MK262

Uh yea... What actually shoots the best in your rifle since you are reloading

IMI Razore Core 77gr match is pretty close to MK262 velocities and is sub-MOA accurate in my rifles. Black Hills 5.56 77gr match is basically civilian Mk262.

I have been very happy with ADI 55 SBK and it is fairly priced

I’ll second ADI working well.

Trigger Monkey said:

IMI Razore Core 77gr match is pretty close to MK262 velocities and is sub-MOA accurate in my rifles. Black Hills 5.56 77gr match is basically civilian Mk262.

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IMI has always worked well for me. Good price as well

Army of One said:

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it.

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What does this mean? Are you still reloading or have you stopped?

IMI Razor Core is good ammo, Black Hills 77g OTM Match (red box) is identical to Mk262 Mod 1....Be wary of Hornady Superformance 75g 5.56 Nato as it tends to be too hot, even for 5.56 Nato and 223 Wylde chambers.

Blasting ammo: IMI XM193 5.56 NATO 55g.

I never had much luck with Hornady .223/5.56 ammunition save for their 75 gr BTHP match and a couple of their Black loadings. .223 ELD-M factory match and Hornady frontier shot like hell which is a bummer because their 6.5 CM and 6 CM ELD-M match ammo usually shot really well in my bolt guns...I dunno. Goes to show every barrel is a rule unto itself I suppose.

Black hills is the best ammo on planet earth in 556 in my estimation. Their combination of accuracy and velocity is hard to duplicate even hand loading. But it’s so hard to find and $$$$ if you can find it. The razor core is the next best thing and that is much more available. Note last time I bought factory 556 I bought AAC 77’s and my batch was hotter than fuck. Primer popping ammo that exhausted me.
Good luck finding some good ammo.
PB

Have you been away from shooting for a while? Factory ammo in any caliber has basically doubled in price with half the availability for like the last four years.

You can try to slum it with AAC ammo.....

Army of One said:

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it. Last time I actually purchased ammo had to be about a decade ago, and it was MK262.

Anything else I should be looking at besides MK262? This is an AR platform, 16" Proof barrel.

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AAC 5.56 77gr Matchking OR their house brand 77gr to very well. 2750fps from my 18" Mk12... on par with Mk262

nn8734 said:

What does this mean? Are you still reloading or have you stopped?

IMI Razor Core is good ammo, Black Hills 77g OTM Match (red box) is identical to Mk262 Mod 1....Be wary of Hornady Superformance 75g 5.56 Nato as it tends to be too hot, even for 5.56 Nato and 223 Wylde chambers.

Blasting ammo: IMI XM193 5.56 NATO 55g.

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Black Hills red box 5.56 77gr OTM is not identical to MK262 Mod 1 anymore.....it now uses a Hornady 77gr bullet instead of the SMK.

ozarak said:

Black Hills red box 5.56 77gr OTM is not identical to MK262 Mod 1 anymore.....it now uses a Hornady 77gr bullet instead of the SMK.

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Wonder when they made that switch....I would imagine the ballistics are very similar to the "old" BH stuff with the Sierra MK unless the Hornady bullet is materially better or worse performing.

The first batches of AAC / PSA 77gr ammo was to hot.... both the AAC 77gr SMK load and the AAC 77gr ( in house made bullet ) load.

They have since backed off the initial powder charge weight, and it is a very viable alternative, at a lower price.
If you are fussy about packaging, you might not like it, Lol.... they are loose in the 20rd box. That never mattered to me, I just want to shoot it.
The adjusted charge weight change also helped better SD and ES figures.

ADI has been mentioned, and the 69gr SMK load is pretty danged good as well.

nn8734 said:

View attachment 8338788

Wonder when they made that switch....I would imagine the ballistics are very similar to the "old" BH stuff with the Sierra MK unless the Hornady bullet is materially better or worse performing.

