AR15.COM :: Ammo Oracle

History and Basic Design of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.

Performance of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.

Q. I have my rifle zeroed with M855 ammo. Will any 62gr ammo shoot the same?
Q. Do M193 and M855 shoot to the same point of impact?
Q. Ok, what is all this stuff about rifle twists and different ammo?
Q. OK, that's complex. Simple question: Can I fire M193 ammo in my 1:7 or 1:9 twist barrel?
Q. Can I fire M855/SS-109 in my 1:12 twist barrel?
Q. Will M193 be accurate in a 1:7 or 1:9 twist barrel?
Q. What twist rate do I want for my rifle?
Q. What about XM193 from Federal and Q3131a from Winchester? I have heard that some of these don't meet military specifications, particularly with respect to sealant on the necks and primers?
Q. Holy earache Batman! This Q3131A/Lake City XM193 is really loud and it launches a FIREBALL from my muzzle! Everyone at the range is looking at me now. What gives?
Q. Military ammo has flash retardant, right?
Q. What sort of velocity and ballistics should I expect from military ammo?
Q. Will Military Ammo wear my favorite National Match/Elite Sniper/$5500 accurized AR rifle out faster?
Q. What is Moly? What's it good for?
Q. Moly sounds hella-cool. I'm going to use it will all my rounds from now on!

Terminal Performance of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.

.223 and 5.56 Ammunition Testing

Selection of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.

Ammunition recommendations from the authors of the AR15.com Ammo-Oracle.

Purchase and Storage of .223 and 5.56 Ammunition.

Legal questions.

Miscellaneous .223, 5.56 and Other Ammunition Questions.

Q. What brands of M855 are available?

Again, Lake City and Winchester are the primary suppliers of M855. Winchester does not sell M855 commercially, though they do make it available to police departments.

IMI M855 is available from several sources and other foreign surplus ammo is available from time to time. Recent brands have been Santa Barbara from Spain, Sellier & Bellot from the Czech Republic and Radway Green SS-109 from England. It should be noted, though that the Radway Green ammo is underloaded specifically to function in their horrible L-85A (SA80) bullpup rifle and may not cycle in other rifles.

The British L-85A (SA80).