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The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) has standardized the 5.56 Commercial cartridge, introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company. The new round features a 55-grain bullet at 3,400 fps with a maximum average pressure of 62,000 psi.
SAAMI Announces Acceptance of a New Cartridge - The Outdoor Wire | The Outdoor Wire
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) has standardized the 5.56 Commercial cartridge, introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company. The new round features a 55-grain bullet at 3,400 fps with a maximum average pressure of 62,000 psi.
www.theoutdoorwire.com
The 5.56 Commercial (abbreviated as 5.56 COMM) is a new commercial SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) standard introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company.
Key Details
- Pressure Standard: Specified for up to 62,000 psi, which matches the pressure standard of 5.56 NATO.
- Initial Loading: Introduced by Hornady with a 55-grain bullet.
- Chamber Safety Warning: Using 5.56 ammunition (including military variants and 5.56 COMM) in a dedicated .223 Remington chamber creates increased, unsafe pressure.
SAAMI Standardizes the 5.56 Commercial (5.56 COMM) Cartridge
For decades, there has been an odd gap in the standards world.There has never been a publicly available standard for 5.56x45, even though millions of rifles are roll-marked for it.SAAMI has now filled that gap from the commercial side with 5.56 Commercial, abbreviated 5.56 COMM, introduced by...
www.thefirearmblog.com
For decades, there has been an odd gap in the standards world. There has never been a publicly available standard for 5.56x45, even though millions of rifles are roll-marked for it. SAAMI has now filled that gap from the commercial side with 5.56 Commercial, abbreviated 5.56 COMM, introduced by Hornady.
For comparison, SAAMI rates .223 Remington at 55,000 psi, which is why the warning about mixing the two still stands. The introduction package is dated June 22, 2026, and the chamber drawings are dated June 9, 2026.
The compatibility language is the part worth reading twice. Conformance to the 5.56 Commercial specification does not imply conformance with any military or NATO specification, and because no public standard exists for 5.56 X 45, blanket compatibility statements between those products and products built to the new standard are impossible. For specific questions, SAAMI points buyers back to their firearm or ammunition manufacturer.
The .223 Remington rule has not changed. Only 223 Remington ammunition belongs in a firearm chambered and roll marked as only 223 Remington. Any 5.56 ammunition in that chamber, military variants and ammunition made to this new standard alike, creates increased pressure and is considered an unsafe combination.
The .223 Remington rule has not changed. Only 223 Remington ammunition belongs in a firearm chambered and roll marked as only 223 Remington. Any 5.56 ammunition in that chamber, military variants and ammunition made to this new standard alike, creates increased pressure and is considered an unsafe combination.
Nothing here forces anyone's hand. As a voluntary standard, it does not require firearm makers to mark firearms as 5.56 Commercial, and it does not require ammunition makers to adopt a 5.56 COMM headstamp, though using the designation is acceptable practice. The specification will be revised only through SAAMI's consensus-based process.
5.56 Commercial (5.56 COMM) key specifications
- Introduced by Hornady Manufacturing Company
- Maximum Average Pressure: 62,000 psi
- Instrumental velocity: 55-grain bullet at 3,400 fps
- Crusher pressure limits not established
- Bore diameter .219 in (5.56 mm), groove diameter .224 in (5.69 mm)
- Test barrel: 6 grooves, groove width .074 in (1.88 mm), 1:7 twist, 20 inch length
- Minimum bore and groove area: .0388 in² (25.032 mm²)
- Cartridge overall length: 2.125 in (53.98 mm) minimum to 2.260 in (57.40 mm) maximum
- Hornady support products: reference rounds 83678R, dummy rounds 83678D, proof ammunition 83678P
SAAMI Announces Acceptance of a New Cartridge | Soldier Systems Daily
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute®,Inc., (SAAMI®) has announced the acceptance of a new rifle cartridge for SAAMI standardizati ...
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