Range Report Best match ammo for 5.56 bolt gun?
- Thread starter sevenplagues
- Start date
Black Hills 77gr TMK are about the highest BC you’ll find in a 5.56 meant to be shot in an AR-15.
You can get heavier pills, but I think they’re more for the .224 Valkyrie.
If you’re looking for something factory to buy and shoot, I’d look at the Black Hills.
That is the MK262 round, but with a tipped match king instead of an OTM.
I shot it in a match at The Academy range outside Atlanta, Ga. I had hits out to 1160 with it coming out of my KAC LPR 18”. Not many.... 3/10 ??, but hits at least.
Very high BC for a .224 round.
As far as realistic range....800 is pretty doable. Past that, the wind becomes really tough. A field mouse fart will push you off at 1000yds with a 5.56.
Not impossible, just tough. At 1000yds, you’re down to 248 ft lbs of energy. About a .38 Special at the muzzle.
You can get heavier pills, but I think they’re more for the .224 Valkyrie.
If you’re looking for something factory to buy and shoot, I’d look at the Black Hills.
That is the MK262 round, but with a tipped match king instead of an OTM.
I shot it in a match at The Academy range outside Atlanta, Ga. I had hits out to 1160 with it coming out of my KAC LPR 18”. Not many.... 3/10 ??, but hits at least.
Very high BC for a .224 round.
As far as realistic range....800 is pretty doable. Past that, the wind becomes really tough. A field mouse fart will push you off at 1000yds with a 5.56.
Not impossible, just tough. At 1000yds, you’re down to 248 ft lbs of energy. About a .38 Special at the muzzle.
If you single load straight into the chamber, an AR with a Wylde chamber will easily swallow long seated 80 and 85 grain bullets. Service Rifle shooters have been doing it for decades.
MDT 223 magazines make the same long loaded 80 grain cartridges easily doable out of a 223 bolt gun straight from the magazine.
Ive bought a pile of HSM ammo (the hunting shack) for my 223 (77's) for both matches and plinking when I have no time to reload. Very consistent and accurate in both AR and bolt rifle.
GL
DT
GL
DT
Magtech has a mk 262 equivalent load that is very accurate and very reasonable on the wallet.
www.sgammo.com
1000 Round Case - 5.56x45 OTM 77 Grain SMK Hollow Point Magtech First Defense Sniper Ammo - 556C | SGAmmo.com
1000 Round case - 5.56 x 45 77 Grain OTM SMK Hollow Point Magtech First Defense Sniper Ammo - 556CBrass case, boxer primer, new production high performance 5.56 Ammo by Magtech. Loaded with Sierra match king bullets
Good to know Sir. Thank you.
While I’m not a bolt gun 5.56 shooter, that could change. ?
Thanks for the heads up.
If you're shooting factory ammo in a 223 bolt gun you're cutting your own nuts off. A good bolt gun load is an excessive AR load. Guess which platform ammo companies are lawyered down to?
I don't think it's a lawyer thing. I think it's a market thing. 223 long range shooters are an incredibly tiny minority of the shooting public.
You might be right. Either way, the second they label a box of hot ammo for bolt guns only some fool is gonna blow his face off with an AR and the ammo companies know it.
What's your velocity with this? Do you think a 18" 1:8 would do "ok" or do I need to get a new barrel in your opinion? I like their 308 sniper ammo a lot. I get decent results with it when compared to FGMM and Prime. Prime is not very good in my rifle it's right around MOA at 100yds but I still have over 2 cases and will buy more when available.Magtech has a mk 262 equivalent load that is very accurate and very reasonable on the wallet.
1000 Round Case - 5.56x45 OTM 77 Grain SMK Hollow Point Magtech First Defense Sniper Ammo - 556C | SGAmmo.com
1000 Round case - 5.56 x 45 77 Grain OTM SMK Hollow Point Magtech First Defense Sniper Ammo - 556CBrass case, boxer primer, new production high performance 5.56 Ammo by Magtech. Loaded with Sierra match king bullets
It is an absolute MK262 clone load. Will probably. Shoot just fine.
In my experience, and the experience of several guys I know, true 5.56 loads are not USUALLY as accurate as a good .223 load. IDK if it’s the powder, or the overall length, or the pressure/velocity, but it’s the truth for me, and many I know.
I believe the advantage of the higher velocity is often looked at as an advantage and the trade of in accuracy is tolerated for it. The BH 5.56 MK262 load is often touted as very accurate by many people. Myself included. The velocity is there, and shots at 1K are not unheard of with it.
The Magtech ammo is probably pretty good. Let’s be honest here: if it’s 1.5 moa, that’s a 7.5” group at 500!! Plenty good enough for “Minute of Man.”
In my experience, and the experience of several guys I know, true 5.56 loads are not USUALLY as accurate as a good .223 load. IDK if it’s the powder, or the overall length, or the pressure/velocity, but it’s the truth for me, and many I know.
I believe the advantage of the higher velocity is often looked at as an advantage and the trade of in accuracy is tolerated for it. The BH 5.56 MK262 load is often touted as very accurate by many people. Myself included. The velocity is there, and shots at 1K are not unheard of with it.
The Magtech ammo is probably pretty good. Let’s be honest here: if it’s 1.5 moa, that’s a 7.5” group at 500!! Plenty good enough for “Minute of Man.”
Agreed. Load a 75gr ELD-M out to ~2.54in and push it close to 3kfps. It beats the 77gr SMK in wind drift pushed to the same speed.
A 75 ELD loaded to 2.54 will be jammed hard into the lands in a 223 Wylde chamber. I've been running them for a few years now and did a full 223 Wylde bolt gun review using them. Around 2.51 hits the lands..
Everyone should find the distance to the lands themself in their rifle.
Agreed. I did use the "~" sign in regards to the OAL measurement. The point I was making was to load longer than 2.26in to take full advantage of a bolt guns longer internal magazine length. It was implied to find your own OAL using a proper seating depth test.
If somebody sets their OAL based on what some random jagoff on the internet writes, well then that's on them.
Magtech 77’s and IMI LR Mod 0 77 loads both do well from my 18” Rainier. The IMI is a bit hotter, pushing them at 2815fps and typically around .7-.8moa.
While effective, it’s nowhere near as effective as handloaded 75 eld’s from my 223 bolt gun. That combination can stretch out to 1200yds with consistent hits.
While effective, it’s nowhere near as effective as handloaded 75 eld’s from my 223 bolt gun. That combination can stretch out to 1200yds with consistent hits.
True story. If you shoot AR length ammo with mag friendly bullets side by side against high BC bullets loaded long at 600 yards you'll swear its two entirely different cartridges.
Around 200ft/lbs. It’s enough to set off the flasher mounted on the target and cause a nice splash from the water puddle in front of the target. The rounds are subsonic at that distance with my velocity, but they transition well. I’ll be working up a load with H4895 to get an extra 75-125fps over Varget soon.
