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iakdrago
08-15-2012, 11:35 AM
As i running out of my stash of m855, i'm looking to stock up on some more ammo. At the range, someone suggested that i try ammo that does not have a steel core. His reasoning was that it's difficult to perfectly center the heavier core, which can unbalance the bullet, and make it inherently less accurate. He also claimed that as of late, the QC for the ammo went down--pushing it into the 4-6moa range. My own experience shows that while shooting 5 round groups it's a 3 moa round with open sights, and 2-3 moa (2 moa with 1 flyer) while using the T1. I only have a little over 1000 rounds through the gun--so there is definitely more room for improvement on my part.

However i've been thinking of trying a different round. My barrel is 1:7 twist, which according to my research should do better with longer bullets, which should give a tendency to shoot heavier bullets better. Unfortunately i have not been able to find other ~62 grain ammo besides the m885 in the same price range. Would shooting 55gr xm193 severely drop the accuracy? One of the rounds that i stumbled across is the PMC X-TAC 55gr XP193--does anyone have any experience with that round?

Kyle Reese
08-15-2012, 11:47 AM
I've shot alot of PMC 193 type ammo from my Colt 6920/SR15/BCM Middy without issues of any kind. PMC M193 type ammo will of course not deliver "match" grade accuracy, but it's just fine for most training applications.

iakdrago
08-15-2012, 12:44 PM
I've shot alot of PMC 193 type ammo from my Colt 6920/SR15/BCM Middy without issues of any kind. PMC M193 type ammo will of course not deliver "match" grade accuracy, but it's just fine for most training applications.

In your experience, given the same price as far as accuracy goes, would xm193 preform better than m855?

Al T.
08-15-2012, 01:15 PM
Would shooting 55gr xm193 severely drop the accuracy?

It would depend more on the individual brand than anything else. If you are getting 2MOA with M855, you have a very good lot.

IME, PMC Bronze (55 gr) is pretty slow, but is functional. Only issue I've had is that POI and POA are far from my zero for my serious ammo, so I use it for sub 50y drills.

JMS
08-21-2012, 01:23 PM
M855 has gotten 3 waivers in recent years: one for primers, two for accuracy, IOT be able to keep up with production. So, while the spec has been reduced to 6MOA, perhaps greater...that's it's NO-GO point, not the average capability of what's produced. Bottom line is, yes, it's not what it used to be, accuracy-wise. Fretting over the steel penetrator being off-center is sorta like hearing hoofbeats in the distance and thinking "Zebras!" instead of "Horsies!" It's far, far less of a concern to the average AR shooter than whether or not one is allowed to shoot something with a steel penetrator at most venues. Shooting steel with that stuff inside 50m.....not only are spalls a worthwhile concern, but whether or not one is messing up the targets (dents, dings, outright penetration increases the chance of dangerous spalls, forget the direct concern of damaging the target, in and of itself; depends upon target material and how well it's made) becomes important. Finding straight-up 62gr ball -- with no penetrator -- in bulk isn't easy, so I basically just bagged it and went strictly to 55gr; personal decision on the part of the shooter/buyer.

PMC is dirty stuff (which I don't really care about) across the board, and low-pressure (which I do) on more or less a par with Wolf. Point being, it CAN lead to short-stroking malfunctions in gas systems longer than carbine-length. Note that I didn't way "...WILL lead to..." As stated, it's a basically functional round, and certainly very available at an attractive price, but it and steel-case is something I won't use if there's other options available.

I keep coming back to PRVI 55gr for practice ammo. It's got some zip -- reliably produces about 3060fps, +/- 30fps out of every 14.5" barrel I've ever shot it through -- and has a .248 BC, which isn't bad at all for what it is.

The Federal XM193 offerings are something of a crap-shoot,; from lot to lot, not whether it's black-box, white-box, whatever. It's also got some pop, and the stuff that's "bad" exhibits popped primers, but the stuff that's good is great. It can also usually be found in bulk for reasonable prices.

The Aguila 55gr has become more available, but that's in the "trying it out" phase, at the moment. Doing so because their pistol ammo has proven very workable, hoping the rifle stuff matches that experience; haven't even chrono'd it, yet. I'm dying for S&B to get a greater distribution foothold for their 5.56 ammo....

Kyle Reese
08-21-2012, 02:33 PM
In your experience, given the same price as far as accuracy goes, would xm193 preform better than m855?

I'd select whichever one was more readily available, jam mags and hit the range.

shootist26
08-23-2012, 10:13 PM
I ran 800 rds of PMC 55gr thru a 2-day Redback One course with zero issues. It is GTG for training/practice ammo.

JodyH
08-24-2012, 07:06 AM
I used X-Tac to win a team 3-gun match.
Holding 3 moa at 100-350 yards from my 14.5 AR was no problem.

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

Chris Rhines
08-26-2012, 12:26 PM
I've had good performance out of the PMC X-TAC 5.56mm ammo. It will hold inside 2"/100yds. in both of my match-barrel ARs, and I've never had a failure with it. Would buy again.