I recently purchased a case of .223 55gr PMC Bronze.  I shot roughly 200 rounds on my last trip to the range.  The ammo seemed consistent and I did not have any issues shooting it out of my DPMS Oracle 16 inch with a carbine length gas system.  

My other rifle, a 16 inch with a BCM BFH barrel with a midlength gas system and M16 NiB BCG, was different.  There were no feed issues, but the bolt would not hold back on the last round. I tested this multiple times with both rifles and it only affected the midlength.  I'll assume this ammo was low pressure and it didn't like cycling the heavy BCG through the midlength system.   Also, there were no issues with the midlength when using Federal 55gr .223 maroon 100 round box Walmart ammo or XM855.

I'll consider this "minor" issues, but I will probably shy away from purchasing the .223 again.  That's a shame.  I really wanted it to work.

Maybe the 5.56 XTAC would do better.

I have fired 500 rounds of 5.56mm PMC X-TAC 55gr from a 16" 1/9" twist, mid-length gas system ArmaLite rifle. Never had any  issues with this ammo.

I have 13 AR rifles and have fired thousands of rounds of PMC Bronze.  I've never had one issue with it.

PMC is my favorite 223. Cheap, relatively clean, and respectable accuracy.

I have had no problems with PMC Bronze. Cheep, goes bang, no primer crimps to deal with. About 2.5 MOA

I've had great results with their X-Tac 62 grain ammo.

Thread resurrect much?

I used to shoot a lot of PMC .223, but last carbine class it caused my 16" RRA and my 10" Mk18 to stop cycling and become single shot rifles.

I've used it once or twice with good results, but my experience with it is somewhat limited.

I've used it a few times at the range and had no problems with it. Found it to be accurate and relatively clean. I mainly bought it to see if my gun would cycle with it reliably and not short stroke and lock the bolt open on an empty mag since it is known to be on the weak side. Decent range ammo. Not sure if it has the oomph to fragment reliably in a SD situation.

Were you able to isolate why this was happening?

Ive shot tons of the stuff in multiple calibers never an issue.

PMC 5.56mm 62 Grain X-TAC Ammunition







PMC’s 62 grain X-TAC ammunition is loaded in brass cases that have the annealing iris still visible.  The 62 grain projectile  has a copper jacket construction with a lead core and a steel insert in the ogive.  The tip of the bullet is painted green.  The case mouth is taper crimped into the cannelure of the bullet and the case-mouth is sealed with asphalt sealant.  















The boxer primers are sealed and crimped and the load is charged with “ball” powder.









(The individual squares in the red grid below are 1/10th of an inch.)






After reading the above description of this PMC ammunition, some of you might be thinking, “I wonder how this ammunition compares to M855?”  So, let’s compare!


The US mil-spec for M855 (MIL-C-63989C [Amendment 4]) states that the average velocity of the cartridges “shall be 3,020 feet per second (fps) plus or minus 40 fps at 78 feet from the muzzle of the weapon. The standard deviation of the velocity shall not exceed 40 fps.”  This specification is for a 20” barrel and depending upon variables equates to a muzzle velocity of approximately 3105 FPS (plus or minus 40 FPS.)

As an aside, after reading the above specification, some of you may be wondering, “Why 78 feet from the muzzle?”  The answer to that question is that this specification is simply an historical hold-over from the days when “circuit” chronographs (e.g. Le Boulenge Chronograph and the Aberdeen Chronograph) were used at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Frankford Arsenal and Springfield Armory.  These types of chronographs required a significant distance between their first and second screens to produce accurate results.

As an example, when using the Boulenge Chronograph, the first screen of the chronograph was placed 3 feet in front of the muzzle and the second screen was placed 150 feet beyond the first screen.  For those of you who might not be aware of the following fact; chronographs determine the velocity of the bullet at a point that is midway between the first and the second screen (i.e. not at the location of the first screen).  Therefore, with the above spacing, the velocity of the bullet is determined for a point that is 75 feet from the first screen.  So, add the three feet (from the muzzle to the first screen) to the 75 feet (the midway point of the screens) to obtain the “78 feet from the muzzle” distance.














I chronographed the PMC 62 grain X-TAC ammunition from a semi-automatic AR-15 with a chrome-lined, NATO chambered 20” Colt M16A2 barrel.









Chronographing was conducted using an Oehler 35-P chronograph with “proof screen” technology. The Oehler 35P chronograph is actually two chronographs in one package that takes two separate chronograph readings for each shot and then has its onboard computer analyze the data to determine if there is any statistically significant difference between the two readings.  If there is a difference, the chronograph “flags” the shot to let you know that the data is invalid.  There was no invalid data flagged during this testing.

The velocity stated below is the muzzle velocity as calculated from the instrumental velocity using Oehler’s Ballistic Explorer software program. The string of fire consisted of 10 rounds over the chronograph.














Each round was single-loaded and cycled into the chamber from a magazine fitted with a single-load follower. The bolt locked-back after each shot allowing the chamber to cool in between each shot. This technique was used to mitigate the possible influence of “chamber-soak” on velocity data. Each new shot was fired in a consistent manner after hitting the bolt release.  Atmospheric conditions were monitored and recorded using a Kestrel 4000 Pocket Weather Tracker.









