Cheap ammo for my new AR help

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newguy07

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Waiting on my new M&P sport to arrive and found some ammo on sale this week. Figured I should stock up a little but don't know which to get. I found 55 grain FMJ by WPA (wolf) military classic in .223 for $26/100 and 55 grain rounds by American eagle called AR 5.56 value pack for $35/100. Thoughts on these rounds? Anywhere I can get something delivered for cheaper?

Side note, I reload pistol calibers and may start to reload for the AR. How much am I looking at per $/100 rounds reloading?
 
The American Eagle is good ammo, and the cases are reloadable. Wolf works fine for plinking but may not run as reliably. You'd better get 100 of each for testing purposes :p
ETA: Cheaper Than Dirt was running a special on Lake City (possibly another brass cased milspec 5.56 I forget now)a week or so ago. I recall 1000 rounds for just over $300, which is a good price these days . Depending on your local store/selection, Wal Mart sometimes has value packs of .223 which are reasonably priced.
 
I should think you might have some difficulty reloading steel cased ammunition.
 
I like the Remington UMC 55gr FMJ value packs. Around $80 for 200, the brass is decent for reloading, reliability is excellent and accuracy is a solid 2 MOA. More than sufficient for plinking/training IMO. I even use the stuff in competitions and do fairly well.
 
Side note, I reload pistol calibers and may start to reload for the AR. How much am I looking at per $/100 rounds reloading?
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You already reload.....it isn't that hard to look up the price on powder, primers, and bullets. Your prices and mine will most likely not be the same since it is not likely you and I will be buying the same components from the same place in the same quantity.
 
Depends on your chamber. I have one AR that has a pretty tight chamber and it locks up with steel, no not the lacquered stuff. It doesn't "spring back" to size like brass and it will not run the stuff. The same steel stuff runs all day in my Colt Target version. Both 5.56 chambers. A couple of different smiths have told me it is just a tighter chamber spec that is not as forgiving. On the other hand, it is my most accurate AR as well.
 
If you look around you can usually pick up XM193 for about $300/1000rds (a case). If wolf is running $260 a case I wouldn't give it a second thought and get the XM193.

Wolf works but is usually not very accurate, non reloadable, and stinky. And don't shoot brass cased ammo after shooting a bunch of wolf (or any other steel cased ammo) in your rifle. Since steel cased ammo doesn't expand as fast as brass it blows some gunk back in the chamber. Using brass cased ammo after that, which will expand, can cause stuck cases and rip off case heads or break extractors. Also I've found wolf tends to have thicker copper on their bullets which eliminates the fragmentation you want with a 5.56 round and leaves you a banana of a spent bullet instead of a little frag grenade (not a big deal if punching paper).
 
Ok, same topic for me.

I have two different types of ammo that are available locally that are plentiful & cheap. They are:

UMC bulk .223
American Eagle 5.56x45

They are the exact same price. Which would you pick?
 
Get some xm193. Your AR is designed to operate with 5.56 nato ammo. Run several hundred rounds of 193 before you try any of the steel case or .223, the steel case ammo is under powered and may not operate a brand new rifle properly.
 
newguy07 said:
don't know which to get.
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BOTH ... when did it become unfashionable to buy a selection of ammo for testing?

steel cased and might gunk up your chamber with lacquer or polymer.
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Why will this nonsense not die? It isn't the laquer, it isn't the poly coating, it is CARBON blown past the steel case because it does not seal in the chamber as well as brass.
Where do you hear this? The myth has been around for far too long, with very little basis in fact.

I have two different types of ammo that are available locally that are plentiful & cheap.
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Seriously? BUY SOME OF EACH, TEST AND RECORD RESULTS, DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.
 
newguy07;
The accuracy of a .223 load will depend a lot on what twist your barrel has. The 1:7 & 1:8 barrels may not give good accuracy with 50 &55 grain fmj ammo.
My RRA .223 with a 24" 1:8 barrel gave me 3" groups with Rem 55 gr FMJ (WalMart ammo), 4" groups with Win frangible. Switching to a Federal GMM, 69 grain bullet, the groups went to less than 1/2".
YMMV, You've already been given some great advice, buy small amounts of various ammo & find out what YOUR rifle likes. Remember, rifles is like wimmen, they is all different and they all likes different things, but they all like expensive food.

Roger
 
My RRA .223 with a 24" 1:8 barrel gave me 3" groups with Rem 55 gr FMJ (WalMart ammo), 4" groups with Win frangible. Switching to a Federal GMM, 69 grain bullet, the groups went to less than 1/2".
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I would guess that the difference in accuracy had a lot more to do with the quality of the bullet as opposed to the weight. My 1:8 barrel holds good groups with 55 grain match ammo.
 
JustinJ said:
I would guess that the difference in accuracy had a lot more to do with the quality of the bullet as opposed to the weight. My 1:8 barrel holds good groups with 55 grain match ammo.
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Ditto

My DPMS 24" 1-8 will run 1.5" with FMJBT (AE from Walmart), but will run 3/4" with Sierra 55gr HPBT (Blitzkings) reloads. Sure it is even more accurate with some heavier bullets, but bullet quality on some of the heavier match bullets is the difference in performance.
 
I've been using the American Eagle in my Sport since I bought it earlier this year. Its performed just fine so far. I suppose I should test some other ammo, but I've been so satisfied with the AE so far I have not bothered yet.
 
You will be fine with the steel cased ammo, some people I know have had problems with it from time to time with their AR's. Nothing really too serious though. As for reloading, steel stay away from for obvious reasons, but there are many, many options for .223 Rem. reloaders out there. One guy I know is extremely picky about his .223 Rem. loads and his rifle. If I shoot it and it is factory loads I am using it HAS TO BE HORNADY BRASS or his hand loads, nothing else is ran through that rifle. ( Next time he wants to shoot my AK I should make him run 7.62X39mm BRASS through it.)j/k buddy! :D
 
I vote for "quality inexpensive ammo" over "cheap ammo," or in other words: XM193. Shop around at cheaperthandirt, sgammo, ammotogo, aimsurplus, etc. and you should be able to get it under $6 per 20 (delivered) easily; probably better with a little digging.

Edit to add: I also reload, but I do not reload .223 'blasting ammo.' The cost/labor margin is too slim to justify. (It is akin to reloading 9mm FMJ vs buying 9mm FMJ.) I only reload .223 using Noslers, Barnes, Hornadys, etc. (Match ammo.) When you talk about match ammo, the cost can be roughly halved, and potentially more accurate to boot.
 
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You should be able to find Wolf or other Russian steel cased ammo for ~$220/1000 shipped if you shop around on-line. For me its usually Sportsmans Guide $209/1000, $20 shipping, and a $10 off coupon code. Or AIM Surplus $190/1000 + ~$30 shipping.


$300/1000 delivered for re-loadable brass is not easily found these days, but I buy it when I can find it.

Wolf meets my needs for shooting steel plates and saving $80+/1000 is nothing to sneeze at IMHO.

I'm stocking up on re-loadable for when I retire and will have time to reload for rifles, right now I only re-load for pistols, although I did do 1000 5.56 and 1000 .308 several years ago and quickly decided I'd rather shoot cheap steel cased ammo, instead of spending all that time reloading.
 
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