SuperFlyLoser
Member
Recently I've been seeing some SS109 bullet pulls or factory over runs being sold and thought that some would be reloading this stuff and might need the MilSpec info on this. I also have searched and searched for a cross section picture of a the Famous "Penetrator" round to see what the inners of one even looked like. I acquired some actual rounds and used my inertia puller to separate the components then used my bench top sander to remove half of one of the rounds. You can see the separation of the Steel core tip and the lead base of the boat tail round in the first picture. The SS109 is easily identified by the green painted tip as seen in the second picture. Below is the rest of the info that I was able to find on the SS109. Hope you enjoy!
Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy
4 g (62 gr) SS109 FMJBT 940 m/s (3,100 ft/s) 1,767 J (1,303 ft·lbf)
Military cases are generally made from thicker brass than commercial cases; this reduces the powder capacity (an important consideration for handloaders), and the NATO specification allows a higher chamber pressure (62,367 psi) versus (55,000 psi) for .223 Remington. So this would indicate that one could safely shoot .223 in a 5.56mm chambered rifle, but not the other way around due to the slightly higher chamber pressures.
Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy
4 g (62 gr) SS109 FMJBT 940 m/s (3,100 ft/s) 1,767 J (1,303 ft·lbf)
Military cases are generally made from thicker brass than commercial cases; this reduces the powder capacity (an important consideration for handloaders), and the NATO specification allows a higher chamber pressure (62,367 psi) versus (55,000 psi) for .223 Remington. So this would indicate that one could safely shoot .223 in a 5.56mm chambered rifle, but not the other way around due to the slightly higher chamber pressures.
