What is the documented truth on the .223 Wylde?

[machgman]

So far, everyone who has an opinion on the .223 Wylde has intoned that it is a more accurate barrel chambering over the 5.56x45 or .223 Rem.

However, once I ask where can I review any serious documentation to support this assertion of the .223 Wylde's superiority, then incredulous sputtering and indignational responses are the normal responses. I even inquired this of the Brownell's and Midway's "technical" staff, but my inquiries were not productive at all.

Can anyone point me to documented and controlled tests or studies that prove the .223 Wylde is superior in innate accuracy over the 5.56 and .223 Rem? (assuming equivalent barrel crowns were used on each barrel, etc)

 

[Rifleman97]

I'm not completely sure, but I'm fairly sure you won't find any credible information one way or another. Even with two identical guns with the same crown made by the same manufacturer, one of them could just be randomly more accurate than another. You'll have shooters in 5.56/223 Remington and you'll have duds. Same with the Wylde.
I think by the time you get far enough away to tell a difference in 2 match quality chambered barrels, you'll be far enough that the 223 bullet is being bucked around by wind too much to determine accurate results. Honestly you could get either and run with it and you'd probably be happy with it.

 

[KyCarl]

I thought the Wylde chamber was so you could shoot either ammo?

 

[Tidus56]

I thought the Wylde chamber was so you could shoot either ammo?

I believe that's the only difference as well. No reason it would be more accurate.

 

[ar10ar15man]

you want some facts, ask bill wylde. i can tell you that it has ONE design function:
to allow accuracy when shooting both mag fed ammo and single loaded long 80 gr loads.
the 80's are typically 2.45x oal, way longer than mag length. this was specifically for dcm/cmp 200/300/600 yard SERVICE rifle matches. it is a good chamber but far from ideal for a rifle that is only fed mag length ammo. please note that "accuracy" in this format is typically only 1 moa. the 10 ring is 2 moa and the x is 1 moa.
better reamers for mag length ammo specifically if a single bullet is used.

 

[HARPERC]

"IF" there is a difference, in good rifles, with good ammunition, it's likely meaningful to a hardcore BR shooter, and even then such a shooter is looking at more interesting game specific cartridges.

 

[ShtrRdy]

It seems that you would have to get 10 barrels of each clambering and a couple cases of match ammo and go through a matrix of measuring accuracy from each barrel mounted on a single receiver multiple times.

 

[sable tireur]

So far, everyone who has an opinion on the .223 Wylde has intoned that it is a more accurate barrel chambering over the 5.56x45 or .223 Rem.

.223 Wylde: The Ideal AR-15 Chamber?
by Philip Massaro - Thursday, November 15, 2018

A while back, I highlighted the differences between .223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO cartridges. While the external dimensions of the cartridges are the same, the chambers for the two designations are completely different. The 5.56 NATO employs a slightly larger chamber dimension, as well as a longer leade—the distance from the bullet's resting place in the chamber to that point at which it engages the rifling—and therefore 5.56 NATO ammunition is loaded to a higher pressure. Our sporting .223 Rem. on the other hand, is loaded to a much-lower pressure, and has a much-shorter leade dimension. The general rule: It is safe to fire .223 Rem. ammo in a 5.56 NATO chamber, but the reverse is not true. One Mr. Bill Wylde, of Illinois, solved the issue with a bit of engineering genius. He created a hybrid chamber, called the .223 Wylde.

As with most thing genius, his design is simple, yet extremely effective. Wylde took the leade angle of the 5.56 NATO design and mated it to the tighter chamber body dimension and leade length of the .223 Rem. design. Wylde's chamber gives enough room in the throat so 5.56 NATO cartridges won't build dangerous pressure, but keeps the improved concentricity—and resulting accuracy—of the .223 Rem. The .223 Wylde chamber allows the owner to shoot both types of (identically dimensioned) ammunition without a worry in the world.

