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Mid-priced .223/5.56 "best all-around" 3-gun ammo?


dchang0

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I'm running out of my former stockpile of "match" factory 75gr .223 ammo, and given the cost of the same round (now about 55 cents per round), it's probably time to find a better factory round, something that is less costly but still "good enough" for 10" steel plates at 450yds. "Good enough" here means <2MOA but not necessarily <1MOA.

Basically, I'm looking for something that is cheap enough that I won't feel bad using it for the close-range IPSC targets but just barely good enough to hit the long-range targets without costing as much as the "match" ammo.

In other words:

.223 or 5.56

factory new (I do not reload any more and do not trust reloaded ammo)

bullet does not attract a magnet

between the cost of brass-cased 55gr factory new ammo (approx 35 cents per thousand now) and 69gr "match" factory new ammo (as low as 50 cents per thousand now). Closer to 35 cents per round is better than closer to 50 cents per round, obviously.

consistently <2MOA

I figure there has to be something "in between" or "all-purpose" or "best all-around" ammo for the 3-gun sport.

Muzzle velocity doesn't matter to me so much as tight grouping. If it matters, I am currently running a MSTN/Noveske JLT 17" rifle-gas 1/8 twist "Mod 0" chamber barrel that was sub-MOA when new. Not sure what MOA it shoots now, but it's certainly less than 2MOA with the 75gr PRVI Partizan match .223 I am running now.

Thanks in advance.

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I do not trust reloaded ammo

I have to agree with Maka - 10" plate at 450 yds - you need MOA ammo.

2nd, sorry you had a rough time reloading in the past.

But, it's not real difficult to reload your own reliable, MOA ammo.

Between getting help here at BE, and asking locally for some help,

you could probably be reloading your own accurate, dependable ammo

in no time.

But, to answer your question - sorry, I'm not aware of any semi-accurate ammo.

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As of late a lot of folks have had real good luck with Federal American Eagle 223 AR. It can be found for around $350 a case and depending on the lot it can be 1 M.O.A. ammo or better. Matter of fact that is what I am using for the Nordic Rifle Championships! Out of both my iron sight rifles it will hold 1M.O.A and easily hits a 10" plate at 400 yards if I do my part.

post-1176-0-73199200-1408116623_thumb.jp

Edited by kurtm
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As of late a lot of folks have had real good luck with Federal American Eagle 223 AR. It can be found for around $350 a case and depending on the lot it can be 1 M.O.A. ammo or better. Matter of fact that is what I am using for the Nordic Rifle Championships! Out of both my iron sight rifles it will hold 1M.O.A and easily hits a 10" plate at 400 yards if I do my part.

i was using xm193 but have almost made the full switch to this fed ar stuff, i was really surprised at how well it groups and after 2k+ rounds of my latest ar not a single malfunction, i have only shot it out to 300 yards so far though

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I've had pretty good luck with Wolf Gold 223 (current run seems to be sourced from Tawian). It can be had for aboud $330/1k if you shop a bit. It's marked 223 but puts up numbers very close to XM-193 which is good if you're using a BC scope.

Other than that I just watch for deals on Fed loads.

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As of late a lot of folks have had real good luck with Federal American Eagle 223 AR. It can be found for around $350 a case and depending on the lot it can be 1 M.O.A. ammo or better. Matter of fact that is what I am using for the Nordic Rifle Championships! Out of both my iron sight rifles it will hold 1M.O.A and easily hits a 10" plate at 400 yards if I do my part.

Just looked at the Fed ammo web site. This ammo is not listed as with an AR designation. For American Eagle they show a 50gr JHP, and 55gr or 62gr FMJ loads. I can't tell from the pic, what is the bullet used in this ammo?

Thanks,

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I use Federal XM193 and American Eagle AR 223 and AR 5.56 (all basically the same cartridge). I get MOA out of my gun with these rounds and can consistently hit ~2 MOA targets out to 600 yards. Buy in bulk or on sale to save a few cents per round.

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I use Hornady Steel Match 55gr for any shots out to 300yds. It's on the slow side compared to hotter factory loads but is sub-moa for me out to that distance with my Nordic 18". Other factory loads mentioned like xtac and xm193 were about 2moa for me and cost about the same. Only trouble with steel match can be finding it.

Edited by mngunguy
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.223 or 5.56

factory new (I do not reload any more and do not trust reloaded ammo)

bullet does not attract a magnet

between the cost of brass-cased 55gr factory new ammo (approx 35 cents per thousand now) and 69gr "match" factory new ammo (as low as 50 cents per thousand now). Closer to 35 cents per round is better than closer to 50 cents per round, obviously.

consistently <2MOA

Maybe you need a new barrel?

