AR 15 5.56 help

I am new to these AR guns and could use some direction... One has 223 WYLDE on the barrel and I was told 5.56 ammo would work thru it? It jammed a couple times when fast firing and I could see where the firing pin barely touched the primer. I see references recommending 5.56 "NATO" ammo. Are the bullets pictured acceptable?
Where is a good source for sights and accessories? I think I need a carry handle, rear sight combo like on the M 16.
Any help appreciated... Thanks Dale

5,56 and 223 will fire through your at platform. I’ve not fooled with the wylde caliber so I’m no help there. Most ar 15s are milspec and pretty much should be interchangeable with lots of parts easily available online. You might try breaking the rifle down and cleaning it well. The lightly oil and see if it locks up better and has less fail to fires.

The Wylde is capable of shoothing both .223 and 5.56.

Buddy had the same problem I changed out the firing pin with one I had and it worked fine after that you might try stronger springs in the trigger group those military primers are harder then normal primers so they say.

So 5.56 "NATO" is just a term for 5.56?

Do a web search on the difference in the 5.56 and .223 round.

I did... Thats where things get confusing... Thought I'ld post here and get professional opinions...

DiggerDale, when the military started looking for a lighter round with less recoil they first looked at the 222. (which is really a 224 caliber) the 222 would not penetrate a military helmet at 500 yards which was one of the requirements they wanted. So Remington told them they had a 222 magnum. Military said we dont want a magnum (again 224) and shot it down without asking any more questions. So they told the Army have a look at this 223 cartridge. (224 caliber) Its light, and will pass the helmet test. So the military decided the round should be 5.56 X 45 NATO. Not 10 cents difference in 223 and 5.56 NATO other than the way pressure is tested. I have been told not to shoot the NATO round in a rifle chambered 223 but I have yet to see it ever cause a problem. No one says dont shoot 223 in a rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO.

FWIW a 22 hornet and a 220 swift are also 224 caliber.

Sure. 5.56 is a lazy man's way to say 5.56x45 NATO.

We can shoot .223 and 5.56 in a 5.56 AR, we can shoot those same rounds in a Wylde. I wouldn't recommend shooting 5.56 in a straight-up.223,

So here is what is stamped on the barrels.. The 5.56 would send rounds downrange as fast as I could pull the trigger. The 223 barrel misfired a couple times when rapid firing. Seller stated the 223 WILDE was a new build and 5.56 ammo would work fine. I am hoping it is only a lubrication or break in issue. I have a good supply of 5.56 and would rather save my 223 ammo for the bolt action. I would like to know of a good online parts place because both are in need of sights

X2 it's easy to get the firing pin out if there is factory grease in there it can turn hard as a rock I had to sand some off with sandpaper once. Couple drops of good oil and let her rip.

Not confusing the 223 wylde can shoot both 5.56 and 223 however the 223 rem cannot fire 556. The wylde was built to handle the pressure of 556 nato.

Clean the bolt carrier group well.

Also are you sure both uppers have the same gas system?

My wylde had a buffer spring that was just a hair long. Id also check your buffer detent pin.

If you don't want to pay shipping most fun stores have parts readily available and average priced.

Midway USA has tons of parts too.

The wylde part refers to the chamber. I believe it has more freebore but a little tighter (the freebore part).

https://www.google.com/search?q=223...&rlz=1C1GCEA_en#imgrc=yRM90h65cD2bRM

Copy and paste that or just search 223 wylde chamber. There should be a drawing comparing the 5.56 nato to 223 rem and 223 wylde. For me it was on the top in the middle. EDIT: Looks like the link worked.

As some said, strip the bolt carrier group and give it a good clean.
Parts you can get at Palmetto state armory, Midway, Brownells, Numrich and a bunch of others.
When ordering from Midway, Ask James how he did it and then don't do it like he did.

The case is the same externally for .223 and 5.56. the difference is how the chamber is cut in the barrel. 5.56 can have higher pressures than .223. I'd one barrel is having problems with light primer strikes even after cleaning, you may have a headspacing issue in that barrel.

5.56 nato and .223 are dimensionally the same on the exterior.

NATO standard 5.56 is loaded hotter than most civilian .223 due to having to use non expending projectiles to maximize wounding.

The difference in the internal chamber dimensions in the barrel are different between the two.

A 5.56 chamber is a touch looser to allow cartridges to feed under adverse conditions as found on the battlefield also it has a greater freebore or space ahead of the bullet before the rifling starts to help keep pressures down under those same adverse conditions.

A .223 chamber is more of an exact fit as field conditions for a civilian are not expected to be as harsh.

This means a 5.56 fired in the tighter .223 could expect to run at a higher pressure, possibly unsafe levels.

A .223 fired in the looser 5.56 chamber should have lower than expected pressures than it would in its own chamber.

Also, all things being equal a .223 in a .223 chamber that fits well should be more inherently accurate than the 5.56 in a 5.56 chamber.

The wylde chamber is a compromise chamber between the two being a little bit tighter than a 5.56 but not as tight as a .233 but it keeps the 5.56 freebore to avoid pressure issues.

