Would someone care to comment on shooting 5.56 mil spec ammo in a .223 SAAMI chrome lined AR? I've heard everything from yea to nay on other lists and am looking for the voice of reason here. I have an Armalite M15A2 on order that I was told by Armalite would have an M16 Nato chamber (I specifically asked this before I ordered). Now they say all their guns have SAAMI spec chambers but they are going to switch the chrome lined ones to Nato in the future due to customer demand. I know that SAAMI says not to shoot 5.56 in a .223 chambered gun, but Armalite says it's fine. --Chance
If we are talking about .223 Remington SAAMI-spec chambers in an AR15, OH NO!
Do NOT use such a chambering if you EVER plan on shooting any military NATO 5.56 ammo, which happens to be only the most common, least expensive and most widely used AR15 cartridge available in all the world. In other words, NEVER buy/use a SAAMI-spec chamber in a battle rifle, especially if the barrel and chamber are chromed, as you cannot fix it!
Here's the problem. Many NATO cartridges have bullets that will become jammed into the rifling of a SAAMI chambering (the throat is too short). This is VERY DANGEROUS, for a grat number of reasons.
Fulton Armory uses a "5.56 Match" chambering in its rifles/uppers/barrels (in fact our barrels are marked as such), which is a slightly modified SAAMI chamber with a tad longer throat to accommodate NATO bullets. The Fulton Armory 5.56 Match chamber allows for the safe and reliable use of all SAAMI and NATO ammo, while offering the accuracy potential of the SAAMI chamberings with match commercial cartridges. Remember, there's often a large difference between bolt guns and military rifles. This particularly true for the 5.56 vs .223; Fulton Armory is well known for the finest performance for any given platform, and our 5.56 Match chamber is one way we achieve that performance with the AR-15-type rifle.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Clint McKee
| Parts & Accessories | Rifles & Shop Services | Important Information |
| AR-15 Fans, START HERE: AR-15 Parts Section! Parts, Accessories, Books, Tools, More! | AR-15 Fans, START HERE: AR-15 Rifles Section! Uppers, Lowers, Rifles, Services, More! | AR-15 Fans, START HERE: AR-15 Introduction; AR-15 and M16 Exploded Diagrams! |
| M14/M1A Fans, START HERE: M14/M1A Parts Section! Parts, Accessories, Books, Tools, More! | M14/M1A Fans, START HERE: M14/M1A Rifles Section! Rifles, Services, More! | M14/M1A Fans, START HERE: M14/M1A Introduction |
| M1 Garand Fans, START HERE: M1 Garand Parts Section! Parts, Accessories, Books, Tools, More! | M1 Garand Fans, START HERE: M1 Garand Rifles Section! Rifles, Services, More! | M1 Garand Fans, START HERE: M1 Garand Introduction |
| M1 Carbine Fans, START HERE: M1 Carbine Parts Section! Parts, Accessories, Books, Tools, More! | M1 Carbine Fans, START HERE: M1 Carbine Rifles Section! Rifles, Services, More! | M1 Carbine Fans, START HERE: M1 Carbine Introduction |
