Found some old pics.

Are they even still in business???

Yes they are.

Haven’t seen Black Hills ammo in stock in over a year.

Last I heard, Jeff Hoffman has about 78 or so employees at BHA. Hopefully, the company has grown even larger. Jeff has referred to his company as either "a big little company" or "a little big company". Either way, they make some very fine ammunition for DoD & us civi shooters. And we appreciate it! I think of the time before BHA started making accurate .223/5.56MM ammunition for shooters as "The Dark Ages" in regards to high quality factory AR ammo for LE/SD/HD/hunting. BHA earned their "Sole Source" DoD contract for MK 262 MOD 1 AA53 type 5.56MM LR ammunition production. I am sure that contract along with the other DoD/U.S. Gov't/LEA contracts is keeping them quite busy right now.

Same. Thanks to a certain Arfcommer.  

They're in business and IMHO make the best factory ammo available for AR15s. My honest assessment is that the only way to match or best BHA is with tuned handloads. Their stuff is damned good and makes bulk cased ammo look terrible...which, for the most part, it is.

What would MK262 be worth per round in this market?

Black Hills MK 262 MOD 1-C, $1.42/r

A relative bargain considering it was about a buck per round during salad days.

Black Hills MK 262 MOD 1-C $549.95 shipped from v1 last Oct delivery, still isn't here...

Same here

I remember we used to be able to get the Blue Box "Blem" and contract overrun stuff pretty cheap (nowhere near $1 a round).

I still have a little of the Mk-262 and 75gr OTM. I never found anything wrong with any of it.

Yup.  Always made me look like a better shooter than I really am.

Love me some Mk262.

Range Report:  Black Hills MK262 Mod 1







The 77 grain MK262 ammunition produced by Black Hills Ammunition has been referred to as the most accurate mass-produced 5.56mm ammunition that has ever been type-classified and issued by the US military.  Since its inception, genuine MK262 has been manufactured solely by Black Hills Ammunition.  For years, MK262 was only available to the civilian population as “seconds,” but more recently Black Hills has made first-run production lots available on the commercial market.  It is the first-run version of MK262 Mod 1 that I tested for this report.

MK262 Mod 1 is loaded in WCC 5.56mm brass and uses a cannelured version of the 77 grain Sierra MatchKing.  The round is charged with a proprietary ball powder.  The primer pockets are crimped and sealed.  Contrary to erroneous information that has been posted on the Internet, MK262 Mod 1 does not have case-mouth sealant.












The 77 grain MK262 Mod 1 projectile compared to the M193 projectile.






MK262 powder.  (The squares of the red grid measure 1/10 of an inch.)






Accuracy


The specification for the accuracy/precision portion of the lot-acceptance-testing of MK262 calls for multiple 10-shot groups to be fired; which is exactly what I like to do for a range report.  An accuracy (technically, precision) evaluation of the first-run MK262 Mod 1 ammunition was performed 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 top of the free-float hand-guard. 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 MK262 ammunition, I fired a 10-shot control group using match-grade hand-loads topped with the Sierra 77 grain MatchKing.  That group had an extreme spread of 0.69”.








Three 10-shot groups of the MK262 Mod 1 were fired in a row with the resulting extreme spreads (from smallest to largest):

0.96”
1.12”
1.21”

for a 10-shot group average extreme spread of 1.10”.  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 0.33”.  


The smallest 10-shot group.






The 30-shot composite group.






Velocity


I chronographed the Black Hills 5.56mm MK262 Mod 1 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, 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:  79 degrees F
Humidity:  37%
Barometric pressure:  30.12 inches of Hg
Elevation:  950 feet above sea level



The muzzle velocity for the 10-shot string of the Black Hills 5.56mm MK262 Mod 1  ammunition fired from the 20” Colt barrel was 2848 FPS with a standard deviation of 10 FPS and a coefficient of variation of 0.35%!

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 (and to give you an idea of how good the CV is for this factory loaded MK262 Mod 1 ammunition) the mil-spec for M193 allows for a coefficient of variation of approximately 1.2%, 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%.







….

