223/5.56 Federal, Lake City, XMs, M885s, Not for Duty Use, etc, so confused?

[gfanikf]

Since I'm planning to do an AR build I figure it might not be a bad idea to start buying 223/5.56 here and there so when the rifle is completed I won't be at the mercy of current ammo prices and/or the election is heating up people acting stupid and buying up goofy amounts like in 2008. Mostly I just, like the AR build itself, want to spread the cost around so it will have minimal impact on my new daughter (13 days left). So in short grab a mag and ammo here and there. The only problem is well, I have no clue what ammo to get. I understand the basic .223 and 5.56 difference, but not any of the finer distinctions. Heck, I think the SGAMMO 223/5.56 page kind of explains the problem quite well. Can anyone explain the differences between the various ammo types? Truthfully I mostly just want target ammo, but I'd also like a little personal defense ammo. I just have no clue what is good and what is junk.

[csmith]

I prefer the Lake City stuff and don't mind paying a little more (as compared to steel cased ammo at least) to get it.

M193 and M855 are two different military specifications. The specs include things like bullet weight, grouping, velocity, etc. I think the most notable difference between them is the 855 has the steel tip (colored green) which provides better barrier penetration. The two rounds profile differently so a new zero is required if you switch between them.

I personally prefer the M193. It is easy to find at my local stores, it shoots very well in my AR, and it is supposedly more than sufficient for defensive purposes. In fact, I have read that the 193 causes some pretty brutal damage due to tumbling.

As for things like XM193F vs XM193BL, the letters at the end just indicate the packaging. F is packaged into 20 round boxes, BL is loose packed bulk ammo, BLK is packaged in 100 round black American Eagle boxes.

I'm sure others will be able to provide much more useful info.

[TXDMERC73]

I like the Lake City 55gr FMJ too, i get mine from Ammunition to go.com

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index....3-556-fmj-ammo

there is Lake City ammo there now for sale .

[gfanikf]

Thanks, one thing I'm going to have to keep in mind is that I can't (after doing some calling) use any green tip ammo at Classic Pistol or at Wicen's.

I appreciate the explanations of the designations too!

[csmith]

PSA is running a sale on M193F right now too.

PSA Sale

[gfanikf]

PSA is running a sale on M193F right now too.

PSA Sale

Depending on if someone picks up my Beretta that I'm selling. I just might be picking up some along with an upper.

[str8shooter]

You should know what you're going to use for a barrel/upper before investing too much in ammo. Different twist rates do better (some might goes as far as to say require) different bullets. For a slower twist rate, like 1:12 (one full turn in 12 inches of barrel) you'd probably see better results with a lighter bullet, like 52g .223. For faster twist, say 1:7 you might want heavier bullets 62g or more. My 1:9 Bushmaster does noticeably better with 62g 5.56, but when the Obama scare of '08 hit I had a hard time finding it, although 55g .223 was still plentiful. Also, you noted that you've read up on the difference between .223 and 5.56, but again you should know what your platform will be before buying because a rifle designed for .223 may not take 5.56 (the reported problems range from it hurts the accuracy to it'll blow up in your face and you'll go straight to hell).

As far as brand name and all the different styles go, those are the things you can play with once you have your build complete. Some people will say Wolf is crap, others swear by it. Two brands I've never seen anyone bitch about are Prvi Partizan and Lake City.

A good forum you might want to check out is ar15.com. There are a lot of sticky posts about ammo performance and deals.

[hooknladder]

I think the most notable difference between them is the 855 has the steel tip (colored green)

The tip is painted green for identification purposes. The actual steel in in the core of the bullet.

[NoFear]

okay I am brand new to this site.. I am confused in all the different types of Lake City Ammo....
Lake City XM855, XM855F ?
Lake City XM193, 193F 193A, 193C ?

I was told there are 3 different quality classifications with lake city:

1) Battlefield Ammo, not for sale to the public
2) Police and Law Enforcment use/ Public sale/ Very minor defects
3) Millitary specification rejects, Some may have defects , cracked necks

Can anyone help me out with more info?

[Replicant]

The ammo oracle at ar15.com has a lot of useful information, especially on XM855 and XM193. http://ammo.ar15.com/

As someone else said earlier, any letters after "XM193" and "XM855" designate packaging differences only. Or at least it's the case for XM193. See here.

I'm not aware of the three different classifications of Lake City ammo.