Civilian rifle cartridge?

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hunter10
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Civilian rifle cartridge?

Unread postby hunter10 » Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:24 am

Found a box of "barnhaul" or "baurnal" 223 ammo at the local store for cheap. They are a bit wider than my other shells. They slide into my bolt 223 fine, just wondering if that style of cartridge is safe to shoot from my savage 223? Thank you


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Horizontal Hunter
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Re: Civilian rifle cartridge?

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:31 am

I can't answer specifically about that particular cartridge but FWIW I included this article. You probably already know it but just in as easy you didn't.

Bob

.223 Remington vs. 5.56 NATO: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You
Posted at 3:01 am on February 15, 2011 by Bob Owens

Is firing a 5.56 NATO cartridge in your .223 Remington chambered AR15 dangerous? Or do Internet forum-ninjas and ammunition companies selling you commercial ammo instead of surplus overstate the dangers? Believe it or not, a real danger exists, and some gun owners who think they are doing the right thing may not be safe.

The Cartridges

The .223 Remington and 5.56×45 NATO cartridges are very similar, and externally appear the same. But there are some differences that lie beneath the surface.

The 5.56 case has thicker walls to handle higher pressures, meaning the interior volume of the case is smaller than that of a .223. This will alter the loading data used when reloading 5.56 brass to .223 specs.

Some 5.56 loads have a slightly longer overall length than commercial .223 loads.

The Chambers

The significant difference between the .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO lies in the rifles, rather than the cartridges themselves. Both the .223 and 5.56 rounds will chamber in rifles designed for either cartridge, but the critical component, leade, will be different in each rifle.

The leade is the area of the barrel in front of the chamber prior to where the rifling begins. This is where the loaded bullet is located when a cartridge is chambered. The leade is frequently called the “throat.”

On a .223 Remington spec rifle, the leade will be 0.085”. This is the standard described by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI). The leade in a 5.56 NATO spec rifle is 0.162”, or almost double the leade of the .223 rifle.

A shorter leade in a SAAMI spec rifle creates a situation where the bullet in a 5.56 NATO round, when chambered, can contact the rifling prior to being fired. By having contact with the rifling prematurely (at the moment of firing), chamber pressure can be dramatically increased, creating the danger of a ruptured case or other cartridge/gun failure.

The reverse situation, a .223 Rem round in a 5.56 NATO gun, isn’t dangerous. The leade is longer, so a slight loss in velocity and accuracy may be experienced, but there is not a danger of increased pressures and subsequent catastrophic failure.



Read More:

https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2011/02/15/223-remington-vs-556-nato-what-you-dont-know-could-hurt-you/
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hunter10
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Re: Civilian rifle cartridge?

Unread postby hunter10 » Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:58 pm

Thanks for the reply Bob I will cal the local gun shop and ask if they think I'm safe to shoot that brand
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ghoasthunter
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Re: Civilian rifle cartridge?

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:44 pm

I your shooting it from a bolt gun I don't think you will have any problems at all savage makes a good bolt that will handle 60000 psi nato or civilian rounds are well below that level of psi. the 556 223 problems are more for semi auto a bolt gun can eat everything id say shoot one and look at the primer if its flat or leaking around the edges don't shoot any more. I honestly think the 556 223 is more myth than fact and a well made gun will not have issues the psi difference is not enough the 556 cases are thicker because they were made to run full auto in belt fed guns so powder volume is different. and the only time I would be thinking about that is if I'm reloading rounds the psi is going to build up faster in 556 when I work up a load. but the brass is more durable so it going to last longer normally. but factory loaded ammo just seems silly to me. I can hand load well above factory specs for psi and fps without a hitch.
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