Barnes 223 / 5.56 Ammo for Sale Up to 52% Off — 4 products / 4 models — Page 1

The .223 Remington is a small-caliber, high-velocity round that has become one of the most favored centerfire rounds globally and is used in a wide variety of semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles. Barnes's .223 / 5.56 NATO Ammo is perfect, no matter your skill level, and comes at a great value.

The 5.56 x45mm NATO round was developed from the 223 Remington cartridge. While similar in appearance, there are several differences between 5.56 x45 and .223 Remington rounds, the primary being that 5.56 x45mm NATO is loaded at a higher pressure than .223 Remington rounds. While 5.56 chambers are designed for higher pressure, many .223 rounds are not; therefore, it is not advisable to utilize 5.56mm NATO rounds in a .223.

OpticsPlanet is pleased to offer this fine product and more excellent rifle ammo from Barnes Ammunition. The 5.56 is designed for hunting, sharpshooting, and target shooting is enjoyable to shoot and offers minimal recoil. Barnes's 5.56mm /.223 cartridges provide exceptional value at a great price.

What Is the Difference Between 5.56 and 5.56 NATO?

The term 556 usually refers to a .223 Remington round. 223 and 5.56 NATO have similar dimensions, but they have different chamberings and different pressures. The .223 Remington round was designed for hunting, while the 5.56 NATO is designed mainly for military use. The .223 and the 5.56 NATO rounds are not interchangeable. Even though you can fire the .223 out of a 5.56 rifle, firing the 5.56 NATO out of a .223 rifle can be dangerous. The .223 Remington and 5.56×45mm NATO barrel chamberings are not the same. While the cartridges are identical other than powder load, bullet weight, and chamber pressure, a significant difference is in the barrel of the rifle to be used, not in the cartridge. The 5.56×45mm NATO chambers are dimensionally larger in some critical regions than .223 Remington chambers. The headspace gauges used for the two chamberings differ as the chambers vary accordingly.

The 5.56 NATO is an intermediate cartridge designed based on the .223 Remington. It was named NATO since it's the standard rifle cartridge design for NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).