.223/5.56 ammo review

Hey guys, i know that this kinda stuff can be found via google, but i'm trying to reach out to my fellow gun/tacoma enthusiasts and find out what kind of ammo everybody's using and trying to find out what ammo performs the best for the buck in your opinion. Throw some pertinent info about your setup that would affect performance as well.
Be sure to include info like:
-Brand
-Grain
-Price
-Brass or steel casings
-Grouping/pattern measurement (estimate or actual is fine) and range in yards or meters
-Scoped or open sight
-Any failures/duds
I'm gonna try to put together some info as well over time and be as concise as possible. Let's see how it goes and what kind of info we can rack up!


50 yards
It was hot as balls inside at the range and there was a mad haze coming off my front sight. Much to my disappointment, I could hardly see the bullseye by the time i got to the Black Hills. The DRS (which was horrible at 100yds) seemed to do the best.

PMC X-TAC 55gr FMJ

Federal XM193 55gr FMJ

Black Hills 55gr FMJ-BT

DRS 55gr FMJ (Lake City reloads)

Remington Express 55gr FMJ


100 yards
COMING SOON!!! SAME LOADS....MORE DISTANCE!

 

I went to the range today to tweak my scope at 100yds. I bought 200rds of DRS ammunition the other week from ammunitiontogo.com for $30 per hundred. I loved the price but it was horribly inconsistent. It was brass, so i was hopeful. I ranged from a 3" group then the next target would be 6". But every single one went bang and made a hole down range! (somewhere!)
Here's what it did @ 200yds:

Wolf 62gr. was too inconsistent @50yds so its still in the box in my closet!

DRS (lake city milsurp) .223/55gr FMJ
Price: 5/5 stars
Consistency: 2/5 stars

16" barrel 1/7 twist

 

Federal XM193 55gr bought from palmetto state armory

Ive had 2 or 3 fail to feeds but that was with steel mags. out of Pmags I have had 100% reliability out of 300 rounds (thats not much i know)
Sunday I set up a target (2 foot wide by 4 foot tall plywood) at 470 yards. there was a 20mph crosswind, out of 6 shots I hit it once...haha this is irrelevant but I wanted to share. this was with a 20" PSA upper with a 14 power nikon scope


Hornady 55gr steel case. 200 rounds fired ran 100%
1 1/2" - 2" groups at 50 yards with aimpoint

 

.223 brass remans from BVAC run perfectly.
$.30/shot
Accuracy is approx 2MOA from a Rock River Predator Pursuit 1/8 with a big honking Nikon Monarch at 20X.
For accuracy, BVAC or Black Hills 77gr SMK's are sub MOA all day long.
I pay around $.60 per shot for those.

 

BVAC 52gr BTHP Match
1:12 Twist, Howa 1500, 20"
SWFA SS 10x-40

at 100 yards, i'm placing just a hair over .5 MOA

Doesnt destroy steel targets, fragments violently in small creatures. Great round.

 

damn! where you getting Black Hills ammo that cheap?

 

time out...

 

im trying to show you a pic of a target at 240 yrds using winchester 55gr. (.223)

 

.
... Sub'd ...
.

 

I don't consider these true tests because it's just 50yds, but that's all the indoor range in Baton Rouge went up to.

This is Wolf 62gr @50 yds....... Crap! This was 10 shots, so that means 2 missed completely or just passed through the same holes. Keep in mind that this was the tightest grouping that I shot with this ammo that day. The other targets were ALOT worse.


This is 10 shots of Remington UMC 55gr @50yds..... Much better don't ya think! The scope was still sighted in for the Wolf, hence the drop.


I plan on getting some more Remington to see what it can do at 100yds.

Also in the works in the next week or so (hopefully!):
-Black Hills .223 55gr FMJ
-Federal Lake City XM193 5.56 55gr FMJ
-BVAC .223 55gr FMJ-BT (refurbished)

 

Gunshow

 

Everything is marked up at our gun shows

 

Not if you wait until the last hour of the show. I tell them they can sell it to me at a good price or they can carry it back to their shop. They generally hate to carry anything back.

 

I'm gonna have try that next time! I have sig P232 that my mom sqibbed a round in and cracked the barrel that I might be able to pursued them with also. Sig wants $350 to fix it and I ain't payin it! I've been wanting to find some desperate dealer would be able to turn a profit off it one day at my expense. Might get me a deal on some ammo.

 

haha im counting 10 hits. so you didnt miss completely!

 

Why would you pay 350 to replace a squibbed barrel?

Briefly searching google, you can get a extended *Threaded* barrel for 275...

 

And have cash in hand.
We have some pretty high volume dealers at ours.
Surplusammo.com

 

.223 55gr. PMC bronze (brass) and some 5.56mm XM193 american eagle (brass)

 

this was last year with my ruger .223. winchester 55gr will be doing it again soon when the weather warms up. sorry it took so long to post.