XM193 and Q3131A, which is better?

[ShootAndHunt]

want to buy 1000 rds. of 5.56 mm NATO ammos for shooting my AR. I could choose between XM193 and Q3131A. This is not a small purchase and I want to make the right choice. I only shoot Q3131A and American Eagle through my Bushmaster, and both seem very accurate. I want to test some XM193 but didn't get a chance (hard to find).

I heard that the XM193 by Lake City in the name of Federal is very good and slighter hotter (higher velocity) than Q3131A, is that true? Which one is better, XM193 or Q3131A?

 

[jem375]

in my ar15, the XM193 shoots a little better than the Q3131A.....I just bought 2000 rounds of the Federal XM193.....

 

[Mulliga]

Sometimes the Federal stuff has dinged up cartridges - watch out when you load your mags.

 

[RooK]

They're basicly identical as far as milspec NATO ammo goes. One is by IMI under the Winchester name, the other is Lake City under Federal. This is an invaluable resource: http://www.ammo-oracle.com/

I would also advise checking out the ammo board on ar15.com. They have a sticky thread at the top with a list of the current cheapest prices/places to buy XM193, Q3131A, and M855.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

XM193 is superior in my view. Winchester has given my gun problems, but the XM193 stuff has not. The discoloration and dinged cases are inconsequential. You get a little more power/velocity out of the XM193.

 

[DMK]

Both are good ammo. I say buy whichever you get the best deal on. Accuracy will probably vary from rifle to rifle more than it would between the two ammo brands. If you want superiour accuracy, try Black Hills (Blue Box is somewhat affordable) or Federal Match.

I prefer XM193 just because it's a little hotter. OTOH, it has a much bigger flash so that's a consideration if you don't have a flash suppressor. On my 16", I can even see the muzzle flash looking through my scope at 4x in broad daylight!

Sometimes the Federal stuff has dinged up cartridges - watch out when you load your mags.

So does IMI Q3131A. I just found one the other day while loading mags.

 

[SteelyDan]

They're both good choices. The Q3131A is prettier. Who cares? The XM193 is a little hotter. The 5.56 round depends on velocity to fragment and do its thing. So, overall I prefer the XM193. But, again, the differences are marginal and I like both.

 

[ocabj]

Do both XM193 and Q3131A have primer crimps?

 

[zeke]

From 16 in Bushmaster, the xm193 version tried gave almost 100 fps faster velocity than the Q3131a tried. 3150 fps vs 3050 fps. With the reported effective velocity range of this type of bullet, this would appear to matter. The xm193 also appeared to have a slight accuracy advantage in the particular rifle tried in.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Q3131A is selling for $144 per case without sales tax at Bass Pro right now if that helps. It is a special sales item so buy quick - the DFW store was sold out within 24 hours.

 

[ShootAndHunt]

From 16 in Bushmaster, the xm193 version tried gave almost 100 fps faster velocity than the Q3131a tried. 3150 fps vs 3050 fps

100 fps? even from a 16" barrel, that is not a small number. It seems the rumor that XM193 is hotter than Q3131A is true Wondering how much difference when shoot from a 20" barrel.

The Q3131A is prettier

What does this mean? I handled the Q3131A but have not got my hand on XM193

It seems to me that I will try harder to find a box (20 rds.) of XM193 to see whether it shoots better than Q3131A in my Bushmaster, then I got to buy the one shoots better, and if accuracy is equal, the one shoots hotter

Thanks for you guys' information!

 

[odysseus]

In the world of 5.56...

...the are pretty similar rounds. As someone mentioned here, you may see a bit more dings and ugly rounds with xm193 - but it's all good.

 

[NEtracker]

The XM193 is very common in local shops here. That's what I shoot; M4gery.
I just haven't found any Q3131a to try, nothing at Wally World (no .223 at all). Nothing at Dick's Sporting.

 

[TN-popo]

Wow, I'm outnumbered here! Actually like DMK says, they're both good.
I've shot both from a post ban 16" DPMS and Q3131A was more accurate for me and while they were both bright, the muzzleflash from the XM193 was ridiculous.
From a post ban rifle I prefer georgia-arms 55gr Canned Heat. Cheap, more accurate (for me), and low flash. But...it's not mil-spec (if that's what you need).
Best