SHELTON, Conn. — The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute®,Inc., (SAAMI®) has announced the acceptance of a new rifle cartridge for SAAMI standardization. SAAMI is the organization at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition and components.
Click on the cartridge name to open the introduction package.
5.56 COMMERCIAL – The 5.56 COMMERCIAL (abbreviated name 5.56 COMM) was introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company with a 55-grain bullet traveling at a velocity of 3,400 fps and a Maximum Average Pressure of 62,000 psi.
The 5.56 Commercial cartridge and chamber defined here provide a publicly available consensus standard describing a chamber and ammunition system for commercial practice using the procedures and equipment detailed in the American National Standard SAAMI Z299.4[1].
Conformance to this specification does not imply or ensure conformance with any military or NATO specification. The absence of publicly available standards for “5.56 X 45”, including variants such as “5.56 NATO”, makes blanket compatibility statements of those products to products manufactured to this new standard impossible.
The 5.56 Commercial specification is a commercial SAAMI standard and will be revised only through the defined SAAMI consensus-based standards development and maintenance processes.
As a voluntary standard, the existence of this specification does not require firearm manufacturers to mark firearms as 5.56 Commercial (or 5.56 COMM), nor does it require ammunition manufacturers to adopt a 5.56 Commercial (or 5.56 COMM) headstamp, although the use of this designation as a roll mark or headstamp is acceptable practice.
For specific questions on the compatibility of ammunition made to this specification in firearms carrying a roll mark other than 5.56 Commercial (or 5.56 COMM), or vice versa, contact the manufacturer of your firearm or ammunition for further information.
Existing guidance that ONLY 223 Remington ammunition is to be used in a firearm chambered and roll marked as only “223 Remington” remains unchanged. The use of any 5.56 ammunition, including all military variants as well as ammunition produced to this standard in a 223 Remington chamber creates increased pressure and is considered an unsafe combination.
For further information on this new cartridge please click here.
The standardization of cartridge and chamber designs, along with pressure standards, is key in the achievement of SAAMI’s principal objectives of ensuring the safety and interchangeability of ammunition, firearms and suppressors. These standards provide manufacturers with appropriate guidelines to ensure proper and safe operation and interaction of their products for shooting sports enthusiasts.
[1] This standard is available as a free download from the SAAMI website here.
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About SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government, is dedicated to creating and promulgating technical, performance and safety standards for firearms, ammunition, suppressors, and their components, and is committed to being the preeminent global resource for the safe and responsible transportation, storage and use of these products.
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