Best 5.56 grain for 1:7 SPR

[Val84]

Hey guys, I’m building my Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 into an SPR. It comes with a 16” 1:7 barrel that I’ll be throwing a suppressor onto soon. I’ve had a lot of fun shooting at my local range’s steel range up to 500 meters and would like to get better at it. My question is, what grain 5.56 is best for long distance shooting with my 16” 1:7 barrel? Also, is OTM good to go with? I’m wondering if the open tip affects accuracy.

Thanks in advance!

 

[oldrifleman]

Get a quality 69-77gr match round ( Federal Gold Medal being the standard go to) 1-7 likes a long bullet. Remember that factory ARs generally are doing well to hold sub 1” groups, some can be spectacular but those have higher end custom barrels. But plan for between .75” and 1” at 100 yards.

 

[tarheel7734]

I run 77 grain in mist of my ar platforms sometimes I'll use some barns 70gr tsx as well

 

[bfoosh006]

77gr for me as well.

Buy an assortment of brands and see which one your barrel likes.

 

[surgeon260]

I like the 80.5 Berger.

 

[oldrifleman]

I like the 80.5 Berger.

I love the 80.5 Fullbores, spectacular bullet! I use those in 1:7 223 bolt gun.

 

[matt33]

My particular results have been Berger 73, Berger 77, and 77 Sierra matchking, 69 SMK, in that order.

You'll need to experiment to see what your barrel likes best.

 

[WeR0206]

My particular results have been Berger 73, Berger 77, and 77 Sierra matchking, 69 SMK, in that order.

You'll need to experiment to see what your barrel likes best.

Same. I would also add 73 eld-m’s to the mix

 

[Val84]

Sounds like right around that mid to high 70’s grains are the way to go…

 

[oldrifleman]

77grain SMKs are my favorite 223/556 AR bullets. I go heavier for my bolt guns.

 

[VargmatII]

Im thinking that the 77 grain SMK has a more than well proven track record. I shot steel out to 600 meters with no complaints with that bullet earlier this summer, and there are plenty of people here who has taken it further still.

 

[Jsp556]

My particular results have been Berger 73, Berger 77, and 77 Sierra matchking, 69 SMK, in that order.

You'll need to experiment to see what your barrel likes best.

Those 73gr Berger’s are the cats meow.

 

[01911]

Start at 55 grain and work your way up. When you find some contenders, do a mag dump to heat up the barrel and see which one performs the best.

 

[slodsm]

I run 75g hornady BTHP match in starline brass in mine. I’ve tried 73eldms, 77smk’s, and Barnes heavies (forgot the grain) and the hornady’s give me the most consistent results with this barrel.

Never tried burgers in my gas guns, just run them in bolt guns.

I’d try everything and see what works best for you. It’s not typical to be able to find your best bullet based on word of mouth alone.

 

[kthomas]

In my testing of just one barrel, I've found 77 SMKs to shoot the best.

 

[matt33]

Those 73gr Berger’s are the cats meow.

I used 77 smks for years with good results. However, I noticed that their price kept creeping up, and that the Berger 73s were available in 1,000 round boxes which made the price pretty much the same. A few different well-known respected shooters encouraged me to try the 73s, I'm glad I did.

The Berger 73s are noticeably more accurate in my two primary rifles. Both bullets are great, but the 73s are definitely better for me

 

[Rider47]

For my 1:7 AR's, the most accurate bullets are 69gr. SMK's (H4895). For longer distances (200-300+) or with any significant wind, the 77SMK's (Varget) seem to work better. But . . . just loaded some of the 80.5 Bergers (Varget) and found them better than the 77's at any distance.

 

[WeR0206]

I used 77 smks for years with good results. However, I noticed that their price kept creeping up, and that the Berger 73s were available in 1,000 round boxes which made the price pretty much the same. A few different well-known respected shooters encouraged me to try the 73s, I'm glad I did.

The Berger 73s are noticeably more accurate in my two primary rifles. Both bullets are great, but the 73s are definitely better for me

Now that you mention the Berger 73's it looks like they are in stock at my local bass pro so I'm gonna go grab a box or two

 

[WeR0206]

For my 1:7 AR's, the most accurate bullets are 69gr. SMK's (H4895). For longer distances (200-300+) or with any significant wind, the 77SMK's (Varget) seem to work better. But . . . just loaded some of the 80.5 Bergers (Varget) and found them better than the 77's at any distance.

What mags/COAL are you using with the 80.5's or do they load at 2.260" and work fine with any std mag? I'm might try and snag some of those as well.

- Berger 80.5gr Full Bore Target Bullet (# 22427) ($0.36/bullet)

 

[Val84]

Maybe a dumb question… But I have a bunch of good .223 sitting around:

223 REMINGTON FEDERAL PREMIUM GOLD MEDAL 77 GRAIN HPBT

223 REM BLACK HILLS 62 GRAIN TSX

223 REM HORNADY BLACK 62 GRAIN FMJ

Do you think these would be good or equivalent to 5.56 out of my rifle?

 

[WeR0206]

Maybe a dumb question… But I have a bunch of good .223 sitting around:

223 REMINGTON FEDERAL PREMIUM GOLD MEDAL 77 GRAIN HPBT

223 REM BLACK HILLS 62 GRAIN TSX

223 REM HORNADY BLACK 62 GRAIN FMJ

Do you think these would be good or equivalent to 5.56 out of my rifle?

They might be accurate but their speed will be less than 5.56 bc most factory 556 loads are loaded to higher pressures than 223 Rem

 

[oldrifleman]

The federal is match ammo, should shoot great, the black hill will also be pretty good.

 

[WeR0206]

The federal is match ammo, should shoot great, the black hill will also be pretty good.

It's definitely some nice match grade ammo, should shoot well....my guess is the speed would be around 2400 to 2500 for the Fed Gold Medal 77's.

 

[USMC 308]

Defender Ammunition makes some really accurate factory ammo. 69 gr SMK and 77gr HPBT shoot great out of my 20" JP.

 

[ToKeepAndBear]

Don’t discount the 53 Vmax, my 1:7 barrels love that bullet!

 

[drglock]

Believe it or not but IMI Razorcore 77gr shoots spectacular out of my Noveske with 18” Douglass CLE 1-8 twist barrel. Out to 400 yards they are impressive and at 500 they’re still well under sub Moa. I’ve taken this combination out to 1000yds. Though I’ll be honest that it was a very very light wind morning and if the target wouldn’t had a flasher we wouldn’t of known for sure if I was hitting or not and it was a generous steel target that was 36”x36”. Went 7/10, me and my shooting partner were impressed

 

[kthomas]

Believe it or not but IMI Razorcore 77gr shoots spectacular out of my Noveske with 18” Douglass CLE 1-8 twist barrel. Out to 400 yards they are impressive and at 500 they’re still well under sub Moa. I’ve taken this combination out to 1000yds. Though I’ll be honest that it was a very very light wind morning and if the target wouldn’t had a flasher we wouldn’t of known for sure if I was hitting or not and it was a generous steel target that was 36”x36”. Went 7/10, me and my shooting partner were impressed

I've tested IMI, Blackhills and FGMM through my proof barrel and IMI was the winner.