5.56 VS .223

[AutoDave]

Hi all

I'm getting a M&P 15 Sport in a week or so and want to buy a bunch of ammo at the same time.

What are the pro's and con's of these ammo's for the sport and what ammo should I buy.

Thanks

 

[JohnK]

The Sport is chambered for 5.56 NATO.

You can shoot either .223, or 5.56 in it.

The 5.56 is higher pressure, the .223 less so, but you will probably get better accuracy with the commercial bullets commonly loaded in the .223.

Generally, you get a bit less velocity, with the .223 in a 5.56 chamber.

 

[Dragon88]

This has been talked about more than you can possibly imagine, both on this forum and across the internet. Please read:

https://www.google.com/search?q=5.56+vs+223

 

[meanmrmustard]

Will you be handloading?

 

[AutoDave]

Thanks for the comments so far.

No handloading just off the shelf.

 

[rojodiablo]

Thanks for the comments so far.

No handloading just off the shelf.

The good news is the Sport has been eating Wolf/ WPA ammo with no problems whatsoever. It feeds, fires and ejects it properly. And the WPA is fairly decent with accuracy; for iron sights carbine shooting, it is good stuff.

.19 per round is hard to beat when killing paper and watermelons, or vicious attack pumpkins.

For hunting game with it, I would stick to well built ammo; Barnes TSX, Federal ballistic tips, Fusion ammo, etc. And realize shot placement is going to be critical for a bigger animal like a tough hog. In fact, 3 well placed rounds will be a better bet.... .223 leave a tiny hole with very little to no blood trail, and offer little knockdown power on bigger animals.

 

[AutoDave]

Sounds like I should get some soft tip .223's for coyote hunting and maybe some cheaper fmj for target and pumpkins.
Great info in that wiki link.

thanks

 

[rojodiablo]

Sounds like I should get some soft tip .223's for coyote hunting and maybe some cheaper fmj for target and pumpkins.
Great info in that wiki link.

thanks

'Yotes are thin skinned, and almost bird-like in their bone structure. They bowl over with any .223 round at even long distances. The .223 with any ammo is great on 'coons, and also badgers and bobcats. Once you get up to the next size animals, antelope and beyond, the bullet construction becomes increasingly important. While antelope are not known for their ability to buck a bullet, they are usually taken at long distance, and the .223 loses some poop out 250yds. You don't want to have to chase down an antelope, or a deer for that matter if they are marginally wounded.
Wolf 55gr. hollow points absolutely SMOKE coyotes and raccoons. I have decent accuracy with them, and I do as you posted, I save the expensive ammo for things I really want to put down with no guess as to bullet construction or function.

 

[meanmrmustard]

I have had great results with 60 gr Federal tipped with Nosler Partitions and 64 gr Win power points on deer. Controlled expansion, reliable pass through with devastating wound channels. I've been using .223 on deer since 2003 and it is a good deer bullet inside of 200 yards (max distance I've used em, so can't say past 200) that is accurate enough for proper bullet placement without destroying meat.

Hornady vmax 55 gr tears yotes up, pretty much any ballistic tip will do for coy dogs.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Good info here:

223 Rem + 223 AI Cartridge Guide