter' is based on what I know of my own handloads for competition. The cartridges I build will chrono below what a standard XM193 load should come in at. XM193s - somewhere in the high 3000s to 3100-something. My competition handloads with 69 or 80 gn projectiles - as much as 400 fps lower than that. Doesn't seem like much on paper but if over time you've tuned your ear to hear 2700 fps, 3050 or 3105 sounds 'hotter'.

Does that make more sense to you slough?

 

[HavokCycle]

5.56 nato brass has the nato symbol on it. it looks like a cross inside a circle on the headstamp. lake city brass will also be stamped with an LC. there is a slight issue with reloading nato brass, as the primers are crimped into place. you'll need to either ream the primer pocket (pain in the ass) or use a swaging tool. without removing the crimp, new primers won't seat correctly.

for this reason i try and avoid shooting lake city at the range.

 

[netsecurity]

5.56 nato brass has the nato symbol on it. it looks like a cross inside a circle on the headstamp. lake city brass will also be stamped with an LC. there is a slight issue with reloading nato brass, as the primers are crimped into place. you'll need to either ream the primer pocket (pain in the ass) or use a swaging tool. without removing the crimp, new primers won't seat correctly.

for this reason i try and avoid shooting lake city at the range.

I will just add that not all 5.56 ammo has the NATO (+) stamp on it. Only M855 variants are NATO cartridges, and they are 62gr. M193, which is much more common for target ammo, will not have the NATO stamp. Most civilian utilized 5.56 ammo is (55gr) M193 I believe, primarily since it doesn't have the steel penetrator, which is banned at most ranges. M193 was the original military standard for the AR15, but I don't think ever the NATO standard.

So yea, basically the case should say either 5.56 or .223 on the headstamp. If it doesn't say so, then it would be real hard to tell.