The main difference between 5.56 Nato and 5.56 x 45mm nato ammo is that the 5.56 x 45mm has a longer neck, which raises the cartridge’s overall length. This provides a point of reference to determine which weapon the cartridge was chambered in, which affects its maximum effective range and penetration.
5.56×45mm nato ammunition is a type of rifle ammunition used today by the United States military in M16 and M4 rifles. It comes as either standard cartridges or grenade launchers. Many other forces use these rounds as well in their weapons.
What Cartridges are 5.56×45mm?
It refers to two main cartridges, the 5.56×45mm Nato and.223 Remington, usually when people talk about 5.56, they refer to 5.56 NATO.
In 1957 .223 was first designed as a rifle cartridge for commercial hunting. Later it was upgraded to a 62-grain full metal jacket ( the updated version is the 5.56×45mm NATO)
Is 556 better for military uses:
It is one of the most popular cartridge types for militaries worldwide. The differences between 5.56 Nato and 5.56 × 45mm center around bottleneck size and case profile. The NATO rounds use a .223 bottleneck, while the x 45mm uses a .223 L-shape bottleneck. There is also a difference in case profiles, and the NATO round has a straight-sided case with an extraordinary length of 120.6 mm, while the x 45mm case has a reduced length of 125 mm compared to its long length of 150 mm.
Is 556 better for hunting?
For years, shooters have criticized the 5.56 NATO round as being too weak for games such as deer and elk. The problem is distance, not power. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives lists the 5.56 can hit targets at 900 meters (about 2950 feet), but it loses much of its energy due to drag and gravity. At 300 yards or less, the round performs well on the light-skinned game such as deer and feral hogs.
How to differentiate 5.56 rounds
It often has the manufacturer’s code, date, and military headstamp, while on the other hand.223 Remington is often just labeled as.223REM and, in some cases, the manufacturers’ name.
Most 5.56 rounds have a stamped ring at the primer, and the U. S military added the design, while.223 doesn’t have this uniqueness.
Can we face danger by mixing.223 and 5.56?
Because of the similarities, you can easily interchange the two rounds for a rifle designed for 5.56.
5.56 can handle lots of pressure, while.223 has less pressure and may reduce the shot’s accuracy. Therefore, firing a 5.56 × 45mm NATO rifle designed for.223 can be dangerous because it may cause the primer to jump out of the pocket or damage the rifle.
Final thought:
One of the most misunderstood aspects of 5.56×45 ammo is the difference between ammunition loaded to 5.56mm and ammunition loaded to .223 Remington specifications.
To be real, 5.56×45mm nato and. 223 brings about confusion, but that can’t be avoided. Their dimension, weight, and looks are identical. The only major difference is the pressure and chambering.
