AIM Surplus .223

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Isn't that XM193?
If so, it has a good reputation at least from everything I've read online.
 
Interesting headstamp. Just M193 and the '08 year.

It does beg the question: If this was manufactured in the last 5 months, why is it being surplussed by the manufacturer? Manufacturing over-run, or QA rejected?

Isn't that XM193?
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All the XM193 I've ever seen has an LC headstamp and has a NATO cross. (Winchester M193 has a WC headstamp IIRC.)

Unless ATK ran out of LC brass and started using a new headstamp...
 
As AIM mentions "independant testing" I am guessing army rejects. But that doesn't mean there is any reason the average joe won't be happy with it.
 
Hmm, according to AIM.
A large manufacturer built the bullets and brass, and a DOD contractor is putting it together for us.
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One beta tester @ AR15.com apparently got Winchester brass, so maybe that's where the components came from.

Anyone know who's assembling it? Could be anybody I suppose. DOD bids out it's contracts, and anybody who could meet the specs, quantity and do it at a low price could be a "contractor". I imagine that right now, the .gov would want multiple sources.
 
From the AR15 page:

The velocity averaged 2877fps from my 20" barrel.
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Well I'll keep my money in my wallet. A 55 grain round should be doing 3300FPS from a 20 inch barrel.

It's as weak as Wolf, just more accurate.
 
It cannot be surplus ammo, don't forget that. Clinton outlawed the sale of surplus ammo so you're not getting M193.

It's likely made from rejected surplus COMPONENTS, which ARE legal to sell. That's basically what XM193 is. XM193 is NOT marked M193 on the brass.

That this chrono's so poorly suggests to me that some third party bought some rejected components at an auction somewhere and loaded it up.

The smell meter runs pretty high on this in my opinion especially at that price.

Real XM193 is selling for around 42-44 cents a round and usually has Lake City brass.
 
It cannot be surplus ammo, don't forget that. Clinton outlawed the sale of surplus ammo so you're not getting M193.
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It can't be "US Military" surplus. There is no law preventing manufacturers from selling their production over-runs (their own surplus). ATK took over the LC plant and it became a civilian operation. It's only milsurp ammo once it is received by the military and then surplused.

It's likely made from rejected surplus COMPONENTS, which ARE legal to sell. That's basically what XM193 is.
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Not really. XM193 is ATK QA rejects or production lot over-runs. It has crimped primers, sealant at the neck, 5.56 spec powder loads. It is M193 that was not shipped to the contract customer for whatever reason.

XM193 is NOT marked M193 on the brass.
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That is correct. I have never seen any real-deal M193, M855 or SS109 ammunition that was labeled as such on the brass. Most military ammo is headstamped with the manufacturer and year. If NATO spec, it also has a cross in a circle.
 
It can't be "US Military" surplus.
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Sure, that's what I mean. I think most everyone equates the word "surplus" with milsurp, not production overruns.

This AIM stuff is clearly made from "leftovers". not milsurp.
 
Sure, that's what I mean. I think most everyone equates the word "surplus" with milsurp, not production overruns.
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Right. that's why I made the clarification. A company can sell blemished or minor QA rejects to us, label it as "surplus" and they are not incorrect. But it is not military surplus.

(in the retail business, this is the type of stuff you might often see at your local Odd-Lot, Dollar Store and warehouse outlet. ... manufacturing surplus).

Caveat Emptor.
 
Yeah, all my xm193 has the Lake City stamp. That is pretty cheap though, might be worth it for plinking and brass.
 
Quote:
The velocity averaged 2877fps from my 20" barrel.
Well I'll keep my money in my wallet. A 55 grain round should be doing 3300FPS from a 20 inch barrel.

It's as weak as Wolf, just more accurate.
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A little off-topic, but how fast would/should "good" 55 grain rounds be going out of a 16" barrel?

I ask b/c I just got my chrony working (I think) and yesterday I clocked my best-accuracy load using 55 grain bullets at about 2840 fps in a 16" Bushmaster carbine. That load is also within 0.5 grains of what two of my reloading manuals say max is, so I wouldn't anticipate pushing this much hotter, probably.
 
Regardless of how it chronos, it seems to be good consistent ammo. Given the choice I think I'd still go with Prvi since it's the same price, but this seems to be a pretty good substitute.

Too bad I spent all my ammo money on new furniture :(
 
from the ammo oracle

M193 should give you around 3200-3250 fps from the muzzle of a 20" weapon and around 3150 from a 16" weapon.
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in my experience, with most powders, you have to load slightly above "max" loads in order to achieve those velocities.


300 fps off is a pretty significant disadvantage.
 
from the ammo oracle

Quote:
M193 should give you around 3200-3250 fps from the muzzle of a 20" weapon and around 3150 from a 16" weapon.
in my experience, with most powders, you have to load slightly above "max" loads in order to achieve those velocities.


300 fps off is a pretty significant disadvantage.
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Indeed. I may have to try working up to a higher level. Actually I don't know for sure that I have a "best accuracy" load yet, I worked up to 27.0 grains of BL-C(2) (books say 27.5 is max) and stopped going higher when that load was getting about 1" groups at 100 yards. Maybe I should push it a little more after all... IIRC 223 stops being very effective once it slows down to about 2700 fps which is probably 100 yards away for my 2840fps rounds.
 
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