Can I shoot .223 ammo out of my 5.56 AR?

[JustinB]

Pretty self explanatory. I have a 5.56 Smith and Wesson M&P15. Can I shoot .223 ammo out of it? The barrel is stamped 5.56 NATO.

Seems like all the 5.56 ammo I come across is hollow point match ammo. Would like to shoot lead tipped hunting ammo out of it. Seems easier to find in .223.

[bloodtrail18]

Yes, you can shoot 223 out of 5.56 but you cant shoot 5.56 out of a 223 remington barrel.

[JayB]

You can shoot 223 out of designated 5.56 but do not shoot 556 out of designated 223. 556 bullet is just a wee bit longer.

Ha....bloodtrail beat me to it.

[JustinB]

Thanks guys.

[TacticalCowboy]

You can do both, with either chamber.

[imyomama]

556 is higher pressure... a manufacturer won't want you to shoot a 556 in their 223 gun .. other way around knock yourself out .. in reality most guns are designed to withstand way more overpressure than that before failure , so firing 556 once in a while in a quality gun won't hurt it one bit. most of the time you'll start flattening primers and see signs long before you have more serious issues anyways .. but for all the lawyers ... always stick to the caliber marked on the barrel .. wink wink .

[db@100]

You can't always stick with what is marked on the barrel. My Remington 700 has "7MM Express" on the barrel.

[GregO]

You can't always stick with what is marked on the barrel. My Remington 700 has "7MM Express" on the barrel.

7MM Express was the short lived name for what is now called 280 Rem. I don't remember the year, nor the specifics on how this evolved, but either way, what you have is special. I have a Ruger M77V marked 7mm Express. It's gotta be worth something.

[TacticalCowboy]

I’m just waiting for pics of all the blown up .223’s that had 5.56 fired in them.

[Texas Grown]

I've got a 223 Wylde. So, there's that.
I shoot both out of it.

[Gerald G]

I've got a 223 Wylde. So, there's that.
I shoot both out of it.

Me too!

[dallred]

My Springfield Saint AR15 is stamped "multi caliber".

[fowlwaters]

Most all ARs receivers are stamped Multi caliber but the barrels are stamped what caliber they.

[Artos]

I can tell you a 300BO out of a 223 or 5.56 will cause damage to an AR.

Buddy of mine was at the range with an inexperienced shooter and got ammo mixed up...the bolt was fused to the barrel. He gave it to me cuz I needed an A2 flash hider. I pounded the bolt off & that 30 cal bullet cleared 22cal barrel. Would have loved to recover & see how long it got.

[Clay C]

I can tell you a 300BO out of a 223 or 5.56 will cause damage to an AR.

Buddy of mine was at the range with an inexperienced shooter and got ammo mixed up...the bolt was fused to the barrel. He gave it to me cuz I needed an A2 flash hider. I pounded the bolt off & that 30 cal bullet cleared 22cal barrel. Would have loved to recover & see how long it got.

.300 blackout in a 5.56/.223 is bad juju. Lots of serious kabooms happen with people mixing ammo. I only use Lancer mags for .300 blackout and the ammo and mags go to the range in their own marked ammo cans