Savage Axis II XP question...

[evan1395]

So I've already been told that these bolt actions would be fine with steel cases. Now I'm sitting here wondering if they would be fine with 5.56 rounds. This IS my first encounter/ownership with any .223 chambered firearms...so please excuse me. I have ZERO 5.56mm rounds in my posession, but was just curious if this is possible? For now, I work from now until next Saturday, so I'll have plenty of time to ponder and pickup some 5 56mm if possible.

Thanks a bunch guys,

Evan

[Turkeytider]

I have a Savage 110 in .223. It has " .223 " stamped on the barrel. I shoot ONLY .223 ammunition in that rifle. That`s the purpose for which it was designed and built. That`s my choice for peace of mind and safety. There`s a ton on the internet concerning .223 vs. 5.56, their differences and similarities. Read and make your decision.

[Dave Hoback]

It’s the same round. The only difference in the ammunition itself is pressure. However, reloaders have put together & used ammunition with equal to & even higher pressure than some 5.56 in their own rifles. The actual difference when speaking of 223 & 5.56 is in the chamber itself. A 223 chamber SAAMI specs is tighter than a 5.56 chamber. The tighter the chamber, the higher the pressure. As to your question, while the official answer is to shoot only 223, I can tell you NATO ammunition like M855 Green tips will not hurt the rifle. I’ve done it many, many times. I’ve never seen or heard of a single 223 rifle having a KB from using 5.56 ammunition. And anyone who has, is simply Anecdotal. Hundreds & hundreds of people, probably thousands & thousands have done it. The Savage 110 or Remington M700 are not overly tight “Match” chambers. The worst that will happen in a Savage is the cases might be a bit sticky. Which isn’t good, mind you…. and in reloading terms means “back off” a bit! But it’s a far cry from a KABOOM. It’s all “Big Bad Wolf” stories. My question though, is why on earth would you want to use Green Tips in your Savage? It’s not accurate… at all! It’s dirty, crappy ammo. I like using the LC cases for reloading, but that’s for my AR15. And I’m guessing you don’t reload anyway, right? So it’s moot. All my 223 guns are AR15s. Either 5.56 or Wylde chambers. But I can tell you, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t use military ammo for the reasons I gave above. Accuracy, & such. But if it were an emergency? I wouldn’t hesitate.

[Whynot]

Just adding a little to what has already been said...

The 5.56 has a higher max pressure than 223- something in the range of 55,000 psi for 223 and somewhere around 60,000 or 62,000 for the 5.56. The 5.56 has a slightly larger (think very small difference) chamber size because they wanted it to be reliable in semi auto/auto guns in dirty conditions- war. But the biggest difference is in the leade of the chamber (the distance to where the bullet hits the throat/rifling. The 5.56 chamber has twice the leade and then also a different throat angle for the bullet engaging the rifling. So the thought being if a hotter 5.56 bullet is jammed into the lands of a 223 chamber it can spike and cause dangerous pressure.

I have not seen this, and the 223 chambers I've measured had more leade/freebore than what the specs called for-- but in theory is possible to be a problem. I was told (so take it for what it's worth) than some manufactures just plan on 5.56 to be fired in there 223 rifles so they use a 5.56 chamber in their 223 guns. But as you don't have any 5.56 ammo- don't buy any and you wont ever have to think about it. Back in the day the military stuff was cheaper- but now you can find some of the brass 223 for the same price- problem solved.

[charlie b]

I did fire a bunch of 5.56 in my Axis when I first bought it. No issues at all. It was the 55gn stuff.

IF a barrel throat is made to SAAMI .223 specs then it could cause a problem to shoot 5.56 77gn loads (or the other heavier bullets the military uses). As stated the shorter throat may cause issues.

But, from looking at my Axis, a Mossberg and a TC they all had the longer throat..

Over 3000rounds through the barrel of my Axis were 77gn bullets seated out further than the spec and they still were not touching the lands.

OTOH, I would not fire steel case ammo in my .223 or even in an AR. It is known to cause problems in Ruger Mini14's and Mini30's. It works very well in AKs and some others with chrome lined barrels.



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[Robinhood]

I am pretty sure My LRPV with 80 grain smks saw higher pressures than what a 556 round puts out. :cool:

They formerly used a coating that stuck in the chamber. Not sure if that is still happening.

[Mcrider55]

So I've already been told that these bolt actions would be fine with steel cases. Now I'm sitting here wondering if they would be fine with 5.56 rounds. This IS my first encounter/ownership with any .223 chambered firearms...so please excuse me. I have ZERO 5.56mm rounds in my posession, but was just curious if this is possible? For now, I work from now until next Saturday, so I'll have plenty of time to ponder and pickup some 5 56mm if possible.

Thanks a bunch guys,

Evan

Because of the differences in pressure between the 223/5.56 they have a designation for guns cleared to shoot 5.56 rounds and it's called WYLD, which should be stamped on the gun itself.

[Dave Hoback]

Because of the differences in pressure between the 223/5.56 they have a designation for guns cleared to shoot 5.56 rounds and it's called WYLD, which should be stamped on the gun itself.

Welcome Mcrider,
If I may offer a minor piece of advice: There’s really no reason to comb through old threads in an attempt to answer questions which we’ve already thoroughly discussed & answered. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with adding new information to an older thread topic, provided the person has read the entire thread & all responses. However, a response which merely repeats several responses given a year ago, only serves as repetition.

Please don’t take my response with any malicious intent. Not my intent in the slightest. I’m happy to welcome new members & very glad you’re here. This is simply a helpful hint.