Fighting Rifle Cartridges: The 5.56mm/.223 Remington

A discussion of fighting rifle cartridges used in the US. Our first cartridge, the #1 fighting rifle cartridge in the US - the 5.56mmx45mm or .223 Remington. We discuss its history and evolution and best defensive loads available today.

[@robertretired2660]

36 yrs with the LASD, I love you man....KEEP IT UP.. You have the BEST information on the planet and I LOVE where your heart is..

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Thanks for your kind words and for your service!

[@ESMaddock]

Hope your list includes the 7.62x39 mm as well as the 7.62x51 mm. Cheers!

[@franksherrill451]

Best commentary on 223 / 556 cartridges!

[@generalpurpose6517]

I am loving the no-nonsense teacher Style approach❤ Soaking it up

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Thanks

[@googleeyeseyes4033]

6.5 Grendel. Great channel, great info, no hype, just facts.

[@hamspud35]

You have hit it out of the park, again. Thank you Mr Fairburn

[@rainworks5155]

Ever since finding your channel, I have absolutely absorbed as much information from your videos as I can. Some of them I have watched multiple times. I don't think anyone on KZbin talks as much good stuff as you do. You certainly seem to be "the king of cartridges" in my eyes. Keep them coming!

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Wow, thank you!

[@kentuckyboy541]

Agreed. Love this channel.

[@N5KDA]

The problem with the 62 grain "green tip" is that the steel core is almost never centered in the bullet. The non concentric nature of them, makes them the least accurate bullet you can shoot.

[@telesniper2]

Yeah I've heard they were created with Squad Automatic Weapons in mind, not a very accuracy critical application.

[@CarolinaRimfire]

This was so interesting... I've been reading about this topic for years, and yet I learned so much from this. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[@theoriginalOSOK]

The bulk of my 5.56 ammo I have stored is Privi Partizan SS109 - shoots really well in every AR I've tried it in - like easily making 1.5MOA and usually better. That's plenty good for my needs.

[@CheeseBurgerXJ]

I just got a bunch of ppu m193, one of the only real m193 loadings. I used to stock up on pmc but it’s 150 fps slower. I got 2k rnds of adi ss109 not long ago and it’s very accurate, staked primers which I haven’t seen before.

[@linkbond08]

I got my first case of 62gr ppu SS109 last year, it shoots 3 moa out of my AR, the way I heard it, the stainless steel penetration in the tip can sometimes be just a little off center and make the projectile "wobble" with the spin as it travels. However if it works for y'all that's awesome. The only round I've gotten good 1moa accuracy from is the 62gr Finocchi FMJs.

[@CheeseBurgerXJ]

@@linkbond08 I have some m855 from federal and it groups 2-3 moa, for whatever reason this new adi stuff is doing a lot better

[@theoriginalOSOK]

@@linkbond08 I must admit that I have batches of this ammo stored that I haven't shot. But the ones I have shot have all been accurate for me. 1:7 twist rate btw.

[@mfallen6894]

I've got about 600rd of the PPU M193 and everytime I see it on the shelf I buy a couple hundred rounds. Both of my AR's love it. I've never had bad ammo from PPU in any chambering... Their 240gr .44mag JSP is pretty spicy and is the cheapest brass case .44 I can buy in my area.

[@roykiefer7713]

THANK YOU, Dick, for a truly superb video. I’ve studied the evolution of military small arms - not to the degree you have, of course - but “enough to be dangerous.” In the late-1960’s, my first issued weapon was a Garand, which sadly places me in the Fudd category. Now at 77, my “go to” rifle is a Ruger M77 Gunsite Scout, chambered in 5.56x45, with a 16 inch, cold hammer forged, 1:8 twist rate free-floated barrel, and with a 10 round detachable magazine. Obviously, this is a bolt action weapon, so it does not have near the firing rate of an AR (or any other autoloader), but it is excellent for my purposes (target shooting, plinking, woods walking, and elimination of pests . . . of all reasonable sizes). In addition - and this sadly is important in my home venue - it’s a whole lot like my great grandfathers’ bolt actions, and it is not an “evil black assault rife” that local Soros-prosecutors love to hate. Well, this Ruger has exceeded all my expectations, and therefore I’ll provide an insignificant endorsement for bolt action 5.56 rifles, NOT as AR-substitutes but rather as additional 5.56 chambered long-guns. Again, thanks for another superb video; I greatly appreciate your work.

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Thanks for the kind words. I think Cooper's Scout Rifle concept created one of the all-time great carbines. Not great at any one thing but good for everything.

