vectorak47

Can I shoot LC 55gr. 5.56mm in My .223rem Hawkeye rifle? Bud's gunshop is listing this rifle as 223rem/5.56 nato but Ruger website does not list the 5.56mm and I know there is a pressure difference between SAAMI and Nato spec.

Tater

I asked Ruger about a similar situation regarding .308 Win vs. 7.62x51. Their answer to me on the particular rifle I asked about was to use .308 Win.

Moral of the story: ask Ruger. They will know.

Raminator

There is a slight dimensional difference between 5.56 and .223 Rem. Do a google search on 5.56 vs .223 Remington for the details. In a nutshell, if your gun is chambered for .223 Rem, you can't shoot 5.56, but if it chambered for 5.56, you can shoot both.

Hope that helps.

capnhector

short answer no.

Long answer: NATO chambers have a long leade. SAAMI chambers are tighter and have a short leade. SAAMI chambers are designed for increased accuracy, but will yield dangerously high pressures in guns using military ammunition and/or which are subject to high volume shooting. Under such high pressures, a primer may back out completely, drop into the action and cause the firearm to stop working.

so if you have a gun chambered for 5.56 nato you can use commercial .223 ammo as the pressures are lower but not the other way around. but you will need to call ruger to confirm the chambering or you could take it to a gunsmith to measure the chamber but i think calling ruger will be cheaper.


EDIT Raminator you beat me to it.

Raminator

Yeah, but you had the better answer.

capnhector

the rounds them selves are the same dimentiontially the 5.56 nato has a longer throat before the bullet engages the bore (leade). its why i specifically order 5.56 nato chambering on all my .223 guns as im assured they will take both rounds.

Ruger Redhawk

I asked Ruger this same question a few years back. I had bought 2 cases of LC 5.56 and a friend told me you can't shoot that in a 223. Ruger told me that all Ruger's in 223 are actually chambered in 5.56 mm and can fire either. I have read the new Mini Target models is 223 only.
This topic has been around allot on different forums. Going by what Ruger told me yes it's safe to use in Ruger's. I can't speak for other manufacturers.

blbolin

I had the same ammo question as I was thinking of buying a brand new Ruger Model 77 Hawkeye in .223. I have a large amount of 5.56 ammo so I called Ruger. Upon talking to their tech rep they told me that you are not to use 5.56 ammo in a model 77 or a mini 14 target. They said you can use both in the mini 14 and the Ruger 5.56 Ar styled rifle.
I know you see all sorts of opinions on the internet about this, but this is what the Ruger rep told me a few days ago. Has anyone actually used 5.56 ammo in a Ruger 77 and report what is the result or if any problems were encountered. Please lets hear from only actual owners of Ruger .223 model 77's who have used both rounds and not just opinions.
Thanks

Darkker

Forget the "pressures" arguement, it is at the very best, semantics.

The brass is the same. Military brass is not spec'd smaller capacity, I don't care what your grandfather's favorite gun writer told you. Get your scales and dopper out. Lapua has the smallest capacity, LC, Fed, and WW are within .1 of each other. With the exception of Lapua(or specific purpose built match stuff) any capacity differences are simply manufacturing tollerances. Ruger doesn't build barrels, NOR recievers that are heat treated any less "because it is a 223"; They are all the same.

The Chamber is Technically different, as CapnHector said.
Now, one must wonder "WHY" would you have a longer lead for a given bullet, if the 223's is fine for the same bullet?? Because of potential for SLAP, saboted, etc. loadings. Things that will require a much longer chamber, and an opportunity to change from original loading, WITHOUT having to re-barrel everything.

There is something close to eleventy-million surplus rounds shot by the private sector each year. NO they are NOT all shot through NATO chambered rifles. Do you routinely hear about folks getting blown-up, buildings melting, and goats running because of it? No.

So CAN you shoot it? Sure. SHOULD you shoot it? That is up to YOU and YOUR rifle. YOU have a SAAMI chamber, the ammo was built for a NATO chamber.
If you don't have an odd-ball cartridge(tracer, slap, etc), just standard ball ammo; it chambers and extracts perfectly fine, then the odds are you have yourself some inexpensive(hopefully) plinking ammo.

Personally I have run 5 battle packs of NATO ammo through my 308. Somewhere in the 5-6 battle packs of SS-109 through a few different SAAMI bolt guns.

Iowegan

Darkker nailed it and to expand on his comments ..... SAMMI pressure testing is done mid-way on the cartridge body whereas the military pressure tests are done at the case mouth. If 5.56 NATO and 223 Rem cartridges were tested exactly the same, there wouldn't be a lick of difference in chamber pressure.

laidlerj

If there is some concern about the higher pressure of the 5.56 NATO (and, no, I'm not contradicting Iowegan, but I've had some military surplus 5.56 ammo that was clearly higher pressure), or if you just want a NATO-spec chamber, that is a simple and inexpensive job for any gunsmith.

Also, in a bolt-action rifle, I'd be a LOT less worried about the piddling difference in pressure between SAAMI and high-spec 5.56 NATO (e.g. some of the Southern Nato - no country names, please - ammo I once shot). The bolt lock-up of the Hawkeye is a lot more rugged than that of a Mini14 (which I understand does have a NATO-spec chamber).


Jim

bgreid

Years ago I had a M77 that I shot hundreds of NATO surplus rounds out of. Bolt actions are much stronger than AR actions.

MZ5

The board won't let me add more reputation points for you right now, so I'll just post the :thumbsup: here in the thread!

bgreid

Just call Ruger.

Sr40ken

consult the March/April issue of Petersens Rifleshooter magazine if you have any doubt.
If it were me (and it ain't), I would have the leade checked if you are gonna try some true 5.56 loads.