.223 Only in Axis, or is 5.56 Nato safe too?

[SAN14]

I recently bought a used Axis and no owners manual was included. Can I assume that the chamber is bored to .223 specs as the bbl stamp says,
or can 5.56 Nato spec ammo safe to shoot in it too? I'm asking because I do have a bunch of both ammo types and don't want to blow anything up.

[Hotolds442]

http://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?11856-Can-I-shoot-5-56-amp-308-Nato-in-223-amp-308-Win-Savage-rifles

[yew plucker]

Yes. Go shoot.

[ohihunter2014]

Do not shoot 5.56 out of any gun that says 223rem!!!!!!!!!!!!! The chamber isn't made for it and will cause you injury.

[Damon555]

You can shoot it.....Many of us were shooting 5.56 and 223 interchangeably in bolt action rifles long before the internet came along.

[ohihunter2014]

call a gun smith and ask them 223 barrels and chambers are not designed for 5.56 or the company would mark them as such. this was told to me by savage and a certified gun smith.

[GaryB]

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2013/3/4/223-remington-vs-556-whats-in-a-name/

This is the last parafraph from that article...

What does all this mean? If you have an AR-15 type firearm with a 5.56x45 mm chamber you can shoot either .223 Rem. or 5.56x45 mm safely. If your twist rate is 1:7 inches you should use bullets weighing 60 grains or heavier. If you have any rifle with a 1:12-inch twist you should shoot bullets of 60 grains or less for best accuracy. If you have a .223 Rem. rifle of any type, it is not recommended that you use 5.56x45 mm ammunition.

[FiveInADime]

Pressure will be higher. There's no doubt about that. Whether it will be DANGEROUSLY higher depends on the specific chamber and ammunition.

Get a reloading bench and you'll never worry about it.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[J.Baker]

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2013/3/4/223-remington-vs-556-whats-in-a-name/

This is the last parafraph from that article...

What does all this mean? If you have an AR-15 type firearm with a 5.56x45 mm chamber you can shoot either .223 Rem. or 5.56x45 mm safely. If your twist rate is 1:7 inches you should use bullets weighing 60 grains or heavier. If you have any rifle with a 1:12-inch twist you should shoot bullets of 60 grains or less for best accuracy. If you have a .223 Rem. rifle of any type, it is not recommended that you use 5.56x45 mm ammunition.

That of course is assuming we're talking about a SAAMI spec .223 Rem chamber - which no major firearms manufacturer uses. Every major manufacturer uses a .223 reamer with more freebore because they know people are going to shoot 5.56 ammo through it as well. Now when you get into aftermarket barrels and smaller specialty manufacturers it's a different ball game and you have to check with each individually to get their chamber specs.

[GaryB]

Well, I'm a bit of a chicken and have always thought it better to "err on the side of caution". Which I thought I was doing until I read some of Darkker's posts on pressure. :o Now I'm not sure.

[phantom_geo]

5.56=higher pressures. Better safe than sorry I think. If is says .223 Rem then only shoot .223 if marked 5.56 then you can shoot both. .223=lower pressures hence safer.

[pisgah]

You know, I do not dispute that if you are dealing with a minimum-spec chamber and maximum spec ammo there could be some possibility of a problem. But the overwhelmingly vast majority of .223 sporting rifles made in the US don't have minimum spec chambers, and if this 5.56/.223 thing was such a bugaboo, common sense tells me there'd be rifles blowing up all over the country every day.

I have fired 5.56 and .223 interchangeably in my Axis from the day I bought it, and have yet to see the faintest sign of any sort of overpressure situation. I have Axis rifles in .223 and .270. Max pressure for the 5.56 is 62,000 psi; for the .270, 65,000, and they both have the same action. Since the action is designed to safely handle over 65,000, I really don't believe there's a problem there.

[rfd12fv]

yer rifle's accuracy will be minimally only as good as the ammo you feed it - forget that nato krap and either buy good cartridges or -much better yet- build yer own, it's really too easy and you'll appreciate how accurate a savage axis can really be. promise.

[pisgah]

yer rifle's accuracy will be minimally only as good as the ammo you feed it - forget that nato krap and either buy good cartridges or -much better yet- build yer own, it's really too easy and you'll appreciate how accurate a savage axis can really be. promise.


Likely so. But then again, mine loves the Federal 62 gr. MSR load the best of any factory ammo I have yet tried -- and Russian Silver Bear 62 gr. averages only .2" bigger groups at 100 yards. That might be a lot for target competition or prairie dogs at extended range, but for 'yotes and deer it hardly matters.