I can sell you a box each for $21 total (60 rounds total):

XM193I Independence (Israeli)

PMC Bronze

Federal XM193

Then you can go out and shoot a box at 100-300 yards on paper and see if your barrel likes ball 55's and maybe a certain brand.

I'm not sure about the Independence... but the Bronze and the Federal you can get right now in cases. At least for these brands you won't be ordering blind.

LMK. I'll bring it out to Piru in case you want them.

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My CMMG M4 16 inch 1 in 9 barrel, JP trigger, bolt, silent cap recoil setup, utg pro slim 12 in free float handguard, with Vortex Sparc II, 2 moa dot have tried some 62 gr bthp american eagle, 75 gr hornady steel match bthp, and the black box american eagle .223 still consistently out groups them at 100 yds with 1 inch grouping. It's a little slow but if speeds or PF is not an issue for ya.

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Thanks very much for the answers, guys!

Re: 9" at 450yd on a 10" plate:

That's okay. I'm all right with this low margin of error as a trade-off for a lower price per round. Obviously I won't kick a 1MOA, under-40 cents/rd ammo out of bed, but I'm okay with a 2MOA ammo at worst.

Re: Reloading out of the question:

One kaboom and the subsequent repair cost wipes out a lot of the savings of shooting reloads. It also is in my case cheaper to put in more hours at work to buy factory loads than it is to crank the handle on a press--not that I want to put more hours in at work, so there is still the goal to minimize cost while maximizing participation in the local 3-gun matches.

Re: Maybe I need a new barrel:

I probably do--that's in the works too. Oh crap, just realized that all the ammo testing I'm about to do will be moot if I change my barrel out in three months or so... Guess I gotta change it out sooner.

Re: Freedom Munitions 55gr .223 reloads group:

It's meh stuff. Yes, it's reloaded ammo--I bought it only because nothing else was available during the most recent ammo craze about 1.5 years ago. I'd say it gets me 3MOA (through my barrel--YRMV) right now, so it is frustrating to shoot at the targets 350yds or more. It takes 2-3 more rounds than the 75gr stuff to make the hit per 10" plate. Luckily, there are only 3 such plates at Piru, so it's not too bad.

Re: AE/Federal .223 55gr

Several of you have recommended this with impressive results through your barrels. I used to use it as my blaster ammo, and it grouped well enough (not 1MOA, but <2MOA), but I stopped using it at the time because its zero is very far off from my 75gr match ammo zero. Obviously, once I go back to a single, medium-priced ammo for the whole match, that won't be a problem, so this is probably the direction I'll go in, IF I can find the ammo. Seems pretty popular around here and sells out quickly.

Re: Federal XM193 5.56 55gr

I've heard this is pretty much the same ammo as the AE/Federal .223 55gr, but it grouped worse for me: typically 3MOA at the time, so I stopped buying it.

Re: PMC Bronze .223 55gr

That was my blaster ammo until I ran out of it about three months ago and was forced to start using the Freedom Munitions stuff. My barrel seems to like it more than the AE/Federal .223 55gr.

Re: Wolf Gold, PMC X-Tac 55gr and Hornady Steel Match:

Thanks for the tips on these! I've never tried any one of them and will buy a 200-250rd batch of each and give them a try.

Re: Fiocchi Exacta 77gr:

Too rich for my blood! Probably shoots great, but at Midway's prices and 3-gun quantities, I couldn't run this round. Thanks for the tip, though.

Edited by dchang0
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey, you've probably settled on what you want, but don't forget Atlanta Arms & Ammo! Danny sent me a note saying they ran some of their new 55 VMax stuff and were getting something like 1/2" groups at 200 yards out of their test rifles. Their reman is good stuff too. Retail price is very reasonable.

Pat Kelly likes the Hornady Steel Match ammo a lot.

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Thanks for the advice--I've looked at Atlanta Arms & Ammo's website, and when I try to use their Dealer Locator page, it produces results that are all the way across the country. I don't know if this means there aren't any dealers nearer the West Coast at all or if their website is just broken. So, in short, are there any shops that carry Atlanta Arms' ammo near or in SoCal?

Based on all the great advice in this thread, I think I will probably be standardizing on Hornady Steel Match 75gr after I replace my barrel. Price is right and its ballistics are probably not that different than the 75gr stuff I'm using now. Thanks!

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For those who are using the American Eagle 55gr what velocities are you getting at the muzzle?

It is advertised at 3240 (24" test barrel) fps but so was the Freedom Munitions which chronoed for me at 2797 with a Nordic Components 18" Wylde barrel and a Seekins ATC muzzle break.

I had a chance to confirm my zero at 100 yards the other day but my chrono was too hot to see the screen.

Thanks for the help.

Edited by alma
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