AR-15 rifle platforms in .223 are one of the most popular rifle styles of the last decade.

Companies –– the smart ones anyway –– are always looking for ways to create another caliber which could be used in the existing .223 Rem/5.56 mm NATO rifle simply by replacing the barrel.

The .223 is not the most powerful cartridge out there. It doesn’t even smell the boots of the 30-06 or .308, is limited in range and won’t penetrate any type of armor. Personally, I think our military should have gone to a larger caliber, but that opinion won’t get you even a cup of coffee.

The caliber is a good one for city boys who are afraid of recoil and you can carry a whole pile of ammo with you plus the rifle itself is lightweight and easy to carry, so the .223 has its advantages as well. I’m not the only one would like to see the .223 beefed up a little and others have worked on this very idea with varying degrees of success.

I really have no idea how many different manufacturers make AR-15 style rifles –– just about every firearms maker in existence I guess. The rifle is extremely simple, breaks down easily and the barrel can be replaced with little trouble, meaning if you can replace the barrel with another chambered to a different caliber the bolt and the rest of the rifle can remain the same. This gives people ideas.

Hunters and target shooters are always on the lookout for a better cartridge. A better cartridge usually means one with higher velocities, increased wind bucking ability and flatter trajectories at longer ranges. Nosler knows this and has addressed this issue specifically for those who already own an AR-15 and wish to stretch their wings so to speak.

The only way to create a more powerful cartridge of the same length is making a fatter case to hold more powder. But, you must keep the case rim the same size so the bolt and extractor will work also. The magazine must also fit in the rifle exactly. Nosler examined those challenges and conquered them I believe.

First, they fashioned a new case of larger diameter. Without going into the exact dimensions of the case suffice it to say it holds an additional five grains of powder. In a case as small as the .223 that is saying something, a 20 percent increase!

To make sure the round won’t chamber in a .223 the shoulder of the .22 Nosler is set at 40 degrees as compared to 23 degrees. This is not only a great safety design, the sharper shoulder should also stop case stretching and increase the number of times the round can be reloaded.

So, we have a brand new, large capacity case with the same sized rebated rim which can be used in any existing AR-15 rifle by swapping barrels. But, what does this mean as far as performance goes? Let’s take a look.

Nosler is producing 3 bullet weight rounds presently; a 55 grain Ballistic Tip load, a 62 grain FBHP and a 77 grain HPBT. Fired from a standard 18-inch AR barrel the 55 grain load reaches a velocity of 3,350 fps. Fired from a 24-inch barrel the bullet reaches 3,500 fps. My Sierra reloading manual shows a max velocity of 3,100 fps out of a 20-inch barrel for the 55-grain bullet. The 22 Nosler round adds 250 fps with an 18-inch barrel over the .223.

The 77 grain bullet reaches 2,950 out of the 22 Nosler, 400 fps faster than the 18-inch barreled AR. That long, deep seated bullet takes up too much space in the .223 case, there’s less room for powder, and the short barrel hurts as well. A 20-inch barrel will get the 77 grain up to 2750, still 200 fps less than the Nosler. In a 24-inch barrel the long heavy 77 grain Nosler reaches 3,100 fps, really impressive for long range shooters.

As an example, the 77 grain Nosler will drop 3.1 inches less at 300 yards, 9-inches less at 400 and 18.7 inches less at 500 yards. Wind drift will be 2.2 inches less at 300, 4.1-inches at 400 and 6.8 inches less at 500.  As you can see, the 22 Nosler’s greatly increased the power and range of the AR-15 style rifle.

Since the case is , standard .223 mags will not hold the new round, but the 6.8 mm SPC magazines will. An adjustable gas block, available from Brownells, is also recommended due to the higher gas volume of the round.

This round is intriguing. If fired from a 24-inch barrel the 55-grain load reaches 3,500 fps which is only 50 fps slower than the 22-250 factory load. Even though the 22 Nosler isn’t a 22-250, it has greatly narrowed that wide gap between the 22-250 and the .223. Even the short 18-inch barrel creates 3,350 fps and long range target shooters will love the 77 grain bullets greatly improved ballistics.

I believe Nosler has hit a home run here, a much faster round for existing .223 AR-15 rifles. Additionally, bolt action rifles in the 22 Nosler will offer ballistics close to the much loved 22-250 with longer case life. Will it catch on with hunters and target shooters? Only time will tell.