[@roykiefer7713]

Yes, a Swiss Army knife isn’t the finest pocket knife, or saw, or screwdriver, or corkscrew, or bottle opener, or scissors, or file, or . . . BUT, its magic is it performs all of these functions reasonably well. IMHO, this is also the magic of LtCol Cooper’s Scout Rifle.

[@tacman2893]

Howdy Dick. I would like to see both the 30-30 Win and 45-70 Govt included in the series. Where I live we have substantial restrictions for civilian firearms so lever guns and bolt action rifles rule the day. For my ranch/farm and northern cabin protection I have the a REM 700 in 223 Wylde (I had it re-chambered from 223 REM) with a 1 in 9 twist. Tend to use 55 to 62 grain ammo. Have some 77 OTM rounds but they don’t shoot as well in my rifle. I also have several Winchesters and Marlin lever guns in 30-30 and 45-70 for predators of any type.

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

.30-30 is definitely on my list for the reason you state - states where gun rights are restricted. While I love my Browning 1886 Carbine in .45-70, I'm not sure it fits the definition of a fighting rifle, but I'll give it some thought.

[@telesniper2]

18:47 Speaking of that type of thing, there's another two piece cartridge case that's very interesting. It's called Shell Shock Technologies. It uses a stainless steel upper with an aluminum base. They are 1/2 of the weight of a standard brass case, and are said to be very durable and have very high reloading cycles. Right now only available in 300 blackout, 9mm para, .380 cases. But there's a manufacturer called NovX that makes cartridges using those cases and the polymer-copper bullets (like the ARX Inceptor). Those cartridges (in pistol calibers) are 1/2 the weight. I think that's an amazing new technology and would be great to pack in magazines or drums for a bugout bag or something if you had to be mobile.

[@Privat3Kag3]

Its hard to beat the versatility, weight & terminal ballistics of a properly tailored intermediate cartridge, at least in a fighting rifle.

[@kaytod]

7.62x61, 7.62x39, 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel, 224 Valkyrie, 5.45x39, 25 Sharps, 30HRT, just to name a few. There are so many "new" cartridges that are for this role, and twice that amount in opinions. I'm sure you will have a great selection and thoughtful insight into whatever you highlight. Thanks Todd

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

Cooper didn't want 223 to be scored equally with 308. At the 1980 IPSC nationals, talking about IPSC rifle match concerns, I pointed out that the 223 has the same momentum as a .45 and asked him why the .45 is scored "major" and the 223 could not? he didn't like my comment at ALL

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

When I was there someone asked Cooper what he thought of the about-to-be-adopted 5.56mm SAW. He said "what could be better than a belt-fed varmint rifle!" He called it a poodle shooter, but I have seen its effectiveness first-hand.

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb the machine-gunner has even more need of the lw ammo than the rifleman. . We get away with having a 30 cal belt fed by having so much close air support, riding to battle in humvees, etc. The gunner is in big trouble when afoot if he loses his assistant, who has all of the .30 cal ammo except 100 rds Belt feds are mostly for psychological effect, against easily intimidated, untrained men. It misses too much.

[@blackhawk7r221]

@@user-ci2mn1oy3wThe 240 is by far your biggest meat harvester, hands down. Each of us in the platoon carried two 100rd 7.62 belts for our 240’s.

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

@@blackhawk7r221 wow, 400 rds. When you fire at 600 rpm. You can stay in biz for an entire 40 seconds. Gee willikers. When you could have 3x as much ammo if you had a 223 ulitmat, same weight.

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

@@blackhawk7r221 wow, 400 rds. When you fire at 600 rpm. You can stay in biz for an entire 40 seconds. Gee willikers. When you could have 3x as much ammo if you had a 223 ulitmat, same weight.

[@theoriginalOSOK]

The French Mas 44 and later iterations had a direct impingement design - I think the first. Another great vid Dick thanks!

[@chrissidwell9455]

Sierra also makes a 77 grain polymer tipped match bullet much like the 77 grain Open Tipped Match bullet loaded by Black Hills. I handload load that 77 grain tipped match bullet to around 2600fps in a 1 in 7 twist rifle and it really tears things up. I assume it is about the same damage caused by the Black Hills 77 grain load. It's amazing how the world is just now learning what most coyote hunters have known about bullet weight, construction, and speed for years. I always figured if you have a rifle cartridge combination that will drop an animal that are generally alot tougher than people for their size, it will do the same to people, hence the 223, 308, ect. I'd think the 243 with the right bullet would be a one shot fight stopper, but that's just my opinion. I know some coyote hunters that swear by the 243 and other calibers like it. Maybe the military should talk to some American hunters n see what works before spending millions of dollars find out the same thing. Oh, well, just a thought...........

