[Guest]

This is a VERY noobish question. Bare with me here.

What is the most common caliber of the AR? .223? 5.56?

Isn't .223 just a tad larger than a .22 round? Which round provides the best range, accuracy, and velocity?

 

[Guest]

well the most common is the 5.56 with is pretty much the same as .223 mostly the difference between the 2 is pressure (the 5.56 has a higher pressure) and the other difference is that the .223 sits closer to the rifling of the barrel which results in a little better accuracy.
its ok to shoot .223 in a 5.56 chamber but if you shoot 5.56 in a chamber designed for the .223 Remington you "might" have some problems but i doubt you would but I personally wouldn't risk it. if i could do it over again i would have gone with the .223 Remington since you get better accuracy, i reload so the benefit of being able to shoot military surplus ammo doesn't matter to me.

there are also a few different cal. you can shoot in an ar here is a list of a few that i know of im sure there is plenty others

1. .17 Remington
2. .204 Ruger
3. .222 Remington
4. .223 Remington
5. 6mm X 45
6. 7.62 X 39
7. 6mm PPC
8. 6.5 Grendel
9. 6.8 Rem. SPC (ballistics @ bottom)
10. 300 fireball
11. 22lr
12. 50 beowolf
13. 458 SOCOM
14. i think you can use some of the WSM and WSSM (winchester short mag and wwinchester super short mag) not sure of which ones though

basicly anything that will fit in an ar15 magazine
​

 

[Guest]

The .223/5.56 is only a little bigger in diameter than the .22, but depending on the grain of bullet you're using, it can be much heavier than a standard .22 LR.

.223/5.56 is the most common variant of the AR, but you can also find them in 6.5, 6.8, etc. fairly easily.

Go here for a detailed breakdown of frequently asked questions regarding the .223/5.56. Looks like the code is messed up (for me at least) but it's pretty simple to sift through.

Hope this helps, and others feel free to correct me if I've given the wrong information.

 

[Guest]

Here is a picture of the difference between a .22LR and .223

Left is a .22LR
Middle is a 75gr .223 Bullet
Right is a 55gr FMJ

 

[Guest]

Isn't .223 just a tad larger than a .22 round? Which round provides the best range, accuracy, and velocity?

Yes in bullet diameter you are correct but like the picture shows the 223/556 is a bottleneck and the bullet is longer and heavier like the guys said.

The reason you can use a 22lr conversion kit with the same barrel is because a 223 bullet is only slightly larger. You only need to swap out the bolt carrier group and have a 22 specific mag that fits in the magwell.

 

[Guest]

Here is a picture of the difference between a .22LR and .223

Left is a .22LR
Middle is a 75gr .223 Bullet
Right is a 55gr FMJ

A good visual beats a thousand words.

 

[Guest]

A good visual beats a thousand words.

Uhh yah, point proven with that one.

Well, I am looking to build an AR and caliber is of importance to me. I definitely want some pretty good range, 600 - 1000 yards if possible.

 

[Guest]

the 6.5 grendel seems to be pretty popular with long range shooters.

 

[Guest]

Uhh yah, point proven with that one.

Well, I am looking to build an AR and caliber is of importance to me. I definitely want some pretty good range, 600 - 1000 yards if possible.

It depends on what your target is but at those ranges a AR10 .308 would be a good choice if you want to stay with the AR platform.

 

[Guest]

Uhh yah, point proven with that one.

Well, I am looking to build an AR and caliber is of importance to me. I definitely want some pretty good range, 600 - 1000 yards if possible.

I've always wondered why a complete noobie wants to "have some pretty good range, 600-1000 yds! See how well you do hitting small targets @ 300 yds.

 

[Guest]

Hell I am happy with hitting a target at 125 yards!!!!

 

[Guest]

I've always wondered why a complete noobie wants to "have some pretty good range, 600-1000 yds! See how well you do hitting small targets @ 300 yds.

I may be a newbie at the whole AR thing but i did my time hunting when I still lived in states that actually had decent game. To answer your question, I want that sort of range because, well I want that sort of range. You don't build something only to waste time and money into something that you are going to practice with and then waste more time and money building your final product. Why would I build a rifle that could shoot 300 yards and then build another later that could reach out to 1000 yards? I'll worry about hitting the targets, it won't be much trouble.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[Guest]

If you really want something for 600-1000 yards I suggest this.

http://www.savagearms.com/10fphsprecision.htm

The only real caliber in the AR platform that will do what you want is the 6.8 And then you better get a reloading setup.

 

[Guest]

A good visual beats a thousand words.

HERE HERE!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

If you really want something for 600-1000 yards I suggest this.

http://www.savagearms.com/10fphsprecision.htm

The only real caliber in the AR platform that will do what you want is the 6.8 And then you better get a reloading setup.

DPMS would have to disagree with that

.300 Rem SAUM
.308 Win
.260 Rem

http://www.dpmsinc.com/firearms/

All of these are capable of making kills at those ranges. If shooting paper or ground pigs is your thing then the Id probably go with the 260. If your looking for a sniper/big game rifle Id probably go with the .300 rem.

FYI - There are a lot of people who compete with the .223 at those yardages and are quite accurate.

 

[Guest]

Your talking 600---1000 meters that’s sniper country go to Sniper central. The man knows what he is talking about. He reviews sniper ammo to rifles without prejudice.

http://snipercentral.com/


About the difference between 223 and 5.56 is simple and it all lies in the in how the weapon is chambered and why.

The 223 is a commercial round and creates a lower chamber pressure when fired then the 5.56 NATO round does, aprox, 52000 vs 55000. Because of the 5.56’s higher pressure the chamber needed more clearance for reliability. The main chamber differnce between the two is in the headspace, length, and throat.

In case you’re thinking hotter is better, you need to check out the web site below and you will find that a 5.56 round in a 223 chamber is not a safe combination.


http://saami.org/Unsafe_Combinations.cfm

 

[Guest]

Though a .223 is capable of 1000 yard shots (you'd better have a darn good scope with that much elevation to compensate for bullet drop or specialty risers).

I'm sorry but this just makes me laugh and if you think you can hit game at 1,000 yards and take them down, you need to have your own Hunting show on TV. We're talking bullet drop of in excess of 4 feet at 500 yards with 75 grain Hornady match ammo, let alone the trajectory at 1,000 yards. https://www.hornady.com/shop/?page=ballistics/popup&product_sku=8026

Realistically, there are better cartridges available for those distances and an AR may not be what you're looking for. I recommend looking at some good bolt guns. My humble 2 cents