Ok, dumb question time, why can't i shoot 5.56 threw my .223 axis. 5.56 will go either gun chamber.

if it will chamber it will shoot, the difference is in bullet weight only and if the gun has a short throat the heavier 5.56 bullets may be too long. The only other problem is your twist rate may not stabilize the heavier bullets. Contrary to what some may think the brass is the same. I went around with this a while back because a customer asked me the same question in regards to AR's but because I don't really mess with them much and I prefer bigger bullets I didn't have the answer so after talking to those who knew that is what I found out.

The Axis is a 1:9 twist so it will be fine for anything military. I believe that you can even stabilize the Hornady 75 A-Max. Just push it hard.

Thanks for the info, if i can find the right bullet in 5.56 i could use it on a white tail. Handguns have first priority though! Was going to buy the gun in .243 but i ended up with pile of .223 ammo for free.

Free is best. The Sierra 65 grain sbt bullet would be a good one for whitetail.

I know a guy( no I really do) who only hunts with a 223. He uses mostly ball ammo and puts them down consistently. In the 20 years he has been using it I have only helped him track one deer.

blondie,

the 5.56x45 chamber has a longer throat and the round is loaded to a slightly higher max. pressure, relative to a 223 Rem. The case is the same, although milspec brass tends to be thicker and therefore has a slight decrease in internal capacity. If you load milspec brass it is recommended to load 1-2 grains less.

Doc

you can have the throat on your gun extended probably pretty reasonably if you run into the chambering problems. The higher pressure of the 5.56 that doc is talking about is from the heavier bullets the military prefers but the pressure difference should not be an issue in your rifle. I was assured that 5.56 ammo is safe in the 223 as long as it chambers. Like I said apparently the biggest issue they have had is with some of the 223 guns stabilizing the heavier bullets. The biggest benefit to the 5.56 is sometimes you can find good bulk buys on the military surplus ammo.