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Logic, from the government???

[@Dennisthemenace40]

Great overview and background of this caliber. Your channel is at the top of my must watch list.

[@nathanminich8549]

I was a DM in both Afghanistan and Iraq. I’ve been issued a 110 and MK12…. And when rolling out with multiple squads I’d ALWAYS take the MK 12. The 262 was stupid accurate, no recoil, and quiet with the muffler. It was obviously effective inside BZO and we could reach farther (600) but it didn’t “dump” them …. But that my experience and probably not central shots anyway (dudes running). I’d take the MK 12 over larger DM rifles, only because ammo was cross compatible in the squad. I had no desire to sit there and de-link 240 ammo…….

[@michaelnasser8697]

In Maryland, pretty much any AR is banned unless it’s a HB. However, if it’s chambered in 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC or 300 BO, it’s cash and carry, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Would definitely like to see something on the 6.8 SPC please and thank you 😊.

[@bigshoe84]

So if it’s chambered in 5.56 it’s banned but 300 BO is good to go? That’s pretty dumb.

[@michaelnasser8697]

@@bigshoe84 unless it’s a HBAR, yes.

[@lefmk7085]

Having just moved and bought my first AR the info here is great, as always, but also very timely. Thank you sir.

[@MANDING0]

I'm running 55 grain gold dot for my home defense setup

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Great choice.

[@Kinetic.44]

77 gr OTM has given 5.56 the ability to be accurate at 700-800 yards in a SPR platform. For general purpose carbine use i feel comfortable with 55 gr M193... accuracy by volume.

[@derekzeanah]

Love the video. Would love to hear your comments on 6.8 SPC as well - not all that common, but likely an interesting topic.

[@michaelnasser8697]

Yes, a review and thoughts on the 6.8 SPC would be interesting. I “think” the military may have looked at it.

[@robertantolik2146]

Another great video. Felt like an audio version of an article I would read in Guns N Ammo 20 years ago. Hope the 7.62×39 is next

[@cliffkirby8570]

I appreciate your effort in this series... I feel a lot better about my selections now. I've heard so much stuff out there on KZbin channels on how the m193 and the m855 is useless but they did not explain their reasoning for saying that.

[@samdone2900]

Great video. Rare I agree with everything someone says on this topic. I’d love to see 7.62x39 discussed in a future video.

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

You'll see it.

[@scottipedia]

6mm ARC. Great video series. Thanks!

[@corbettcharpentier2123]

Great job always look forward to these videos

[@danielbridgewater3444]

Great info!

[@ManDuderGuy]

Appreciate the great content here 👌

[@AdamGotheridge]

Great lesson, thank you.

[@safecracker45]

Very interesting.Thanks for the video.

[@Mrelindio42]

Great video! Most of my "fighting rifle" experience was in the Army(Infantry) and was prior to the M-16s. I didn't even see one until the late 1970s. You and this video have brought me up to date. Very interesting and I will be watching this video again. The explaination of the different bullets cleared up a lot of stuff for me, but will probably cost me a lot of money.

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

Sorry if I damaged your wallet!

[@Mrelindio42]

I thought about sending you a bill, but realized I would probably get a "check is in the mail" reply.@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb

[@taylorharbin3948]

Another great video.

[@Omnivorous1One]

I love me some Black Hills 5.56 ammo. Would love to see some comparison of the Black Hills Mk262, Black Hills 50gr TSX, 62 gr TSX & the 62 gr Dual Purpose ammo of theirs.

[@RandallWeeks]

Retired 11b. The M855 punch through happens out there at about 175m or 200m and beyond or so. It's a wicked bullet closer. Inside 50m I seen it eviscerate a man.

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

no you didn't. It's not possible.

[@reallycoooool]

I found it really difficult to come up with a suggestion of ammo used primarely in long guns for this series. Even with frangeable projectiles, I find that the projectiles will penetrate lots of barriers after passing through a ballistic gel dummy (anatomical replacement ballistic gel model). You mention the 300 Blackout, and i have a suggestion for an addendum to this episode to encompas one more .30 cartridge that is actually chambered in some shorter rifles, like Krinkovs, and that is the Russian 7.62x39 caliber. You get 7.62x39 subsonic loads I think, and it could be a nice addendum to the 300 Blackout episode.

