I have historically used 62gr barnes tipped TSX for my premium handloads and 68 gr hornady BTHP for my plinking / bulk handloads.  Every year or two I will load 500 ish premium handloads to have for my "go to" ammo that sits in mags in various locations (vests/rifles/storage).  

Every few range trips I will shoot a mag or two of the premium stuff to confirm zero and smooth operation in all my rifles.  Eventually it gets depleted and I load another batch.  I am now to that point and was getting ready to load up several hundred more 62gr Barnes TTSX when I started reading about this M855A1 projectile.  I have been able to find new production projectiles for a little over a dollar a bullet.  

My questions for the hive is which would you load for you premium stash.  Is the M855A1 that good as to offset the extra cost?

For fun I am including a few of the recovered projectiles from hunting over the years.  I usually do not recover (full passthrough on typical chest shots)but both of these went lengthwise through different bears and were retained after passing through 4 or 5 feet of animal.  Entrance into the base of the neck near the shoulder and then a full length passage through bone and tissue to be recovered inside the hide near the tail.  The red tip is a hornady 250 gr GMX 458 socom and the blue tip is a 150gr barnes tipped TSX in 7mm mag.  Both had 100% weight retention and excellent opening.  Both bears were hit at about 70 yards.  

I just read some of the other threads about m855A1 and my thread is almost a dupe.  I would still appreciate any feedback.

I've tried to stay away from the fragmenting loads for a general purpose defense load. Although I haven't seen any info on the fragmentation threshold of A1 I'd hope I to be lower than M855. I think the real advantages of the A1 are the LV3 penetration. That said I couldn't help but pick up some of the A1's myself but I don't think I'll use them as a go to I think it was more of I wanted them because they won't let us have them.

I like the Fusion MSR's, low expansion threshold chopping block has videos showing them offer some but not complete expansion down to 1700fps, good wound cavity, good barrier penetration.

I use the Fusion MSR's for general purpose and PDX1's for HD.

I would stick with Barnes IMO, if the M855A1 were a shade cheaper I'd FO on some. This year I popped a couple yotes with MK318 pulls I bought and was very impressed with how they performed on the coyotes. They offered both fragmentation and deep penetration. Wish there were more out there to buy, paid a little over 0.20 cents a piece for them.

Barnes 100% each and every time.

The 62gr TTSX is my go to load.
2840fps from a 16" barrel.

Copy that.  Thanks for the replies.

I may be loading a little hot.  My last large batch was LC brass with 26.8 gr TAC and I was getting 2930 fps out of a 14.5" barrel and 2675 fps out of a 10.5"

I was thinking about backing it down a little.

If it's not too hot for your rifle, TSXs love speed. No reason you shouldn't be able to match M855.

This was my thought as well, when I worked up my load.
Im happy where im at, and its close to 855 speeds but WAY better shooting.

26.7gr RL15 (5.56 pressure load)

The only .223/ 5.56 loads I even mess with anymore are the 62gr TTSX and the 55gr Hornady SP.

AKFF,

I would sure standardize on the Barnes.  Ive used the 62 grain TSX in both 16 and 20 inch for several years with both RL15 and TAC and it is certainly one of the best all around 556 bullets available.  the TSX stabilizes in my 16 inch 1-9 and the TTSX in my 20 inch 1-8 Wylde.  the TSX is more accurate in by three rifles but I did not spend alot of time working up loads.  Recovering the bullets in 5 gallon nylon water buckets the TSX kept point forward and only showed modest signs of tipping.  The TTSX definately "tumbled" (turned over 180 degrees) and fractured the X petals despite being fired in a 1-8 vs 1-9.  Based on that I would stick w the TSX in this caliber.  Unless you have a 1-7 maybe?

Barnes does have load data for NATO pressure and brass from several barrel lengths.  

http://www.barnesbullets.com/files/2016/03/5.56-NATO-16.5in-Barrel.pdf

I was able to use this as a starting place and work up to indicated velocity, apparently safely using Remington 7 1/2 primers.

I do have all 1 in 7 twist barrels.  I have historically loaded the 62 TTSX with LC brass, CCI 41 and TAC.  

Thanks for all the replies.  Off to order more Barnes.

for all you TSX fans, have any of you ever tried the 55gr GMX bullet? just wondering how it stacks up compared to other solids.

i guess its an alloy and not pure cooper right? does that help or hinder it?

thanks.

The Barnes 62GR. Tipped TSX bullet over 26.7GR TAC in new #41 primed LC brass at 2.253" COAL clocked 2678 FPS from a 10.5" Noveske N4 with M4 can at 67 degrees F yesterday. Barnes MAX published 5.56MM NATO pressure charge is just a bit higher. The 62GR. Tipped TSX bullet will expand down to 1900 FPS making this a very effective 5.56MM NATO pressure load even from a short 10" class barrel. None of the petals came off during several water-shot expansion tests but I was not shooting thru a plastic bucket.

The Lehigh Defense 62GR. CC Cu bullet at 2.250" COAL clocked 2716 FPS over the same charge/same temp. from the same barrel. Lehigh states that the 62GR. CC Cu bullet is designed to expand/fragment down to 1400 FPS which is approx. 500yds. downrange at 2716 FPS MV. And this load was very accurate off the bench from this 10" barrel. Still trying to get game-shot results with the 0.224" CC Cu bullet but the .308" CC Cu bullet worked very well. .02