Black Hills Blue Box ammunition was not "blem" ammunition; it was remanufactured ammunition.



Black Hills Blue Box Versus Red Box Ammunition






The difference between Black Hills’ red box and blue box ammunition lies primarily with the brass case.  Red box ammunition is newly manufactured using virgin brass.  Blue box ammunition is referred to as “remanufactured” because is uses once fired brass that has been resized.  This enables Black Hills to sell the blue box ammunition at a reduced price compared to their red box ammunition.

Black Hills’ 75 grain Match HP (hollow point) ammunition is loaded with Hornady’s 75 grain BTHP Match bullet with a cannelure (commonly referred to as the “T1C”) and both the red box and blue box loads have a crimp at the case mouth.  Both loads are charged with “ball powder.”  The nominal OAL for the red box cartridges ran approximately 2.245” and for the blue box cartridges it was closer to 2.250”.



The brass cases used in the red box ammo have sealed primers and the headstamp of most lots of this load read “BHA 223 MATCH.”  These virgin cases have a nominal length of 1.755”.  

The brass cases used in the blue box load tend to be a mix of once fired Lake City and Winchester brass.  The military primer crimps has been removed by the reaming method.  The blue box loads do not have sealed primers.  


Black Hills does not perform a “trim to length” operation on the resized cases used in the blue box ammunition.  As a result, many of the cases are longer than the SAAMI recommended maximum length of 1.760”.  Several of the cases that I measured had a length of 1.775”.  This could potentially cause problems in a barrel with a minimum length chamber, though no malfunctions of any kind were experienced during the testing of this ammunition.  (Using a Sinclair chamber length gauge, I determined the chambers of my Colt barrels have a length of 1.780”.)

Both loads were chronographed using four different length barrels.  All of the Colt barrels used in testing have a NATO chamber and a 1:7” twist.  The 24” Krieger barrel has a 5.56 Match chamber and has a twist rate of 1:7.7”.  On their web-site, Black Hills advertises a muzzle velocity of 2,750 fps for these loads, but they do not state the barrel length associated with this velocity, though the industry standard calls for a 24” 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 statistically significant difference in the readings, 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

Average temperature- 80 degrees F
Humidity - 48%
Barometric pressure – 29.04
Elevation- 960 feet above sea level








100 yard Accuracy Evaluation of Black Hills 75 grain MHP



As previously discussed in this thread, the primary difference between Black Hills' red box and blue box ammunition lies with the brass case.  Red box ammunition uses virgin brass, while blue box ammunition uses once fired brass that has been resized.  

The test-vehicle for this accuracy evaluation was a semi-automatic AR-15 with a 24” stainless-steel Kreiger VarMatch barrel, with a 1:7.7” twist, installed on a LaRue Tactical Stealth upper receiver.



I conducted an accuracy (technically, precision) evaluation of the Black Hills 75 grain Match HP 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.

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 Competition Series Scope which was adjusted to be parallax-free at 100 yards. A mirage shield 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.


Control Groups

Prior to testing the Black Hills ammunition, I obtained three 10-shot groups of a control load consisting of hand-loaded Sierra 55 grain BlitzKings (at a distance of 100 yards of course.)  Those three groups had extreme spreads of:

0.547”
0.57”
0.69”

for an average extreme spread of 0.602”.  The three 10-shot groups were overlayed on each using RSI Shooting Lab to obtain a 30-shot composite group that had a mean radius of 0.19”.



Red Box

Following the same procedures used with the control load, three 10-shot groups of the Black Hills red box 75 grain MHP fired from 100 yards were obtained.  Their extreme spreads measured:

0.96”
1.00”
1.04”

for an average extreme spread of 1.00”.  As with the control load, the three 10-shot groups from the red box ammunition were over-layed on each other to obtain a 30-shot composite group with a mean radius of 0.32”.



Blue Box

In the same manner as above, three 10-shot groups of the blue box 75 grain MHP were obtained from 100 yards with extreme spreads of:

1.11”
1.16”
1.16”

for an average extreme spread of 1.14”.  Those three 10-shot groups overlayed on each other had a mean radius of 0.37”.  Here are the 30-shot composite groups side-by-side for comparison.






