Fun Facts about Guns and Ammo
.223 Wylde Barrels
Where can I buy .223 Wylde Ammo???
Fun Fact: There is no such thing as .223 Wylde Ammo.
A .223 Wylde barrel is a barrel that was developed by Bill Wylde of Greenup, Illinois. He redesigned the chamber of the rifle's barrel to a specification he called the .223 Wylde Chamber. The .223 Wylde barrel is capable of handling the hotter 5.56 NATO rounds without the accompanying gas pressure problems from the 5.56 cartridge as well as handling gas pressure from the .223 Remington bullets giving you better accuracy.
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This special barrel can also handle either round, .223 Cal or 5.56 NATO, with ease.
I would recommend .223 Wylde or Straight 5.56 NATO barrels, if you are looking to shoot .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO ammo. For more details, see below.
Can a .223 round be shot in a 5.56 NATO barrel???
Can I mix my ammo and barrels?
Fun Fact: .223 Rem can be shot in a 5.56 NATO barrel.
You can safely shoot .223 Remington ammunition in a rifle chambered for 5.56 NATO. Due to the increased gas pressure of the 5.56 NATO round, NEVER shoot 5.56 NATO ammunition in a rifle intended for .223 Rem. Over time, to the slight variations in Casing diameter and the chamber, over time and constant firing, it will become not as safe to fire a 5.56 NATO in a dedicated .223 Rem barrel. Stick to the .223 Rem round for a .223 Rem barrel. In my humble, gunsmithing opinion, switch it out for a .223 Wylde barrel to be safe, if you plan to use mixed ammo. Always read your user manual.
What's the difference between the .223 Rem Ammo and 5.56 NATO Ammo?
Fun Fact: .223 Rem and a 5.56 NATO round are cousins, Not Twins. They look the same, but different.
Differences between the two are small but can have a large impact on performance, safety and weapon function. The first difference is the higher-pressure level of the 5.56 NATO cartridge which runs at approximately 58,000 psi.
A .223 Rem is loaded to approximately 55,000 psi. The second and most important difference between the two is the fact that a 5.56 NATO chamber has a .125” longer throat. This allows approximately one more grain of powder to be loaded into a 5.56 NATO cartridge; this is what gives it higher performance than its .223 Rem cousin. The biggest problem with these differences is when firing a 5.56 NATO cartridge in a rifle chambered for .223 Rem.
Due to the longer throat that the NATO chamber employs this combination will cause a .223 Rem chambered weapon to run at approximately 65,000 psi or more. This is 10,000 psi higher than the .223’ Rems normal functioning pressure of 55,000 psi. This is NOT safe and will cause primers to back out, or worse, cause harm to the operator, the rifle, or both. The reverse of this is firing a .223 Rem cartridge in a 5.56 NATO chambered rifle. Due to the throat difference between the two chambers a .223 Rem cartridge may not work optimally in a 5.56 NATO chambered weapon. The cause of this is the lack of pressure built by a 223 Rem cartridge fired from a 5.56 NATO chamber.
The .223 Rem’s 55,000 psi will not be attained and therefore velocity and performance are hurt. Problems start occurring when this combination is fired out of a 5.56 NATO chambered rifle with a 14.5” (or shorter) barrel. The lower powder charge of the .223 Rem round coupled with the pressure drop that occurs when it is fired in the 5.56 NATO chamber will cause the rifle to cycle improperly. NATO chambered rifles with barrels longer than 14.5” should function properly when firing .223 Rem ammunition.