[@callaseter4811]

Thank you for what you do , and have done to gain your knowledge. GOD bless us. 🙏💕

[@curtis6554]

Great video and like most Americans I have 2 windham ar 15 carbines 1-9 twist and 2 colt ars with 20" 1-7 twist barrels . its good to know that 55grn are good in both rifle and the 62grn are good in the 1-7 .all of my ars shoot a 1"or better moa but i only use them out to 200yds . anything further and I grab my ar 10s in 308 . once again great video thank you and be safe .

[@CheeseBurgerXJ]

I’ve got some 50 gr Speer tnt jhp loaded by federal (AE223g) that I use for home defense in my 12.5” barrel that are very accurate. I used to be able to get them at .40cpr but they’re up to about .55-.60cpr now. I have some m855a1 for a rainy day but not to much, mostly stocked up on ppu m193 and adi ss109. I’m wanting to get some imi razorcore when I get some more spending money

[@alanw1775]

i think, during the spanish american war the spanish also used round nosed bullets in the 7x57, they didnt change to spitzer until 1913. maybe it was the smaller caliber, higher muzzle velocity, that impressed its adversaries using also round nosed .303 and .30-40. mostly the stripper clip feed that outgunned us. but we adopted the spitzer pretty much right after in 1906, before most countries, including spain, uk, russia, switzerland, but after france and germany. the 7x57 was probably one of the better fighting rifle cartridges invented. i thought that we adopted the 6.8x51 sig fury as a response to getting shot at with 7.62x54r in afghanistan. x54r heavy ball outranges our own 7.62x51 nato m80 in machine guns by a good bit. we'd be going back to the late 19th/early 20th ct. fighting/battle rifle cartridges. with heavy boat tail spitzers, all have ranges up to 1000 meters and more. x54r being one of them. 7x57 is similar to the 6.8x51 sig fury, the 6.8 sig fury is like a fancy .270-08. those early smokeless 1880s-1930s cartridges are the ultimate battle rifle cartridges. in rifles 7.62 nato has match loads that'll reach that far, but it doesnt have as much case capacity as some old school rounds, 7.62x54r, 8x57, 7x57, 6.5x55, 7.5x55, .30-06. one fighting rifle cartridge i'd like to mention is the 6.8x43 remington spc, introduced in 2004. i have been fascinated with the 6.8 spc since reading a magazine article about it in like 2011, when i was 14. i thought a bigger bullet, more energy, working out of common ar rifles with an upper swap and different mags, was a good idea. it shoots flatter than the 7.62x39. the 6.5 grendel would be better, but the 6.8 spc case has more taper, looks more like a combat round. ive heard it said (somewhere on the web) "ive carried the 5.56 into battle. the enemy had a 7.62. im never going into battle with a smaller caliber again". theres no replacement for displacement as they say. but the 5.56 can outperform the 7.62x39 at distance. and the defenders of 5.56 will say, the light weight/increased system lethality, more rounds for the same weight, is beneficial. i can see that viewpoint as well, quoting one us soldier regarding the 6.8 spc, "theres no need for it". the six-eight has since found a home as a ar15 hunting cartridge for hogs and deer. looking forward to see if you will talk about any of the plethora of ar cartridges available, and of course both x39s.

[@c.rodriguez7976]

Please discuss the .308 Winchester from an AR-10 rifle. Thank you.

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

On the list.

[@richardthomas6602]

I missed the one word adjetive that describes the .223/5.56 as a self defense cartridge.

[@kevinrichardson8859]

Effective!

[@jdblackwell2873]

It would be nice to hear your thoughts on the 6.5 Grendel and it’s prodigy. 6 mm ARC and the 22 ARC

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

My plan was to stick to the common, widely used calibers. But, I may have to do an overview of the "niche" cartridges because their proponents are so committed to their favorites.

[@38north15]

I have tried for 12 years to believe that the 6.5 Grendel could be a do all carriage. Hope spring eternal. @@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb

[@spencermichaelson1882]

I really like 62gr fusion and for a lot cheaper 75gr hornaday is accurate too

[@sparky_-mf2cs]

Ive herd some of the lighter bullets can have a problem with a too high of a twist rate..idk if this affects a 556

[@fwi1298]

what is your thoughts of the .38 spl/ .357 mag in a lever action rifle or carbine

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

I love the .357 Carbines. I will do an episode on Pistol Caliber Carbines.

[@michaelnasser8697]

@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb yes please!

[@anthonyjbargeman5280]

The RUGER Mini 14 is the military rifle of the Bermuda forces. Thicher barrel w/bayonet luge.