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The change to the Hornady bullet was around this time last year. It's performance is VERY similar. Very doubtful the average shooter and likely even a very good shooter would be able to see any difference.

ozarak said:

Black Hills red box 5.56 77gr OTM is not identical to MK262 Mod 1 anymore.....it now uses a Hornady 77gr bullet instead of the SMK.

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Where did you read / see this ?... specifically the Hornady bullet part .

Every can / box I have seen lately says, " MK 262 MOD 1-C , 77 GR SIERRA OTM"

It is my understanding, the Mod 1-C ( Commercial ) just doesn't get subjected to the all the required strict US Mil testing.

The accuracy testing is still the same.

bfoosh006 said:

Where did you read / see this ?... specifically the Hornady bullet part .

Every can / box I have seen lately says, " MK 262 MOD 1-C , 77 GR SIERRA OTM"

It is my understanding, the Mod 1-C ( Commercial ) just doesn't get subjected to the all the required strict US Mil testing.

The accuracy testing is still the same.

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Here's the only thing I was able to locate on it, website is "KIR Ammo" - scroll to the bottom and they mention the Hornady 77g bullet being used in the ammo..Never heard of them, know nothing about them or their business-just found them in a Google search. Also can't locate a separate listing for Hornady's 77g OTM...Found plenty of websites selling Sierra's, Nosler's, Lapua's and Berger's but not Hornady's 77g OTM.

I don't ever buy factory ammo, apart once in a blue moon for T/E purposes, reload only so I don't keep up on all the latest developments.

nn8734 said:

Here's the only thing I was able to locate on it, website is "KIR Ammo" - scroll to the bottom and they mention the Hornady 77g bullet being used in the ammo..Never heard of them, know nothing about them or their business-just found them in a Google search. Also can't locate a separate listing for Hornady's 77g OTM...Found plenty of websites selling Sierra's, Nosler's, Lapua's and Berger's but not Hornady's 77g OTM.

I don't ever buy factory ammo, apart once in a blue moon for T/E purposes, reload only so I don't keep up on all the latest developments.

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Ok... I'd bet the linked upper description is a snafu.
On the same page, but lower down it says.... ( in the middle )
"Bullet Style............Sierra MatchKing Open Tip"

And then it repeats the Hornady "2.Bullet Type: Hornady Open Tip Match" at the bottom'ish.

Thank You.

bfoosh006 said:

Ok... I'd bet the linked upper description is a snafu.
On the same page, but lower down it says.... ( in the middle )
"Bullet Style............Sierra MatchKing Open Tip"

And then it repeats the Hornady "2.Bullet Type: Hornady Open Tip Match" at the bottom'ish.

Thank You.

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You're welcome...could very well be but that is literally the only reference on-line I can find and nothing on the 77g Hornady projectile...If I cared enough, I'd call black hills on Monday to ask but it's not that critical for me since I don't rely on factory ammo for anything...My clone of Mk262 Mod 1 flies just like the real thing, literally within .1mil ele drop at 700-800m and .75-1.00 MOA out of my Mk12 Mod 1 (1.5-3MOA at 100m on avg out of my carbines w/ non magnified optics) and I use all the same components, except the powder (mine uses AA2520 while Black Hills uses a non-cannister grade powder, AFAIK).

bfoosh006 said:

The first batches of AAC / PSA 77gr ammo was to hot.... both the AAC 77gr SMK load and the AAC 77gr ( in house made bullet ) load.

They have since backed off the initial powder charge weight, and it is a very viable alternative, at a lower price.
If you are fussy about packaging, you might not like it, Lol.... they are loose in the 20rd box. That never mattered to me, I just want to shoot it.
The adjusted charge weight change also helped better SD and ES figures.

ADI has been mentioned, and the 69gr SMK load is pretty danged good as well.