Atmospheric conditions

Temperature:  78 degrees F
Humidity:  54%
Barometric pressure:  29.99 inches of Hg
Elevation:  950 feet above sea level


The muzzle velocity for the 10-shot string of the PMC 62 grain X-TAC ammunition fired from the 20” Colt barrel was 3073 FPS with a standard deviation of 14 FPS and a coefficient of variation of 0.46%.  For comparison, IMI M855 chronographed from the same 20” Colt barrel had a muzzle velocity of 3110 FPS with a standard deviation of 21 FPS and a coefficient of variation of 0.68%.

For those of you who might not be familiar with the coefficient of variation (CV), it is the standard deviation, divided by the mean (average) muzzle velocity and then multiplied by 100 and expressed as a percentage. It allows for the comparison of the uniformity of velocity between loads in different velocity spectrums; e.g. 77 grain loads running around 2,650 fps compared to 55 grain loads running around 3,250 fps.  

For comparison, the US mil-spec for M855 allows for a coefficient of variation of up to approximately 1.3%, while one of my best 77 grain OTM hand-loads, with a muzzle velocity of 2639 PFS and a standard deviation of 4 FPS, has a coefficient of variation of 0.15%.









….





The accuracy specification from the US mil-spec for M855 (MIL-C-63989C) states that the average vertical standard deviation and the average horizontal standard deviation shall be “no greater than 1.8 inches at 200 yards using an indoor range.”* The accuracy testing is conducted using machine rested, bolt-action, heavy test barrels.  All other things being equal (which of course they seldom are) this accuracy specification equates to an average vertical standard deviation and an average horizontal standard deviation of 0.9 inches at 100 yards (the distance at which I evaluated the accuracy of the PMC 62 grain X-TAC ammunition.)


I conducted an accuracy (technically, precision) evaluation of the PMC 62 grain X-TAC ammunition following my usual protocol.  This accuracy evaluation used statistically significant shot-group sizes and every single shot in a fired group was included in the measurements. There was absolutely no use of any Group Reduction Techniques (e.g. fliers, target movement, Butterfly Shots).

The shooting set-up will be described in detail below. As many of the significant variables as was practicable were controlled for. Also, a control group was fired from the test-rifle used in the evaluation using match-grade, hand-loaded ammunition; in order to demonstrate the capability of the barrel. Pictures of shot-groups are posted for documentation.

All shooting was conducted from a concrete bench-rest from a distance of 100 yards (confirmed with a laser rangefinder.) The barrel used in the evaluation was free-floated. The free-float handguards of the rifle rested in a Sinclair Windage Benchrest, while the stock of the rifle rested in a Protektor bunny-ear rear bag. Sighting was accomplished via a Leupold VARI-X III set at 25X magnification and adjusted to be parallax-free at 100 yards. A mirage shade was attached to the objective-bell of the scope. Wind conditions on the shooting range were continuously monitored using a Wind Probe. The set-up was very similar to that pictured below.









The Wind Probe.






The test vehicle for this evaluation was one of my semi-automatic precision AR-15s with a 20” stainless-steel Lothar Walther barrel.  The barrel has a 223 Wylde chamber with a 1:8” twist.  Prior to firing the 62 grain X-TAC ammunition, I fired a 10-shot control group using hand-loads topped with a 62 grain OTM bullet.  That group had an extreme spread of 0.83”.














Next, three 10-shot groups of the 62 grain X-TAC load were fired in a row with the resulting extreme spreads:

2.76”
2.24”
3.07”

for a 10-shot group average extreme spread of 2.69”.  The average horizontal standard deviation was 0.66” and the average vertical standard deviation was 0.76”.  The three 10-shot groups were over-layed on each other using RSI Shooting Lab to form a 30-shot composite group.  The mean radius for the 30-shot composite group was 0.88”.


The smallest 10-shot group . . .







The 30-shot composite group . . .






….

* There is also a 600 yard accuracy specification for M855, that is greater than the mathematical equivalent of the 200 yard specification.


....

I have fired almost 1000 rounds of .223 Bronze out of several AR's.   It has been the most accurate factory ball I have shot.  Clean, low recoil, sometimes wont lock the bolt open on the last round in my carbine.  Otherwise, never had had any other type of malfunction.  $6.29 a box at Palmetto right now (missed the $5.99 deal).  My favorite factory ball round.

PMC X-TAC Green Tip 62gr = zero problems out of +/- 500 rounds through various AR-15's (all gone to new homes now).

My son and I went through 2000+ rounds PMC Bronze .223 during Rifleman I at Valor Ridge. 5 to 300 yards, mud and rain. No malfunctions.

I was using my Colt LE6920, 16" 1:7. My son was using S&W M&P-15 Sport, 16" 1:9. Mix of Gen2/3 PMAG's.

about 1 case of PMC bronze shot through 1:9 twist SW M&P 15 Sport 2.  No issues whatsoever.

^

My 1:7 and 1:9 really like the x-tac in 55g.  

No malfunctions.  Accurate enough for drills and training.  Not shot a length for groups.

Had to add my 2 cents to bump this up to the top.

I love this cheap ammo. No crimps, easy to reload.