Hornady 53 gr TAP Patrol

[witchking777]

A question for the Doc,any plans to test this in the future?

http://www.hornadyle.com/products/rifle-ammunition/223-remington/53-gr-gmx-tap-patrol

[Wayne Dobbs]

I'm curious about this round also after a Texas State LE agency rep told me of excellent performance from it in a Hornady demo shoot this year. Hornady has been gaining ammo contracts all over The Republic lately and seems to be coming on.

[witchking777]

I'm curious about this round also after a Texas State LE agency rep told me of excellent performance from it in a Hornady demo shoot this year. Hornady has been gaining ammo contracts all over The Republic lately and seems to be coming on.

When the 55 gr GMX came out I noticed it had some issues plugging in the plywood and drywall tests,I called Hornady and suggested they make a GMX bullet filled with their red polymer,calling it the CDX round, or Critical Defense eXtreme round. I was very suprised to see that they did indeed make this,whether it was already in the works or not. From my humble perspective it seems to perform similar to XM556SBCT3. I trust Doc's unbiased tests much more than company literature however.

[JF1]

Their GMX line is on the higher side of pricing. Not sure of their costs to develop it, but since they already have the technology, they'd be better served making a 62 gr FlexLock like their 75 gr SBR. I believe you'd get closer results to the XM556SBCT3 without the price penalty and still be able to use it in different platforms. I only saw one test, but if your concern is safety glass, the 53 gr didn't fair as well as T3/RA556B type round.

[witchking777]

Their GMX line is on the higher side of pricing. Not sure of their costs to develop it, but since they already have the technology, they'd be better served making a 62 gr FlexLock like their 75 gr SBR. I believe you'd get closer results to the XM556SBCT3 without the price penalty and still be able to use it in different platforms. I only saw one test, but if your concern is safety glass, the 53 gr didn't fair as well as T3/RA556B type round.

Hmmm interesting,you should submit that 62 gr idea to them.

[JF1]

From what limited tests I've seen through safety glass, their FlexLock design in pistol and 75 gr SBR all seem to retain consistent mass below the FL band. Above it, the jacket and soft core tends to shear off through the glass so less resistance/drag. You end up with consistent penetration results (especially in the pistol calibers). I'm guessing they don't want to confuse their existing 62 gr barrier round (which doesn't do well through glass) with a 62 gr FlexLock. I'm guessing they already tried a version to compete for the FBI rifle ammo contract, but couldn't find a working formula or stuck their eggs in the GMX basket.

[ssb]

Anybody have any updates on this? Looking to pick some up for HD ammo, hoping it'll be a close match to M193.