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i’ve been slumming it with AAC 77gr OTM in an LWRC IC piston for about 500 rounds now. it shoots right at 1moa if i do my job. at 500 yds i can consistently hit a 12” steel plate.


i’ll buy more at .62/rnd. i’m no professional, just a desert crawler looking for rocks to bust up.

bfoosh006 said:

Where did you read / see this ?... specifically the Hornady bullet part .

Every can / box I have seen lately says, " MK 262 MOD 1-C , 77 GR SIERRA OTM"

It is my understanding, the Mod 1-C ( Commercial ) just doesn't get subjected to the all the required strict US Mil testing.

The accuracy testing is still the same.

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The mod1c still uses the SMK The commercial package 5.56 OTM uses the Hornady bullet. Give a call and confirm it 605 348 5150

ozarak said:

The mod1c still uses the SMK The commercial package 5.56 OTM uses the Hornady bullet. Give a call and confirm it 605 348 5150

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I will phone them on Monday.
Are you sure it wasn't the Hornady 75gr .224 OTM ?

If Hornady is producing a 77gr OTM, I'm sure, lots of us would like to know.

ozarak said:

The mod1c still uses the SMK The commercial package 5.56 OTM uses the Hornady bullet. Give a call and confirm it 605 348 5150

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I stand corrected. Black Hills just told me the same thing as ozarak stated.

I will third that Black Hills transitioned to Hornady projectiles in 2023 for the 5.56 OTM. The MK262 remains with the Sierra bullet. In my testing of recent batches of ammunition I have found 5.56 OTM and MK262 to shoot identical velocities. IMI Razorcore 77gr is approximately 80-100 FPS slower out of a 16" barrel. Accuracy across the three is very similar in the rifles I have baselined with all of them.

FWIW...

Quote,
"
"Factory Fresh 500 round Case Black Hills Ammunition Factory New D556N9: 5.56mm 77 Grain Open Tip Match with Hornady 77 Grain BTHP bullet and Lake City Brass in ten 50 round boxes. OTM = Hollow Point Boat Tail. We have been a Black Hills dealer since 2015.

Black Hills produces factory new rifle ammunition equal to some of the best handloads. It is quickly becoming one of most popular manufacturers of ammunition. Used primarily by all branches of the United State military, this ammunition is also used by competitive shooters and hunters. "The 77 grain MK262 ammunition produced by Black Hills Ammunition has been referred to as the most accurate mass-produced 5.56mm ammunition that has ever been type-classified and issued by the US military. Since its inception, genuine MK262 has been manufactured solely by Black Hills Ammunition. For years, MK262 was only available to the civilian population as cosmetic seconds, but more recently Black Hills has made first-run production lots available on the commercial market." Molon posting on lightfighter.com

Starting in 2023, Black Hills has been using Hornady projectiles in the red box 5.56 77gr OTM. Before then, it was always a Sierra projectile. This ammunition is loaded with Lake City brass that has undergone factory annealing which extends brass life. As a result of the annealing process the neck portion of the brass may be discolored until the case is cleaned.

The MK262 is what the military uses. The 5.56 77gr MK262 MOD 1-C (ammo can) is the commercial version of the MK262 and is also produced with a Sierra projectile. We currently have in stock 460 Rounds of Black Hills 77gr OTM cartridges with the Sierra projectile in Mil-Pack Ammo Cans MP460556N9

We also have in stock Black Hills D556N19. This is the 77gr OTM projectile with a Sierra Tipped Match King bullet. The addition of the polymer tip improves upon the external ballistics by significantly increasing ballistic coefficient from .373 to .420. What this means is that the TMK projectile is much more resistant to both drag and wind, meaning it flies flatter and straighter in adverse conditions. The tip also improves terminal ballistics, increasing uniformity of performance and penetration when the projectile arrives on target.

Please Note: While the 5.56x45mm NATO will fit in a .223 Remington chamber, the 5.56 is a military round that runs at higher pressures than its .223 counterpart and is not recommended to be fired in a .223 Remington chamber."