Dale Valade

As we have covered here before, the .222 Remington was introduced in 1950. It went on to become a very popular varmint, small game and target rifle cartridge. In 1963, the .223 Remington, which had been developed using modified .222 cases, was officially adopted for military use in the M-16 service rifle. While the .222 still has a cult following even today, the .223 has eclipsed it to become the No. 1 most popular centerfire rifle cartridge in America.

The .223 Remington — or 5.56 NATO, as it’s known in uniform — has a lot going for it. Compared to nearly every other cartridge, recoil is so negligible that anyone can shoot it well. It bridges nicely the gap between the various .22 rimfires and centerfire cartridges. Although the ethics of such is often questioned, each year many big game animals worldwide are put into the freezer by this diminutive cartridge with its seemingly inadequate bullets.

The .223 is chambered in nearly every type of action and rifle configuration imaginable. Due to its immense popularity and ubiquity, arms and ammunition are available nearly everywhere such is sold. While the availability of semiautomatic rifles — like the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14 — has certainly fueled much of the .223’s rise to the top, bolt action and single-shot rifles also sell like hotcakes, and with good reason: They’re really accurate.

Years ago, I was informally plinking with friends, when one shooter in our party produced a stock Remington 700 with a heavy varmint barrel chambered for the .223 Remington. He grabbed a box of Remington-UMC 45 grain hollowpoint ammunition and loaded the magazine while we searched diligently for a compelling yet harmless target.

To the west, butted up against the hill about 200 yards off, was a pile of wire and T-posts from a decommissioned range fence. The rifle’s owner, looking through the Leupold scope, called his target as the top wire still clipped between the farthest two T-posts on the right. Eyes rolled and heads were shaken as he took aim over the hood of his pickup.

When he shot and split the wire in two, everyone looked at each other, dumbfounded. He then turned and handed me the rifle, saying only, “You’re up!”

With a rifle I had never before fired, and on my first attempt, I cut the second wire in half, as he had the first. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

Through much informal plinking and target shooting since then, the .223 has never ceased to amaze me with its capabilities.

There are a lot of things the .223 won’t do. I could list many other, better choices for varmint and big game hunting, long-range target shooting and general self-defense. But for a rifle that’s easy to master and shoots extremely well with inexpensive ammunition and guns widely available, the .223 is pretty hard to ignore.

If you don’t own one, I would suggest another look. It will do anything its predecessor the .222 can do, and more. That’s pretty impressive in itself. Little wonder that it’s the No. 1 national best-selling centerfire rifle cartridge.

Are you a fan of the .223 Remington? Write to us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com and check us out on Facebook!