.22 - .223 I get asked the Question: What's The Difference?

I occasionally get asked this question. This is my thoughts says Instructor, FFL and Gunsmith Gregg Kielma.

Gregg what caliber is larger? A .22lr or a .223? Aren't they the same diameter? I was told they dropped the 3 off of 223 because 22 sounds cooler. Is this wrong?

Gregg Kielma explains, caliber is simply a measurement of the diameter of a bullet in inches, but has nothing to do with the cartridge, bullet weight, bullet style, the load, muzzle velocity or muzzle energy. All of these are the way one assesses any cartridge/load/bullet combination. Of all of these, the bullets diameter is probably the least important.

.22 Long Rifle (.22LR), is the most popular rimfire cartridge, today, and is best suited to target shooting or small game hunting. The actual bullet diameter is .223 to .224 depending on the manufacturer and intended use.

.223 Reminton, as well as 5.56 NATO (5.56x45) use an actual bullet diameter of .224 inch and are both popular civilian, and military cartridges. They are very similar but not the same. 5.56x45 NATO is designed for higher chamber pressures than .223 Remington. Both are popular varmint hunting cartridges and are also suitable for whitetail deer sized targets.

Historically, the nominal bullet caliber (diameter) is the bore diameter of the intended rifle barrel, prior to cutting the rifling.

So yes, a .223 Remington and .22 Long Rifle are generally the same caliber but that is where the comparison ends!

The myth uncovered. As for dropping off the 3 on the .223, I don’t believe this will ever happen. Any thoughts friends?