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Posted: 7/19/2026 9:22:00 PM EDT
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I am building an AR-15 with Proof Research 18" PXT barrel in 6mm ARC, and I am planning to test various types of factory ammo with it. So far I got these 3 types: Hornady ELD Match, 108 gr Hornady Black BTHP, 105 gr Federal Gold Medal Berger BT Target, 108 gr The purpose is precision target/match shooting, 100-1000 yards. Any other factory ammo to try? 
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Good luck with the FGMM 108’s…. The results were mediocre for me in 3 barrels and not worth the price imo. I tested an earlier lot, so maybe they’ve tweaked it a bit. Historically I’ve had great luck with FGMM ammo, but that wasn’t the case for their ARC line. Barnes precision match is worth a look. |
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It’s certainly worth a look. SD/ES numbers were very good. Hope to test out to 500+yds later this week. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By SuperJlarge: It’s certainly worth a look. SD/ES numbers were very good. Hope to test out to 500+yds later this week. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/324995/IMG_8639_jpeg-3798713.JPG Good group. Which distance? Is that from an ar-15 rifle? |
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100yds, shot very quickly. Had to beat a rainstorm and it was the last stuff to test for the day. One of my 26” bolt guns. Looking to get some match ammo for it so I don’t have to load for the GF when shen hits a match with me. This is a strong contender, as the Hornady stuff hasn’t shot quite this well for 10rds in my bolt guns. It’s done better in my 22” Craddock barrel. Planning on testing in my 22” Craddock and 12.5” Rainier gassers; just didn’t have them with me. |
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| I've got a full Seekins 6 Arc DMR, and I've tried 108 ELDMs, 105 HPBT Black, and I just got some of the Frontier 105 FMJs. I've had good luck with the 108 ELDMs. I've been using this setup for shooting gas gun in PRS, and have hit all the way to 1k with it. I will say that in the wind, the 108 does struggle out past 800 yards. I've started to shoot some DMR matches and the Frontiers will be what I use there. The Frontier is faster in my rifle by about 30 FPS and shoots just about as good. Accuracy is not as good as the 108s, but the DMR matches I shoot are bigger targets. SD for the Frontier stuff has been about 16, which is not bad for factory ammo. |
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You Should have it all covered pretty well now outside of boutique stuff There is also a 106 Hornady Tap round that is slightly faster than the 108 gr eldm by like 60 fps in my gun. It may well be the same as the ELDx load. It’s as accurate as the 108 eldms in my gun(which is excellent) I will say it’s worth testing the Hornady Frontier, it’s surprisingly accurate in my GFR. Not a fluke I’ve shot a bunch of it now. I was just given a box of the federal GMM and their 110 gr fmj I’ll hopefully try it this weekend |
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I had a chance to take my 6mm ARC out, and test it. This is a brand new upper with a brand new barrle, never shot before. Tested it from 100 yards with all of these: Hornady ELD Match, 108 gr Hornady Black BTHP, 105 gr Federal Gold Medal Berger BT Target, 108 gr Barnes Precision Match OTM, 105gr Here are how the groups look like. The groups sizes were more or less the same, between 1" and 1.5". I am a little disappointed, as I expected more like 0.5"-0.75" groups.  By comparison, here is how it looks like when I shoot .223:  What's the expected "settle-in" period for a new 6mm arc barrel? |
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To get deep into the sub moa realm with an AR takes some work. Ensure a good tight barrel to upper fit. Make sure the gas tube is free floating and doesn't bind up when the carriers shut. Ensure there's enough room between your gas block and rail, and any mlok accessories. It looks like your barrel likes the 108s. Try some 103s too. I've had some good results with the 103s |
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Based on the results so far, I've eliminated Federal Gold Medal Berger BT Target 108 gr from my contenders: the groups were too erratic. The other contenders still stand: Hornady ELD Match 108 gr Hornady Black BTHP 105 gr Barnes Precision Match OTM 105gr So far, out of these three, nothing particularly stands out, as they all shoot 0.5" to 1.0" groups. |
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Got another set of good-looking groups (all deep sub-MOA) with Hornady Black 105gr. I am reading that this load is optimized specifically for gas guns, so I am thinking this will become my standard match ammo. Muzzle velocity is around 2668 fps with my 18" barrel, standard deviation was about 16 fps. Overall, it feels very consistent.
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