Lindcott Armory Rifle · SAAMI
.223 Remington
Civilian commercial cartridge dimensionally similar to but distinct from 5.56x45mm NATO.
- Caliber
- 0.2244″ · 5.7 mm
- Introduced
- 1963
- Case
- Rimless
- Parent
- .222 Remington
- Primary use
- Varmint, Target, Competition
- Status
- Active
- Introduced
- 1963
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Remington Arms / Eugene Stoner
- Manufacturer
- Remington Arms
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Abundant
- Case capacity
- 28.8 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:9
- Primer
- Small Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 55,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 600 yd
- Max range
- 3000 yd
- Recoil
- 3.5–5 ft·lb
Ballistics
Real trajectory computed from a representative load — Federal Gold Medal 69 gr, 2,950 fps, BC 0.326 G1 · 100 yd zero.
| Range | Velocity | Energy | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 yd | 2949 | 1332 | -1.5″ | — |
| 100 yd | 2793 | 1195 | 0.0″ | 0.0 |
| 200 yd | 2642 | 1069 | -3.0″ | -1.4 |
| 300 yd | 2493 | 952 | -10.9″ | -3.5 |
| 400 yd | 2348 | 844 | -24.5″ | -5.8 |
| 500 yd | 2206 | 745 | -44.4″ | -8.5 |
| 600 yd | 2068 | 655 | -71.4″ | -11.4 |
| 700 yd | 1934 | 573 | -106.6″ | -14.5 |
| 800 yd | 1803 | 498 | -151.0″ | -18.0 |
Point-mass G7/G1 drag model, standard atmosphere — within ~2% of reference solvers to 1000 yd; real barrels and conditions vary. Open in Ballistic Compare →
Performance
Buy links open .223 Remington ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Terminal ballistics
196 FBI-protocol gel tests on record (Bare Gelatin, Heavy Clothing, Denim, Wallboard, Plywood, Auto Glass) — 168 passed the 12–18″ penetration window.
- Median penetration
- 16.3″ (bare gel)
- Median expansion
- 0.380″
- Protocol pass rate
- 168/196
Published FBI-protocol results (bare gel + barriers), not Lindcott testing. Pass = 12–18″ penetration with reliable expansion.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
CIP TDCC · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 5.70 | 0.224 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 6.43 | 0.253 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 9.00 | 0.354 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 23° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 9.55 | 0.376 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 9.60 | 0.378 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.14 | 0.045 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 5.15 | 0.203 | ≈ |
| Case length | 44.70 | 1.760 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 57.40 | 2.260 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .223 Remington is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 912 active loads across 86 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 922 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady | Varmint Express | 40 | V-MAX | 3,800 | 1,282 | 0.200 G1 |
| Hornady | Varmint Express V-MAX | 40 | V-MAX | 3,800 | 1,282 | 0.275 G1 |
| Remington | Premier AccuTip-V V-MAX | 40 | AccuTip-V | 3,800 | 1,282 | 0.275 G1 |
| Fiocchi | Extrema | 40 | V-MAX | 3,800 | 1,282 | 0.275 G1 |
| Winchester | Varmint X Polymer Tip | 40 | Polymer Tip | 3,800 | 1,282 | 0.275 G1 |
| Fiocchi | V-MAX Varmint | 40 | Hornady V-MAX | 3,800 | 1,282 | 0.275 G1 |
| Hornady | Varmint Express V-MAX | 45 | V-MAX | 3,750 | 1,405 | 0.270 G1 |
| Winchester | Varmint X | 40 | Polymer Tip | 3,600 | 1,151 | 0.275 G1 |
| Fiocchi | Extrema V-MAX | 50 | V-MAX | 3,500 | 1,360 | 0.260 G1 |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | 53 | V-MAX | 3,465 | 1,413 | 0.242 G1 |
| Hornady | Match | 53 | ELD-M | 3,450 | 1,400 | 0.120 G7 |
| Remington | Premier AccuTip-V V-MAX | 50 | AccuTip-V | 3,425 | 1,302 | 0.256 G1 |
| Remington | Premier AccuTip | 50 | AccuTip | 3,410 | 1,291 | 0.256 G1 |
| Fiocchi | Extrema | 50 | V-MAX | 3,300 | 1,209 | 0.260 G1 |
| RUAG | OTM Action | 52 | OTM | 3,300 | 1,257 | 0.118 G7 |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Suitable powders
51 reloading powders listed for .223 Remington, fastest to slowest. Cross-reference in the finder →
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Firearms chambered in .223 Remington
12 models in the database chamber .223 Remington. Browse all →
Lineage
Connected reference
History
Developed in 1962–63 by Remington alongside the military's development of what would become the 5.56 NATO. SAAMI standardized the civilian .223 Remington in 1963. While the cartridge fed the AR-15/M16 development program, .223 Remington has never been a military-issue designation — the military cartridge is 5.56x45mm NATO. The .223 operates at lower maximum pressure (55,000 PSI vs. 62,000 PSI for 5.56) and has a shorter leade (throat). Used for varminting, coyote hunting, target shooting, 3-gun competition, and general plinking in the AR-15 platform.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .223 Remington use?
- .223 Remington typically uses a 1:9 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .223 Remington?
- .223 Remington uses a 0.2244″ (5.7 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .223 Remington still in production?
- .223 Remington is active; typical availability is abundant.
- What is .223 Remington used for?
- .223 Remington is primarily used for varmint, target, competition, hunting.
- What is .223 Remington based on?
- .223 Remington is derived from the .222 Remington case.
- What are the best powders for .223 Remington?
- Reloading powders commonly listed for .223 Remington include Alliant Unique, AR 2205, A0, Vectan A0, among 51 suitable options.
Sources & provenance
- StandardSAAMI — SAAMI cartridge & chamber drawing — .223 Remington
- StandardC.I.P. — C.I.P. TDCC — Tables of Dimensions of Cartridges and Chambers
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 912 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured; terminal-ballistics figures are published FBI-protocol results. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →