Best 5.56 duty ammo - Page 1

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Posted: 9/15/2014 1:38:17 AM EDT

What's the best available 5.56 duty ammo available with a flat trajectory, good terminal performance, decent penetration (intermediate barrier penetration like windshields and automobile sheet metal)?

How about hard armor penetration?

How about frangible?

We work in an urban environment. 50% indoors and 50% outdoors. Our indoor range is pistol range long, so I'm sure they plan on using 1:2 or 1:4 silhouette targets...

Posted: 9/15/2014 1:55:46 AM EDT

[#1]

Price range/round?

Posted: 9/15/2014 2:27:47 AM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
Price range/round?

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Doesn't matter.

Posted: 9/15/2014 2:37:08 AM EDT

[#3]

Mk318.

Posted: 9/15/2014 2:55:25 AM EDT

[#4]

Black Hills 5.56 loaded with Barnes TSXs.

Posted: 9/15/2014 4:00:01 AM EDT

[#5]

Trophy Bonded would be my choice, it is a top performer. There are a number of similar loads. Doctor Gary Roberts is the guy who has done the best publicly available research although the FBI will make information available by official request.

Armor penetration? M995 or similar (SSA might have some) though logistics and tactical considerations probably limit the usefulness of obtaining it.

Frange? I don't have much experience here but the cool guys buy RRLP--the stuff I saw was loaded by Black Hills.

Posted: 9/17/2014 8:40:15 AM EDT

[#6]

TBBC or the 50 gr TSX 5.56 load from Black Hills.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Posted: 9/17/2014 12:20:38 PM EDT

[#7]

My dept(I'm a medic) uses FGMM 69 gr.

Don't buy TAP.

https://publicintelligence.net/fbi-ballistics-brief-officer-involved-shooting-photos/

(NSFW/Morgue/GSW photos)

http://info.publicintelligence.net/FBIAAROfficerShooting.pdf

Posted: 10/2/2014 1:57:51 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
My dept(I'm a medic) uses FGMM 69 gr.

Don't buy TAP.

https://publicintelligence.net/fbi-ballistics-brief-officer-involved-shooting-photos/

(NSFW/Morgue/GSW photos)

http://info.publicintelligence.net/FBIAAROfficerShooting.pdf

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good read thanks!

Posted: 10/3/2014 9:53:41 PM EDT

[#9]

Barnes M/LE

Posted: 10/4/2014 4:13:07 AM EDT

[#10]

We went from Winchester ballistic silvertip 55gn to Gold Dot 64gn. Gold dot seems to be more accurate but silvertip served us well for years.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:44:48 PM EDT

[#11]

Federal LE 223

or

Gold Dot

I have the advantage of having two friends who are firearms specialists in two state run crime labs. They both recommend these two rounds through seeing various cases and terminal performance.

Posted: 10/7/2014 4:08:41 AM EDT

[#12]

Makes me think about the TAP we have for our AR's...seems like I should get my own 5.56

Posted: 10/7/2014 8:35:11 AM EDT

[#13]

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Quoted:

Doesn't matter.

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Quoted:

Quoted:
Price range/round?

Doesn't matter.

I've never heard of any agency where price was not a consideration

Posted: 10/9/2014 2:29:48 AM EDT

[#14]

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Quoted:

I've never heard of any agency where price was not a consideration

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Quoted:

Quoted:
Price range/round?

Doesn't matter.

I've never heard of any agency where price was not a consideration

Trust me, they exist.

Posted: 10/9/2014 7:15:52 AM EDT

[#15]

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Trust me, they exist.

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Not around here

Posted: 10/10/2014 6:58:53 PM EDT

[#16]

Not sure if its the best but we carry Federal 55gr tactical bonded soft points. They work, ill leave it at that, but can be hard to come by.

J-

Posted: 10/10/2014 7:17:18 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Not sure if its the best but we carry Federal 55gr tactical bonded soft points. They work, ill leave it at that, but can be hard to come by.

J-

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It's a strong choice particularly from SBRs. For LE use long barrels have downsides, they often blow up the bullets on barriers.

Posted: 10/14/2014 6:53:21 AM EDT

[#18]

anyone use the Federal FBIT TBBC?

How about Fusion or the Winchester 64gr JSP?

Posted: 10/14/2014 6:58:35 AM EDT

[#19]

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Quoted:
anyone use the Federal FBIT TBBC?

How about Fusion or the Winchester 64gr JSP?

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TBBC is good to go. I've seen it shot into cars, it penetrates better from an 11.5 than a 20".

Posted: 10/22/2014 7:34:55 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
Black Hills 5.56 loaded with Barnes TSXs.

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That's my carry load too....

Posted: 12/7/2014 1:00:15 PM EDT

[#21]

Silvef State Armory

This 5.56 load uses the Nosler 64gr BSB, will expand down to 1,600fps or 300 yards out of a 16" barrel

SSA 64gr BSB

Posted: 12/7/2014 6:21:55 PM EDT

[#22]

I have the 75 grain Tap loaded in both home AR's. When looking for ammo years ago this was the recommended round.

Posted: 12/29/2014 2:11:47 PM EDT

[#23]

I have 75gr TAP in my 10.5" SBR

Posted: 12/29/2014 2:29:44 PM EDT

[#24]

I'm carrying TAP. I figure they are better than the varmint rounds I was issued.

Posted: 1/1/2015 1:34:58 AM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
I have the 75 grain Tap loaded in both home AR's. When looking for ammo years ago this was the recommended round.

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Quote History

Quoted:
I have the 75 grain Tap loaded in both home AR's. When looking for ammo years ago this was the recommended round.

Quoted:
I have 75gr TAP in my 10.5" SBR

Quoted:
I'm carrying TAP. I figure they are better than the varmint rounds I was issued.

Check the links below. Seriously. TAP failed hard. The FBI doesn't recommend it.

Further, if you request on agency letterhead the FBI will give you their recommended rounds

Quoted:
My dept(I'm a medic) uses FGMM 69 gr.

Don't buy TAP.

https://publicintelligence.net/fbi-ballistics-brief-officer-involved-shooting-photos/

(NSFW/Morgue/GSW photos)

http://info.publicintelligence.net/FBIAAROfficerShooting.pdf

Posted: 1/1/2015 1:53:13 AM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:

Check the links below. Seriously. TAP failed hard. The FBI doesn't recommend it.

Further, if you request on agency letterhead the FBI will give you their recommended rounds

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I have the 75 grain Tap loaded in both home AR's. When looking for ammo years ago this was the recommended round.

Quoted:
I have 75gr TAP in my 10.5" SBR

Quoted:
I'm carrying TAP. I figure they are better than the varmint rounds I was issued.

Check the links below. Seriously. TAP failed hard. The FBI doesn't recommend it.

Further, if you request on agency letterhead the FBI will give you their recommended rounds

Quoted:
My dept(I'm a medic) uses FGMM 69 gr.

Don't buy TAP.

https://publicintelligence.net/fbi-ballistics-brief-officer-involved-shooting-photos/

(NSFW/Morgue/GSW photos)

http://info.publicintelligence.net/FBIAAROfficerShooting.pdf

The information in those links, while interesting, doesn't seem to make any case whatsoever about anything, other than shot placement. It does say the Tap rounds passed through the body, but also states they caused massive damage. The coroner's report that the .40 only penetrated one inch was simply refuted by saying "that is impossible" (I wonder if they even had a second autopsy done, but ai digress, because this is not about 40S&W).

I'm just not seeing how this is proof that Tap ammo is inferior. If the shootout was in close range, which we can assume it was, since they were using pistols, then I would expect any 223 ammo to pass through a skinny guy, unless it were frangible.

Posted: 1/1/2015 11:20:50 AM EDT

[#27]

Best round out there right now for LE is the Winchester 5.56 64gr tactical bonded.

Posted: 1/1/2015 11:28:21 AM EDT

[#28]

Why is this info used to make the blanket statement "don't buy TAP," when the information presented only dissuades 55g and 75g .223 TAP?

Does 5.56 TAP in those weights, along with 62g, perform just as poor?

Just curious as to why all TAP is condemned. No skin in the game one way or another.

ETA: Also find it curious that the FBI did say that the ammo *did* perform consistent with the manufacturer's claims, just not consistent with the department's "expectations".

Posted: 1/3/2015 10:08:02 PM EDT

[#29]

Bullets do funny things when they hit people. No two seem to act the same. I wouldn't make any rash judgments based on one report or one incident. There may be more than the one presented here, I haven't looked.
No interest either way, not a TAP user or hater.

I think we use the Federal LE223T3- 62gr round.

Posted: 1/4/2015 3:51:21 AM EDT

[#30]

When I purchased my two colts I came on this site and in the ammo section Best Defensive Ammo list, the 75 grain Tap was listed as a great ammo for the AR 15. When questions of ammo comes up everyone says go to the list in the ammo section. Now I bought large amounts of Tap back when it was half the price it currently sells for and some new ammo may have come out that could be better today. So when people now say how poor this ammo is how did it ever make the list of suggested ammo? So it was good and now its bad.

Posted: 1/5/2015 11:13:15 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
Federal LE 223

or

Gold Dot

I have the advantage of having two friends who are firearms specialists in two state run crime labs. They both recommend these two rounds through seeing various cases and terminal performance.

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how would the GD do against barriers?