Lastly, for any Internet Commandos in our viewing audience today, I fired a 3-shot group of the red box 75 grain MHP from 100 yards.  That group measured 0.276”.

Man Molon it is so nice to see you back on here
I have a touch of ADD I never truly liked just shooting groups but you should get paid for that work

I wish I could mail you my 16” railed monolithic LE6940 upper with a cheap ass Primary Arms Chevron 6x its shot 10 shot IMI 62 grain into 1.5”
That ammo is not supposed to do that-I could only imagine what that thing would do with a 20x scope and you shooting it
I have some IMI 77 Grain 5.56 I should shoot it but with the cost of that ammo it may have to wait

Does DOD still buy Mk 262 or did it die with the SPR?

Great to see Molon posting.   I hope it keeps up.

I am still waiting on my allotment of a case of mk262 from V1. it was suppose to be here in Dec haha.. I really want to test it and see how great it is

Agreed, I enjoy the posts.

Ditto

I really wish I picked up some 50gr tsx

Black Hills Blue Box 77-grain SMK I tested about 10 years ago was loaded with 23.9 grains TAC.

Visually, powder looked exactly like TAC.

Handloaded some of my own with 23.9 grains TAC, and got identical velocity to the factory Blue Box.

Consensus on the mk262 is that they use canister grade 2520. It’s Czech we know that.

Not sure where TAC is made but it is visually similar to 2520

Attached File

Correctly identify the four different powders pictured below.


1.






2.






3.






4.





....

After I got out of the army I had heard so much stuff about how good the Black Hills re-manufactured stuff was I bought a few boxes of it for varmint hunting, but none of it would group well & it just left a bad taste in my mouth for it & haven't bought any since.  That probably makes me an internet commando, but I'll just have to live with it.

I never had much luck with it either. I had an LMT that hated blue box, lots of case separations.

that sounds more like an out of headspace rifle than bad ammo

That's what black hills said also but it only happened with their blue box. Any other ammo I tried never had an issue including their red box.

Nope!

It's because they use once fired military brass and some of that brass was fired in the open bolt 249 SAW. It has long and sometimes excessive headspace that stretches the brass to almost it's breaking point.

When it is resized back to minimum dimension and fired again in even a normal sized chamber some of them separate above the head.

I still use Blue Box ammo, but it is known for this issue.

I stand corrected! I've never bothered with the blue box before so that's news to me

Here are some quotes from Jeff Hoffman on the subject matter of case head separation of the brass used in Black Hills "blue box" ammunition:


To throw in what we know about this type of case separation, it is relatively uncommon, but it does occur. Our brass is purchased from the military. It is once fired mil spec brass. We do not accept customer trade in brass so we can be confident we are dealing with once fired 5.56 brass, in order to minimize the chances for this type of thing.

Brass work hardens with use, each time it is fired and reused. The more it is worked, the more the stress. We produce many millions of rounds per year, and every year we get a couple reports of 223 case separations.

Often, but not always, we find that the separation occurred in weapons on the looser side of headspace, which makes sense, because the brass has to stretch more upon firing to fit the chamber. I am not trying to shift blame to anyone’s firearm, but to explain factors involved. We try to size on the high side of acceptable (but within tolerances obviously) headspace to minimize the chances for a case separation.

I have never seen firearm damage or any injury as a result of this type of separation. It is not the result of overpressure, but is a failure of the case to stretch to the chamber dimension on firing, or to withstand the stress of extraction. That does not mean we do not care, or think it is a good thing.  Again, just sharing what we know.

Case separations are relatively rare, and, I think are impossible to eliminate entirely due to the factors involved. (The original firearm chamber, weapon type and condition it was fired in, original pressures, how it is resized, the second chamber and type and condition of firearm it is fired in).

The only way I know to further reduce the possibility of a case separation is to shoot only new ammunition made with virgin brass. The problem there is of course the increased cost. I do recommend new ammunition for any military, law enforcement or personal defense use, where lives may be at stake, simply because you should minimize any chance that you can for Mr Murphy to show up.


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