Which is better the better AR-15 round?  Independence runs about $10 more per thousand.  Any opinions?

Independence is mil-spec.  Wolf Gold is not; though my understanding is that it is loaded to mil-spec pressure.  In my opinion, both are GTG.  

I'd rather shoot the wolf gold.I seem to recall a few cases of independence having reported issues lately


Either way you can buy federal or pmc xtac for 6$ a box right now.

From what I have read, Independence is loaded slightly faster, but Wolf Gold is more accurate and better quality overall.

I bought a case of Independence earlier this year and when I went to run it in my newly aquired KAC 14.5" Carbine, I was getting popped primers just about every other round along with double feeds. At first I thought it might be the rifle but, I ran 6 other types of ammo ranging from Fed XM193, Fed 55gr HP's, AE 223, Hornady TAP, BH 69gr Match, and Mk262 without a single issue so, I chalked it up to it being the Indy ammo. The thing is though, it ran just fine in my other rifles so, not sure what to make of it.

Overall, I've probably shot close to 6k worth of the stuff and other than the issue above, it's ran perfectly fine for me. Never shot any of the Wolf Gold so, can't really comment on it.


ETA: After I ran a few hundred rounds through my KAC, the Indy 5.56 ammo is functioning just fine now. I first thought that the KAC might have an out of spec chamber but, none of the other ammo I shot show any signs of over pressure like the Indy stuff did.

wolf gold is better

Personally, I'd pass on both.  With ZQI, Federal and PMC available for ~$0.35/rd after tax or shipping, I see no reason to screw around with brands that proved to have issues for me.

I've only shot maybe 100 rounds of independence, but I've shot several thousand Wolf gold 55 gr both suppressed and unsuppressed with zero issues on 16" piston driven, DI, and 10.5" DI uppers.

Topic Moved

Wolf Gold

I haven't shot any independence, but I think it would be hard to beat the wolf gold accuracy for a bulk.

I've shot about 2500 rds of wolf gold and made it my go to ammo because it gave me the best accuracy and it's cheap, everyone that's chronoed wolf gold has been getting close to m193 numbers.  And at .29 a rd it's hard to beat.

I've shot Independence and had no problems with it. My understanding is it's very very hot which is what I want.

why?

Bullet performance at M193(5.56 pressure) velocity > than bullet performance at 223 ammo's velocity.   = Better fragmentation.

I would take ammo made by IMI over ammo marketed by WOLF. Not knocking WOLF but IMI has a long standing record of producing quality ammo.

If you are choosing a defensive round, I guess I would go with the Independence, since it is an M193 clone, which has a spec that is known and has been tested. Although the Wolf Gold is much better over all for plinking and target shooting, we do not yet know what the exact specs are. I was getting 1.25MOA with the Gold yesterday. Independence is maybe 2-3MOA at best.

There are tons and tons of better choices for defense but since we do not yet have jell tests with WG, the Independence or other MX193 clones would possibly be better.

I think the Isreali ammo sold by Independence is different from the IMI Ammo sold by Wideners.

You are comparing a manufacturer with an importer.  That doesn't make a lot of sense.  

Wolf imports ammunition made by manufacturers with long standing records of producing quality ammo, as well.  And they also sometimes deal with startups, new factories, or new to market stuff.

In fact, the Wolf Gold from Taiwan is likely the state run manufacturer that the US has purchased ammunition from for a long time.

But in general, I agree, going with IMI is going with a known quality.

Current 55gr Wolf Gold is made in Taiwan..... and IMHO is very GTG. Wolf is a importing company... not a manufacturing company.

Current 55gr Independence is made for Federal ,( to Fedealr specs, not IMI M193 specs ) by IMI... and IMHO, while very fast its accuracy sucked in my rifles. It is decent ammo, just certainly not my first choice. Speed is not everything... especially in this instance. The added velocity will not help anything ... except your fragmenting range... which given the dismal accuracy of the Indepedence, won't matter, because you won't hit your target ! Lol


Just an FYI... Wideners has true IMI milspec M193 currently on sale for $349 / 1200 rd case..... by my math, that is .29 cents per round ( plus shipping )

I would choose IMI Brand M193 over both of the above.

Frankly if I was in the market for M193, and given these 3 choices... my rankings would be  

1. Wideners IMI... best of the M193 ammo.

2. Wolf Gold... accuracy and good speed.

3. Indepedence .... fast, but horrible accuracy.

Buy the IMI brand and know that you have the best of all three...accuracy, speed and a properly designed bullet.