What 223 or 5.56 ammo do you use for self defense and plinking

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TheDutchman

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I like Black Hills blue box of 68 gr OTM for defensive purposes it being a heavier weight. I have found a good source of LC Xm193 for plinking boy is that stuff hot. Just curious what everyone else shoots
 
I like the XM193 55 gr ball for defense and plinking. It is just a solid performer all the way around and it isn't horribly expensive (or cheap either).

I also like the Federal 50 gr. frangible ammo for working drills at short range again steel targets (purchased from Ammoman). The only bounce back that occurs with from just the jacket and that is very infrequent. However, the 50 gr. frangible seems a little less reliable (If I have a cycling problem, chances are it will be with the frangible ammo, not the XM193) and apparently some of the compressed copper/zinc/whatever can be seen spraying out of the flash hider.

I also have my old, shot out upper that is now a dedicated .22 lr upper for my Ciener conversion. Sort of funny, but the shot out barrel is a problem for .223 as the rounds tumble, but it works great with .22 lr. To assure cycling, I shoot Rem Viper (hyper velocity) 36 gr. ammo. The .22 ammo is fine for plinking, is easier on the ears (no need to double up with plugs and muffs which I usually do with .223), and the recoil is virtually nil and so I can inexpensively work on trigger control drills. My old upper has a muzzle brake, but it does nothing when firing .22 lr. On or off, recoil is the same.
 
XM193 is a good all around plinking round, keep in mind that's 5.56 and not saami .223. Well priced for what it is. I wouldn't compete with it though if that's what you intend. I suppose you are talking ar15 variant?
 
I use the 68gr Black Hills OTM ammo for defense, that's what my gun is sighted in with. I haven't tried any of the heavier rounds because cash is tight these days and my bbl is a 1 in 9 twist. I'd like to try some of the BH 75gr rounds eventually.

I have some XM193, not the PD stuff, that I've stocked up on a bit also for defense/just in case. Both shoot close enough that I can use the same holds out to about 300 yards, no issues on the 18" steel plate at that distance.

Practice with Wolf because it's cheap and actually shoots like the 68gr out of my gun also out to 300 yds. I haven't tested the 68's out at 400, but the wolf is good enough for me to hit a ram silouette out there with irons about 60-70% of the time.
 
I use Georgia Arms 55grn. FMJ for most of my practice, and Black Hills 77grn. OTM for both competition and defense. I'm too cheap to plink with a centerfire rifle, but I'm looking at buying a .22LR upper for one of my ARs - that would also probably take up a bunch of my practice.

- Chris
 
LC M193 or Federal XM193 for both plinking and defense. The M193 is a very lethal round. Byron
 
Winchester 55 grain/.223

Is the Federal ammo actually loaded to the hotter spec of 5.56? Or is it basicaly the same as the other .223 loads? :confused:

Can I call my winchester 55 grainers m193 or would that be misleading or just wrong? They are both 55 grains and would make a devistating would altouth higher preasures of the 5.56 should be just ,"hotter", correct?

Dazed and confused :confused:

PS I know that .223 winchester is actually ,223 but does that really matter in its designation, with regards to a 5.56 barrel?

Thanx guys,
 
The last 12,000 rounds of plinking ammo I have used is Wolf 55 grain.

I have never used an AR15 for personal defense but if I did, I would be using either Hornady TAP or a handload duplicating it.
For hunting I use a Hornady V-Max which I believe is what they are using in TAP.
 
You should always use the ammo that gives you the best accuracy and sight in for it. Any time you change ammo you must sight in again or have your sights marked for the different setting.
 
I think the Q3131A rounds from Winchester are 5.56 spec like the XM193. If the box says .223 then it should be a SAAMI pressure round.

the .223 is slightly smaller than the 5.56, IIRC in the neck area. Shooting .223 out of a 5.56 chamber is no big deal, but the opposite is not true. Some may get away with it, some may end up with stuck cases and the like. Head over to AR-15.com and look for the Ammo Oracle. Lots of good info there on those rounds.
 
I use my own reloads for all my AR ammo. I can't imagine that my AR would ever be "convenient" at a time when I'd need a firearm for s.d., and I'm not likely to be involved in combat any time soon. ;)
 
Keep in mind that XM193 was designed to be, within the limitations of its FMJ construction, an effective anti-personnel round.



Larry
 
Wal-Mart white box 55-gr for plinking (I have a mini-14, it shoots about as well with WM value-pack ammo as with premium match loads), and the main HD magazine is loaded with Federal 40-gr JHP. I also have a magazine of 55-gr JHP that I'd use if I were out hiking or something (the 40's several inches low at 100 yd if the rifle is sighted for 55's).
 
Federal American Eagle for plinking, XM193 or Q3131A for serious social encounters.
 
Usually the Black Hills red box 68 gr. It's almost as good as Federal Gold Match.

For just plinking, I've got a case or so of the South African stuff. It's not as accurate as Black Hills or Federal, but it's pretty good.

I also have a pile of brass prepped and ready to reload, but just haven't gotten around to it.
 
Right now I keep Federal XM193 and Winchester/IMI Q3131A as my all purpose ammo. However, I'm testing some various brands of 75gr, and 69gr. for accuracy. If I find one of them acceptable in my HD ARs then I'll keep a few mags of it loaded and handy.


Is the Federal ammo actually loaded to the hotter spec of 5.56? Or is it basicaly the same as the other .223 loads?

Can I call my winchester 55 grainers m193 or would that be misleading or just wrong? They are both 55 grains and would make a devistating would altouth higher preasures of the 5.56 should be just ,"hotter", correct?
Click to expand...
M193 is a NATO spec for 55gr. 5.56mm and is hotter that most of the commercial 55gr. 223 ammo you see. Winchester for example sells Q3131A which is M193 5.56 made by IMI in Israel. They also sell USA223R1 which is standard .223. The velocities for these aren't too different, but I believe the M193 also specs a more fragile bullet than some commercial .223 has, which results in better fragmentation.


There's some good info here: www.ammo-oracle.com
 
The Xm193 is Hot Stuff for sure, I just picked up some Hornady 75gr TAP BTHP as mentioned in previous post, what are the ballistics of the 75gr TAP.
 
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