____________________________​

In essence, the Wylde chamber is an accommodation for the pressure difference between the two different types of ammunition so that both can be fired in the same rifle. Trying to get a declaration of accuracy with regard to a choice of chambers when it involves all of the vagaries we encounter when shooting, is an impossibility.

Regards.

 

[machgman]

.223 Wylde: The Ideal AR-15 Chamber?
by Philip Massaro - Thursday, November 15, 2018

A while back, I highlighted the differences between .223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO cartridges. While the external dimensions of the cartridges are the same, the chambers for the two designations are completely different. The 5.56 NATO employs a slightly larger chamber dimension, as well as a longer leade—the distance from the bullet's resting place in the chamber to that point at which it engages the rifling—and therefore 5.56 NATO ammunition is loaded to a higher pressure. Our sporting .223 Rem. on the other hand, is loaded to a much-lower pressure, and has a much-shorter leade dimension. The general rule: It is safe to fire .223 Rem. ammo in a 5.56 NATO chamber, but the reverse is not true. One Mr. Bill Wylde, of Illinois, solved the issue with a bit of engineering genius. He created a hybrid chamber, called the .223 Wylde.

As with most thing genius, his design is simple, yet extremely effective. Wylde took the leade angle of the 5.56 NATO design and mated it to the tighter chamber body dimension and leade length of the .223 Rem. design. Wylde's chamber gives enough room in the throat so 5.56 NATO cartridges won't build dangerous pressure, but keeps the improved concentricity—and resulting accuracy—of the .223 Rem. The .223 Wylde chamber allows the owner to shoot both types of (identically dimensioned) ammunition without a worry in the world.

____________________________​

In essence, the Wylde chamber is an accommodation for the pressure difference between the two different types of ammunition so that both can be fired in the same rifle. Trying to get a declaration of accuracy with regard to a choice of chambers when it involves all of the vagaries we encounter when shooting, is an impossibility.

Regards.

Based on this info and everything else out there, what Wylde did was to replicate the 5.56 NATO leade angle to the .223 Rem chamber and produced a marketing bonanza for barrel makers and parts re-sellers to hawk another item to those who are receptive to this marketing as I have yet to find any definitive research and study that concludes there is a real statistical accuracy advantage for the Wylde over either the 5.56 NATO or .223 Rem.

Even looking at the performances produced at the high power long range matches results, the Wylde does not produce any real world accuracy advantage over the other chambers except for the amount of hype the parts sellers put out there.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to add your corner of real world knowledge to this query.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I'm not completely sure, but I'm fairly sure you won't find any credible information one way or another. Even with two identical guns with the same crown made by the same manufacturer, one of them could just be randomly more accurate than another. You'll have shooters in 5.56/223 Remington and you'll have duds. Same with the Wylde.
I think by the time you get far enough away to tell a difference in 2 match quality chambered barrels, you'll be far enough that the 223 bullet is being bucked around by wind too much to determine accurate results. Honestly you could get either and run with it and you'd probably be happy with it.

Well said!!! My 5.56 NATO chambered match barrels shoot just as accurate as some of the heavy Wylde and .223 Rem chambered barrels I've seen. It's more about the barrel than anything. I prefer NATO over Wylde, but that's just my preference.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Based on this info and everything else out there, what Wylde did was to replicate the 5.56 NATO leade angle to the .223 Rem chamber and produced a marketing bonanza for barrel makers and parts re-sellers to hawk another item to those who are receptive to this marketing as I have yet to find any definitive research and study that concludes there is a real statistical accuracy advantage for the Wylde over either the 5.56 NATO or .223 Rem.

Even looking at the performances produced at the high power long range matches results, the Wylde does not produce any real world accuracy advantage over the other chambers except for the amount of hype the parts sellers put out there.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to add your corner of real world knowledge to this query.

Exactly! Nothing more than marketing hype that started a bandwagon... LOTS of that going on in the firearms industry. Even more-so in the last 10-12 years.