I was at academy buying some .380 ammo and I saw they had some .223 and some 5.56...I thought they were the same, both 55 grain. However, the .223 was 20 bucks a box and the 5.56 was 12 bucks a box. So, I balked and bought neither.

Are they the 'same'. Will my Colt shoot either? Why is one more expensive?

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Why is one more expensive?

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Quantity in the box, brand, type, etc.

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Will it work in your 6920?

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Maybe, Step 1 - does the barrel say 5.56 or .223?

If its a 6920 then it probably will. But as the poster above said, just check the barrel.

If it says 5.56 then it will shoot both.

Butt .223 will only shoot .223

My 6920 is marked 5.56mm - I am sure yours is as well.

Buy either, shoot either.

Dimensionally, .223 and 5.56 are the same. The case is the same, the projectiles are the same, the primer is the same.

However, the .223 maximum allowable SAAMI pressure is 55,000 psi. The 5.56 maximum allowable SAAMI pressure is 62,000 psi.

There are some small differences in chamber dimensions between the two as well.

A barrel stamped "5.56 NATO" will shoot both .223 and 5.56 safely. A barrel stamped ".223 Remington" generally cannot safely fire 5.56.

A Colt 6920 should have a 5.56 chamber, and the barrel should be stamped as such.

As far as the differences in price for the ammo you saw, there could be 37 different reasons so it's hard to really say.

Maybe the price difference is because one is brass cases and the other is steel case. Steel being the cheaper one.

Both were brass. Both 20 rounds. Doesnt matter. You guys answered my question. Ill have the wife buy a box of 5.56 of they still have it. :P

[This message has been edited by BrazosDog02 (edited 4/2/2013 10:19a).]

don't pay that price unless you ABSOLUTELY have to have some now. that's still WAY overpriced. there are better deals out there, just hard to find. eventually prices will return to normal. it'll be even faster if people would stop paying these insane prices.

I put 100 rns of .223 through my 6920 last week. worked like a charm.

I have a Colt CRP-18, and the barrel says .223. I've always heard that you shouldn't shoot 5.56 through .223 so I haven't done it. However, I've read plenty of things online about guys shooting 5.56 in their Colt CRP-18. Nonetheless, I'm not trying it.

ETA: Just found this on Colt's website regarding the acceptable cartridges. I was thinking it was possibly .223 "Wylde", which accepts both.

".223 Wylde Match Chamber accepts SAAMI-spec .223 ammo and NATO-stamped 5.56x45mm ammo"

Kick-arse!! I have about 500 rounds of 5.56 stocked up, so I'm good to go with the Colt! Glad I clicked on this thread and looked this up.


[This message has been edited by Bluto (edited 4/2/2013 1:07p).]

The .223 was probably SP and not FMJ.

Yeah, .50 a round is ridiculous, but I did get one box just because I have no ammo and I hate having fancy paperweights.

I think the $20/box .223 is a varmint round and not just a regular FMJ style round for $10/box.

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Definitely right. I went to Academy today and saw the varmint rounds for $20. Bought a 20 round box of remington 223 on Saturday for $10

Ok....what is a "varmint" round.

"It's for varmints, dummy!"

Seriously, is it hollow point or what?

Typically polymer tipped bullets. Or soft points or hollow points. Any "premium" bullet that is not a FMJ.

Cool.

So explain boat tail

Varmint bullets: thin skinned bullet designed to fragment quickly in small game.

Boat tail: tapered tail to reduce drag and increase the length for a given bullet weight.

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So explain boat tail

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The descriptive term "boat tail" is a particular shape of a projectile, which oddly enough looks like a boat does from altitude:





As NRH stated, the shape is superior ballistically than a flat base projectile and will generally travel farther, faster and flatter than any other shape.

A VLD projectile is a boat tail on steroids.