5.56x45 Question

MattTheGunslinger · Feb 24, 2016

Are all 5.56 M193 loads created equal? If ammo manufacturers selling to the public labels their ammo as 5.56x45 M193, XM193, etc, should they all roughly be the same in performance? I ask this because I'm going to be trying to stream line my ammo in the future. Shooting off my 55gr .223 ammo and trying to replace it with 5.56 M193. Naturally I'll try different manufacturers loads, but I wanted to know if you all have seen a drastic difference between manufacturers of 5.56 M193 ammo?

mopar92 · Feb 24, 2016

Maybe yes, maybe no. M193 was never a NATO standard, 5.56 was not made to a NATO standard prior to the adoption of the M855 round in the 80's (?). It was an American military standard load (and a few other countries) but the recipe was changed a couple of times the most famous being mid Vietnam war and later to help the bullet stabilize better in Arctic conditions. I would tend to think Remington, Federal and Winchester would be best and be cautious before splurging for foreign M193.

I know the Malaysian and South African is very consistent and accurate and the Swiss GP90 load is renowned for accuracy but is horrible for anti personnel use. (Thicker copper jacket to prevent tumbling/fragmenting) Beyond that you're pretty much on your own.

Rockzilla · Feb 24, 2016

a little reading...
http://www.223reloads.com/home/223-5-56-info/223-5-56-reloading/wc-846-loads

as what was posted yeah and no...as stated above, ball 55FMJ M193, some shoots better than others
TW was a hot round, PMC appeared even loaded hotter, then of course LC.

and most but not all mil ammo on the market is over-run, have heard also (don't know for sure)
it didn't meet the standard...???<<-- don't hold me accountable for that one...

-Rock

MattTheGunslinger · Feb 24, 2016

Thanks for the info and link, guys. I'll most likely not be going with any surplus ammo simply because I want a readily available source. Not something that may dry up. I picked up a few boxes of PMC and Federal 5.56 I'm going to try at my next range trip.

amoebicmagician · Feb 25, 2016

oh shit, I thought I was banned for some reason!

amoebicmagician · Feb 25, 2016

wolf gold has been some of the best ammo I have ever used.

Rack&Roll · Feb 25, 2016

amoebicmagician said:
oh shit, I thought I was banned for some reason!

You should be... For misspelling privilege in your sig line.

No, no thanks necessary. It was my privlege to help.

ironpony · Feb 25, 2016

RnR there is a 3% chance that msipelling may have a hidden meaning.

OP, did you mean you want to find a good round then a source that will not dry up?
Just curious and I have had good results from the Wolf Gold as well.

clandestine · Feb 25, 2016

Gas Port Pressure is the thing that may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. If your gun is ported on the restrictive side, or grossly overported it may run well with one brand and not with the other without messing with buffers, actions springs, or adding adjustable gas.

Buy small quantities of each brand and see if they all run, and then buy in bulk what has the best accuracy and reliability. All of it should be very reliable if you gun is ported right.

MattTheGunslinger · Feb 26, 2016

ironpony said:
OP, did you mean you want to find a good round then a source that will not dry up?
Just curious and I have had good results from the Wolf Gold as well.

Finding a good round with a steady supply will be the end result. I'm more interested in how similar M193 loads from different manufacturers are. That way if my primary ammo source goes dry, I'll know if other m193 rounds are similar in performance.

MattTheGunslinger · Feb 26, 2016

clandestine said:
Gas Port Pressure is the thing that may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. If your gun is ported on the restrictive side, or grossly overported it may run well with one brand and not with the other without messing with buffers, actions springs, or adding adjustable gas.

Buy small quantities of each brand and see if they all run, and then buy in bulk what has the best accuracy and reliability. All of it should be very reliable if you gun is ported right.

So far I have 4 different M193 loads to try. What I would really like to do is chrono each round, but I have no clue where or how to do that. My rifle has a 16", mid length, pinned FSB, Bravo Company upper on it. To my understanding, they make fantastic uppers. I've already shot it with .223 and it seems to shoot well. We shal see how the M193 does in it.

clandestine · Feb 26, 2016

Matt said:
So far I have 4 different M193 loads to try. What I would really like to do is chrono each round, but I have no clue where or how to do that. My rifle has a 16", mid length, pinned FSB, Bravo Company upper on it. To my understanding, they make fantastic uppers. I've already shot it with .223 and it seems to shoot well. We shal see how the M193 does in it.

They make great uppers but they tend to be geared towards hot ammo.

The chrono may show relation to port pressure, but its not the same thing.

Dave Greenberg · Feb 26, 2016

Rack&Roll said:
You should be... For misspelling privilege in your sig line.

No, no thanks necessary. It was my privlege to help.

Lmao

MattTheGunslinger · Feb 26, 2016

I was just saying I wanted to chrono it to find out true velocities out of my 16" barrel. I wasn't think port pressure.

5.56x45 Question

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

MattTheGunslinger

Ultimate Member

mopar92

Official MDS Court Jester

Rockzilla

Ultimate Member

MattTheGunslinger

Ultimate Member

amoebicmagician

Samopal Goblin

amoebicmagician

Samopal Goblin

Rack&Roll

R.I.P

ironpony

Member

clandestine

AR-15 Savant

MattTheGunslinger

Ultimate Member

MattTheGunslinger

Ultimate Member

clandestine

AR-15 Savant

Dave Greenberg

Active Member

MattTheGunslinger

Ultimate Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page