I'm not sure what you mean about different angles.




Your dies will resize the 5.56 brass to .223 specs just fine.

You should watch out for crimped primer pockets in the 5.56 which will have to be reamed or swaged out in order to be reprimed.

You probably should segregate your brass by headstamp and work up loads separately for each headstamp. Not just between .223 and 5.56 but different manufacturers of each.

Here's where I got that info:  https://wethearmed.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=9f4d68bb79ff86365aba65febe0f8b45&topic=67.0

Top sticky in the rifle section. "Can you shoot a .223 in a 5.56 and vice versa?" Our very own PvtPyle, backed up by The Norseman in the first two posts.  So I figured it was accurate information.

Major oops!  Looks like I was confusing "throat angle" with "shoulder angle".  My apologies.



This can be locked now if the moderators like.  My questions on this particular topic have been satisfied.  Thank you.

Hence the "if the moderators like".

Agreed.  Worthwhile stuff often gets added after the original question gets answered.  I just figured you might want to close it, since the whole original question was based on a mistaken interpretation.

Thanks Norseman.

I loaded up about 80 .223s, mostly R-P that were less than the max COL with 24.5 IMR 4895 and 55 gr FMJs from Midway.  Shot 60 or so and they seemed to shoot okay for plinking.

I'll follow the above advice for the rest.

Yep.  Plinking/practice. 

Hodgdon shows 23.0 as the minimum for IMR 4895, with a max of 26.2(compressed).  I'm at 24.5 with what I loaded, so should be fine.  I know 4895 isn't the best for .223, but it's what I had available just to try the new (to me) gun out.

You just started there?  Or did you work up to there from the bottom of the charge weight table?

You're not going to let me plead the 5th, are you?

I just started there.  I checked the charts, and went with a bit low of mid-chart.

Remember that great advice we've all heard, and I've even given a time or two myself?  "Find an experienced reloader to teach you."
When I actually got to relearning the process again years ago I didn't have anyone.  I didn't have the internet.  I didn't know I should have multiple sources of loads to compare back and forth.  I simply picked a middle of the chart load from the one book I had and went with it.  And I guess I got lucky in one way in that that method never caused me to blow up any guns.

However, and I'll admit to slow realization here, that method also didn't lead to maximizing the potential of my guns with the best loads through each.  I found loads that worked, and loaded them.  I was happy with 2" at 100 yards out of my .308, as it was my deer gun, and I figured that was the best I could do with my vision.  The working up of optimum loads for the .30-06 I bought last year is the first time I've ever done any load development.  And now I'm slowly doing the same thing for other bullet weights in the .30-06 and starting to develop loads for the .308. 

For the .223, I just wanted to see how it shot; I wasn't really worried yet about accuracy, so simply picked a relatively safe load.  Not too hot, not too light.  Used only .223 brass, to avoid the lesser capacity/higher pressure involved with 5.56 brass.  Now that I at least have it on paper (the scope mount was so far off that at 25 yards it was hitting 10" high), load development will start soon.

For handguns, and remember I admitted to being slow to realization, it was only recently that I realized that I had never attempted to load for POA=POI.  I simply loaded for consistent cycling/comfortable recoil.  So I now have a bunch of handgun ammo loaded up in various calibers that will all go downrange effectively, but in truth I really don't know how accurate those particular loads are in my guns.  More stuff to work on in what little spare time I have.     Oh, well.  At least it keeps me off the streets and gives me something to work on.

I would think starting at the middle would be fine with the .223 loads if your shooting them in a gun chambered for 5.56. Most of the time with my bolt guns I run bottom to top just to see what gives me the best group, watching for pressure signs on the way. With my 5.56 chambered autoloaders I just load in the middle and call it good. The books I have only show 5.56 loads for heavier bullets anyway. I have never seen 5.56 specs for 55 or 62 gr bullets.

I've fired a bazzillion rounds through both and I've had no problems.


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Well, I started this.

Bdennis - first of all, Welcome Aboard!

Second.  It's a Mini-14.  Shoots both .223/5.56 just fine from the factory.  Plus, everything I'm shooting is my own reloads.  Which means everything is sized to .223, and frankly, I've only loaded .223 headstamped brass.  None of the 5.56.