[@Kinetic.44]

The Mini-14 served the IRA partisan fighters well, and it caused the FBI to change their firearm policy.

[@bluesoverlord]

300 BLK subsonic please.

[@recklessrt]

In Colorado, the tyranny has arrived. I just ordered Bill Wilson's new AR 15 in 6mm ARC. I hear it's a fighting rifle cartridge. Apparently the US Navy who let the contract for the 6mm ARC thinks so too.

[@CheeseBurgerXJ]

Have you seen the new 6mm max

[@recklessrt]

@@CheeseBurgerXJ The 6mm ARC and 6mm VMAX cartridges have notable differences in performance. When shooting heavier projectiles, the 6mm ARC outperforms the 6mm VMAX by about 300 feet per second. However, with lighter varmint-style projectiles, the speed difference is only around 134 fps. The ballistics gap widens when pushing heavier projectiles past 300-400 yards In a Prairie Dog hunting scenario, the 6mm ARC demonstrated excellent wind-bucking capabilities compared to the 6mm VMAX, with the heavier 105 grain projectile requiring less correction for windage

[@7N6ballistics]

Unlikely the Air Force was using M-14s. More likely M1 Carbines. I have seen no evidence of the slower twist causing destabilization earlier in travel. What I do believe happened often in Nam was projectiles striking brush…I have seen ample evidence to support light brush destabilizes projectiles such as 55gr. This would certainly cause a significant wound even on entry. This likely was the real reason for the 5.56 “explosive” type wounds in Nam.

[@Kinetic.44]

That can be said for any pointed, rear weighted Spitzer style bullet.

[@7N6ballistics]

@@Kinetic.44it can…but not all will fragment like the 55gr. I have also found it was more prone than 7.62…again, I believe, leading to the wounds described. Obviously no way to really know now..but it seems plausible.

[@Kinetic.44]

I think you're theory is correct. I've seen 1/14 and 1/12 barrel twist ordnance gel tests and yes it seems to have no difference vs 1/9 or 1/7. I just meant to say any keyholing bullet will do more damage than normal.

[@blackhawk7r221]

He blended two separate issues and it came out muddled as if a slow rate caused yawing. I used to have to teach this during BRM Period 2 in the army, so here’s the story. With the original M-16A1, the 1/12 rifling twist rate was plenty to stabilize the short light 55gn pill of the M193 ammo. The 193 used a spitzer bullet that was very base-heavy along with an ogive curve that facilitated yawing after 2-3 inches of tissue penetration. The location of the crimp cannelure on the bullet is typically where the yawed bullet would break in half, subsequently ripping off the copper jacket from the broken base portion of the bullet. Very often, the now exposed soft lead (not hardcast) would fragment further. The M193 is hands down the best killer of all our 5.56 rounds.

[@kentuckyboy541]

I see what looks like black hills mk262 77gr sierra on the table. I built a dmr inspired 20" ar platform rifle around that round. As you know thats quite expensive ammo. Ive found a great training round made by psa under the aac brand name with the same bullet at half the price. It is amazingly similar and most shooters would be hard pressed to find a difference in that cartridges accuracy or ballistics as compared to the black hills. Its almost half the cost. Ok. We just got to the part where you talk about it. Maybe you dont need a trainer when you know jeff hoffman. Lmao. I have quite a bit but it's hard for me to shoot....

[@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb]

My opinion can't be bought, but it can be rented for an occasional box of Mk262 Mod 1.

[@bull4431]

Watch the Battle of Najah. Travis Hailey is dropping bad guys at 800 yds with one shot kills with the MK262 mod 1 77gr otm.

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

people MISS too much. If you dont drop the hammer until you have yur sights on the man, you will need MUCH less ammo Stop being so CHEAP and buy 60 gr Nosler Partition ammo from Black Hills To hell with this 'maybe it will fragment" baloney with cheapo ball ammo. Give me the softpoint's reliable expansion and the Partition's assured retention of (at least the rear core's) adequate penetration.

[@12monkey57]

60 gr black hills 5.56 ammo??

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

@@12monkey57 yes, they have this new thing called "google'. Ever heard of it? First you search for black hills ammo home page. one that page, search for 223 ammo, 60 gr softpoints.

[@user-ci2mn1oy3w]

@@12monkey57 I"ve answerd this 3x now. They have this thing called 'google'. Search for black hills ammo home page. Search the page for 60 gr 223 softpoint ammo

[@jamesmartie2683]

I think the 300 blackout is a better cartridge

[@thomasmills3934]

From .30 to .223 From .45 to .355 Less is more Diversity is strength Freedom is slavery...