Basic rule of thumb, either can be fired in a 5.56 chamber but don't expect the level of accuracy a well fitted .223 chamber with .223 ammo. But only the most discerning and capable of shooters would even notice the difference.
Either in a wylde chamber with a possible increase in accuracy.
.223 only in a .223 chamber due to a possible increase in pressure that might reach unsafe levels. It most certainly will increase wear and tear if you choose otherwise.

BTW, the same deal of hot loaded NATO spec also applies to some degree in 9mm as well with some older pistol designs, browning hipower most notably.

5.56x45 and 5.56NATO are the same. Both are externally identical to .223 Remington.

Same deal as 9mm, 9x19, 9mm parabellum, 9mm Luger. All the same.

7.62x51 is 7.62NATO and the same as 308 Winchester though these don't have as big a pressure discrepancy as 5.56/.223. Most self loading military arms though are specced to function at just one pressure level as supplied by government ammo so civi ammo can have issues though not always.

Warrior laid it out clearly and concisely. If you research the issue on the internet you will find exactly what Warrior said.

Correction: 7.62 x 51 nato is .308.

7.62x54 was mosin nagant nva sniper round

You are correct, a brain fart from my days of playing around with a czarist marked mosin.

Thanks all for some great information. I am good to go...

most jamming issues with an AR are magazine related, try switching mags. every round chambered in an AR will show a slight ding on the primer due to the floating firing pin.

that ammo should run both guns fine

the 223 rem case and the 5.56 nato case are the same outside dimensions

the difference between 223 rem , 223 wylde and 5.56 is the lead into the rifling the throat

223 rem is the smallest intended for 40 to 60gr bullets under clean conditions

223 wylde is a middle it will accept nato ammo but leaves out the excess space for combat conditions

5.56 will take longer heavier bullets and has combat tolerances in the throat


AR-15 BCG like to run wet it is a pneumatic piston inside the bolt there are little holes you can see with the bolt forward and the dust cover down , these get a few drops of oil

if you take out the bolt carrier group and spray it down with a penetrating oil like aero kroil or CLP or dextron automatic transmission fluid , or most any gun oil (avoiding WD-40 it works but guns up in a few months )
CLP was the standard for the Army for a long time

get it alL oiled up work the bolt in and out several times make sure the cam pin is lubed get some oil in the little holes in the side of the bolt carrier group

it is a good idea to take your BCG appart and clean everything if your having issues

rememebr there is only one thing that is not done in a strait line in the Corps , that is the 3 gas rings must not line up , this means the gap of the first gas ring needs to be opposite the second and the 3rd not line line with either first or second by 90 degrees or so

make sure your bolt lugs ar clean and make sure the recess in the barrel extension for the bolt lugs is clean and lightly oiled excess wiped off

wipe off the excess with a rag , put your gun back together with the BCG locked back put in the mag with just 1 round in it (at range pointed down range) hit bolt release let that BCG slam forward try firing that round , did it lock back on the empty mag

now 2 rounds in mag , let the BCG slam forward fire , did it pick up the second round and load it , did it lock back after second round ? if it was good load 5

fire 5 did it feed all well and lock back

keep going

if you have issues mark that mag and try a different , if the issue doesn't happen with the new mag and does with the marked mag , smash the marked mag flat with a hammer so it never gets in your gun again.

really mark all you mags with a number or letter or something that way if one has issues you can remember that one and if it has issues twice discard it

if you have 50 mags pull out some to use and store the rest if you need more than 10 mags per gun your in deep and you need help

loading mags full has caused many people issues , I load to 25 most of the time , but 28 is also fine

223/5.56 are opposite 308win/7.62x51 nato

5.56 is the higher pressure round with heavier bullets possible

and

308 win is the higher pressure round with heavier bullets possible

they Spanish rifles can't take a 308 win but all 308win rifles can take 7.62x51

blue arrow points to gas rings
red arrows point to where the carbon builds up , that radius is the same as the case mouth of the cartridge so it makes a good scraper

when we talk about wet , this area with the arrows is where the few drops of oil need to be , the rest just needs enough lube to operate smoothly not excess

the firing pin dry lube or hoppes #9 only or something similar a very light lube wiped off (so if it gets cold it doesn't freeze in place in the lube or get slowed down by sticky or excess lube)

the blue rectangle is the cam pin it is held in place by the firing pin this does most of the turning besides the bolt it's self and the firing pin is held by the cotter pin red circle , have a few of these as spares they can be a bugger to get a reused one back in and the are like not expensive https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019428150?pid=492899

some sight options https://www.midwayusa.com/rifle-sights/br?filters=4294926540&cid=23863

The 223 wylde is a generously cut 223 chamber with a longer leade designed to fire heavy for caliber bullets (80 gr. +) in the AR 15 loaded to longer than mag length and fired as a single shot

isn't that about what I said , bigger than 223rem but not as generous as 5.56 but safely fires all the 5..56

technically wylde is a bit larger in some places than 5.56 but the main difference is 5.56 has a .2265 free bore while the wylde is a .2242

here are side by side chamber drawings https://www.pewpewtactical.com/223-vs-556/

yes the 223 wylde will take the heavy long bullets and operate saely with 5.56 and 223 rem

I appreciate the info and picture PETE. I learned a lot more from this whole thread than i did bouncing around the interweb.