UNDERSTANDING NATO

To best understand what NATO caliber ammunition is, it's best to first understand what NATO is. NATO is the acronym for North America Treaty Organization. NATO is an alliance of countries from Europe and North America. It provides a unique link between these two continents, enabling them to cooperate in the field of defense and security, and conduct multinational crisis-management operations together. NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several of its members is considered as an attack against all. This is the principle of collective defense. Security in our daily lives is key to our well-being. NATO's purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. POLITICAL - NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defense and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict. MILITARY - NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis management operations. These are carried out under the collective defense clause of NATO's founding treaty. (www.nato.int) An example of a NATO Operation here in America is when America was attacked on 9/11/2001, NATO allies stood with us, as if they had been attacked also. When a response was necessary, all allies deployed as a combined force.

WHAT IS NATO AMMUNITION?

There is no such thing as a NATO bullet per se. It is not a unique caliber or different powder load, and it is not made to fit a "NATO" rifle. NATO came together as an alliance and chose to select a set of standards that allowed the armed forces of the countries represented in NATO to function as one force. Of the sets of standards, one of the most important decisions made was in the selection of ammunition that could be transitional for "one force". The end result was that NATO standardized four different calibers of ammunition. The standardization of these four calibers made it easy for troops to share ammo across the different countries in the alliance that make up the NATO Force. The selections for the four standardized calibers were 9mm Parabellum, 5.56x45mm, 7.62x51mm, and the .50 BMG. These calibers are pretty much known to everyone in the firearms community.

Federal American Eagle XM 5.56 62gr Penetrator Ammunition

NATO CALIBER BREAKDOWN

9x19 Parabellum is a standardized round used by almost every fighting force in the world. Most militaries have some sort of 9mm pistol that they issue to their soldiers. In addition to pistols, 9mm is also a preferred caliber among forces for their government-issued submachine guns. 5.56x45mm is a wildly and widely popular caliber among troops. The endeared soldier favorite, the M4 is chambered in 5.56mm. The 7.62x51mm round is the caliber that you will most likely see in battle rifles and machine guns. .50BMG is a large round used in large sniper rifles or fully automatic machine guns.

PMC X-Tac 5.56 62gr Green-Tipped Ammunition

5.56x45mm NATO AMMUNITION

When you hear someone to refer to a NATO round, they are likely referring to the 5.56x45mm. There is really not a difference between 5.56x45mm ammunition and 5.56x45NATO ammunition. It all comes down to one difference, that the 5.56mmx45 NATO has met stringent enough requirements to be certified as an acceptable NATO round. Both names simply indicate the dimensional description of the round. Now, since we have cleared that up, let's answer one of the most asked questions in the entire firearm community - Is the .223 the same as the 5.56x45mm. .223 Rem and 5.56x45mm are pretty much the same as far as size goes. The biggest difference between the two is that the 5.56x45mm ammo is loaded to a much higher pressure. To be able to withstand the higher pressure round, 5.56x45mm chambers are designed to accommodate more energy. Higher pressure = higher velocities. Firearms chambered in .223 Rem generally are not designed to specifically correspond with the higher pressure of a 5.56x45mm.
Federal American Eagle 5.56 55gr FMJ Boat Tail Ammunition

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope that the above article helped answer some of your questions as it relates to 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition. The 5.56x45mm caliber is incredibly popular for AR-15 platforms. If you are looking for an AR-15 that can safely fire both the .223Rem and 5.56x45mm, select the one chambered in 5.56x45mm. Shop All 223/5.56 Ammunition
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