What do you keep loaded in your 5.56/.223 AR?

[Ben86]

I'm curious what other people keep loaded in their AR and why.

Mine is a basic m4 carbine. I keep it loaded with .223, 55 grain soft points, (specifically remington corelokt). I go with soft points because I'd like to have expanding ammunition, and I'm not impressed with .223 hollowpoints. I stick with 55 grains, because that's the weight of my practice ammunition. The role of the rifle is CQC home defense, so I don't see the need for a heavier round that will go farther and may only give me a marginal increase in accuracy. The barrel has a 1/9 twist.

 

[jem375]

I keep 3 loaded 45ACP's in the house and quick access to a Remington 870, my AR is in the safe..

 

[bri]

Like most of my other firearms, it all depends on how lazy I was the last time I took it out.

I have a few dedicated firearms for HD, the AR isn't one of them. Usually there's any empty magazine in the rifle, with a couple full mags in the ammo can...

 

[Grizzly16]

I usually keep Hornady TAP 60g rounds. But I've been thinking about loading a mag or two with alternating rounds of M855 and Hornady Tap ammo. Seems like a good mix of punching through barriers/thick clothing if needed and good PD ammo when not needed. And m855 still does nasty things to fleshy targets

 

[highorder]

Currently Silver Bear 62gr. HP.

 

[kwelz]

Hornady TAP 75 Grain in the main mags and then 55 Grain in all the other mags.

 

[benEzra]

Federal 55gr JHP.

 

[essayons21]

A little bit of CLP and some dust

My HD guns are pistols and shotguns. If I ever have the need to reach out and touch someone, it certainly won't be in a HD situation, and I'll have time to open the case and load a magazine.

Magazines are loaded with M193 clone reloads for the range.

 

[Ben86]

Any views on hollowpoints vs softpoints for rifle bullets? Am I wrong to dislike the hollowpoints because I think they tend to fragment too much?

 

[benEzra]

It depends on the individual load, but for high-velocity rifle rounds (even small ones), JHP's and HP's expand pretty similarly in gelatin. FWIW the Federal 55gr HPBT is what mine is loaded with. Assuming similarly fragile bullets, bullet weight seems to make more of a difference in penetration depth than HP vs SP.

 

[chrome_austex]

5.56 Hornady TAP T2 75gr in my primary mags, with one mag of M855 just in case.

My practice ammo are now handloaded 69gr hp, and are tweaked to shoot very close to the same poi and velocity as the factory TAP, but I'm always careful to zero my sights with my shtf go-to ammo.

 

[Zerodefect]

Whatever that upper was last zero'd with is what's in my first 4 mags.

Usually SSA 60-70gn or Federal 55fmj

 

[RatDrall]

55 grain TAP - it hits the same point of aim as XM193...

 

[cottonmouth]

55 grain FMJ's.

J.B.

 

[AR27]

55gr FMJ XM193, works for uncle sam so it works for me. no need to overcomplicate things with fancy rounds. In a real situation if someone gets hit with one they dont just walk it off. Reports of grunts having only wounded enemy is usually shot placement and even then the enemy dont just go running away.

 

[DougW]

10 rounds 55gr frangible, 20 rounds XM193A. Q3131 in the other mag.

 

[CSA 357]

55 gr fmj they might be behind somthing?

 

[Ike R]

2 rounds of 67 grain TAP followed by 1 round of B&G 67 Tracer in a 30 round p-mag (my coyote/hog hunting loadout for night time)

67 grain B&G tracer in full 20 p-mag

67 grain TAP in 30 round mag

3 30 round mags of Remington UMC 55 grain Ball

3 30 round mags of Remington UMC 55 grain HP

Scope is zeroed with 67 grain TAP, mostly shoot 55's for fun or on varmits inside 200 yards.

 

[TexasRifleman]

75gr TAP here too. I sense a common theme here with the Hornady TAP

 

[tju1973]

I actually keep most mags with Monarch 55grain SP, but I do have 3-4 of Silver Bear 62 Grain HPs...just because..

 

[jon86]

XM193 here. It is what I practice with. I know that it functions perfectly in my gun and I know where it is going to hit. And it's cheap enough to figure those two pieces of information out.

 

[Mr.Davis]

55gr FMJ XM193, works for uncle sam so it works for me. no need to overcomplicate things with fancy rounds. In a real situation if someone gets hit with one they dont just walk it off. Reports of grunts having only wounded enemy is usually shot placement and even then the enemy dont just go running away.

Uncle Sam issues 62 grain M855 nowadays, I believe.

Of course, their reasons for switching probably aren't relevant for you - mainly they were concerned about penetration of intermediate barriers, such as car windshields (which are really tough for light bullets).

 

[Ben86]

Thanks for the chart benEzra. I still feel like hps fragment too much though. I just want the bullet to end up as a nice, expanded mushroom, retaining most of its weight. This may be somewhat of a red herring in itself though.

I actually keep most mags with Monarch 55grain SP, but I do have 3-4 of Silver Bear 62 Grain HPs...just because..

I used to pack the monarch sps because they are cheap and I can stock up. Then I actually shot them, and while they are accurate enough, they got hung up on my magazines (stock ar and magpul pmags). The tip of the bullet got stuck on the magazine wall. I think this may be due to their comparatively long OAL. They also give off a really strong ammonia smell.

I'd like to just keep it loaded with the fmj I practice with, but I feel I'd be shorting myself on the stopping power end. Not that I don't think fmj will get the job done, I just think sp will do it even better.

Mr. Davis, have you heard of the new "green round" that NATO is supposedly adopting? According to them it has a tungsten tip, no lead, and supposedly has much more improved wounding ability. It will be interesting.

 

[essayons21]

Mr. Davis, have you heard of the new "green round" that NATO is supposedly adopting? According to them it has a tungsten tip, no lead, and supposedly has much more improved wounding ability. It will be interesting.

M855A1 which is a steel "stacked cone" on top of a solid copper core. Basically a steel tipped solid copper bullet. The "green" thing seems to be an added bonus and a way to sell the round to politicians. It is really optimized for use in shorter barreled M4s and SAWs, and better penetration.

 

[Rshooter]

I keep ten rounds of Remington HP in my AR, but I would most likely grab my .357.