AR-15 & Black Hills: 75 or 77-grain Match?

[Anthony]

Hello Everyone,

Trying to pick some ammunition (non-moly) for my Colt AR-15 with a slow 1-7" rate of twist from the Midway website.

They're currently selling the infamous special forces Black Hills 77-grain Match for $32.99 for a box of 50 rounds while the same company's less famous 75-grain Match sells for $22.99 for 50 rounds in non-moly, virgin brass varieties.

That figures to $0.66 per round for the 77-grain Match and $0.46 per round for the 75-grain Match respectively.

Are the additional two grains in bullet weight and the ammunition's famous image really worth an extra $0.20 per pull of the trigger?

 

[Zak Smith]

For what it's worth, I have found no differnce in my rifles between the 75gr and 77gr blue box (reman) Black Hills. The 75gr is cheaper and ostensibly has a higher BC value, so I shoot it.

The Mk262 load is not known for accuracy.

 

[Anthony]

Wow!

I had no idea that the M-262 load was not known for its accuracy.

Thanks for the insight, Zak. I've read your "living document" on optics and know that you speak from experience.

Anyone else have any experience with these loads?

 

[Zak Smith]

Well, it is not as accurate as the regular pressure loadings, anyway.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

My rifle likes the 75gr loading better. About the only advantage I can think of with the Mk262 load is that it is loaded about 100fps hotter (give or take) and has a longer neck in ballistic gelatin than the 75gr. If that is worth $0.20 a round to you, then that would be the major difference.

 

[DMK]

Are the additional two grains in bullet weight and the ammunition's famous image really worth an extra $0.20 per pull of the trigger?

The stuff Midway's selling is not Mk262. It's just standard 77gr. match ammo. As Bartholomew Roberts and Zack Smith inferred, Mk262 is loaded to hotter specs than the standard 77 gr. match which gives it a little better terminal performance and help it fragment at longer range but sacrificing accuracy a bit for the speed boost.

As far as terminal performance, there's probably very little difference between 75gr and 77gr. match. Get whichever is more accurate in your rifle.

I just bought a few boxes of the 75gr. reman stuff. Nice to see they have some in stock again.