5.56×45mm NATO

The 5.56×45mm NATO is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, and SS111 cartridges. On 28 October 1980, under STANAG 4172, it was standardized as the second standard service rifle cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. Though they are not identical, the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge family was derived from the .223 Remington cartridge designed by Remington Arms in the early 1960s, which has a near-identical case. However, firing chamber dimensions differ slightly between rifles manufactured for the designated cartridges. The differences may cause unsafe chamber pressures when firing 5.56 NATO in rifles designed for .223 Remington. Therefore, this combination is not recommended.

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1959  Wikimedia, Wikidata
5.56 NATO; 5.56 x 45 mm NATO
length 57.15 millimetre, length 44.56 millimetre, 
intermediate cartridge, centerfire cartridge, NATO, 

blunderbuss, Breda M37, Browning BLR, centerfire cartridge, Franchi SPAS-15, Furrer submachine gun, green tip ammo, Hwacha, intermediate cartridge, Marlin Model 336, musket, Smålänning, Springfield Model 1892-99, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

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  green tip ammo ⓘ
  a 5.56 ammunition color-coded with a green tip

1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

1959 5.56×45mm NATO

1955-11-01T00:00:00Z

1955-11-01T00:00:00Z

Vietnam War

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Frameless

7.62x51 and 5.56x45 bullet cartridges compared to AA battery

Swedish 5.56mm

Empty cartridges lay on the floor as U.S. Soldiers, assigned to the SACEUR Security Detachment, perform personal security detail qualification at the Training Support Center Benelux 25-meter range on Chièvres Air Base.

A man aiming an ABC Rifle Company ABC-15 at an outdoor shooting range in Nevada.

A man firing an ABC Rifle Company ABC-15 at an outdoor shooting range in Nevada.

From left to right: 9x19mm, 45 ACP, 5.56x45mm, 300 BLK, 8.6 BLK, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7.62x51mm, 30-06 Springfield

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
class	weapon		green tip ammo	5.56×45mm NATO	Wikidata
commons	image		7.62x51 and 5.56x45 bullet cartridges compared to AA battery		Commons
commons	image		Swedish 5.56mm		Commons
commons	image		Empty cartridges lay on the floor as U.S. Soldiers, assigned to the SACEUR Security Detachment, perform personal security detail qualification at the Training Support Center Benelux 25-meter range on Chièvres Air Base.		Commons
commons	image		A man aiming an ABC Rifle Company ABC-15 at an outdoor shooting range in Nevada.		Commons
commons	image		A man firing an ABC Rifle Company ABC-15 at an outdoor shooting range in Nevada.		Commons
commons	image		From left to right: 9x19mm, 45 ACP, 5.56x45mm, 300 BLK, 8.6 BLK, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7.62x51mm, 30-06 Springfield		Commons