Quoted:
Is the Federal XM193 identical to American Eagle 55gr FMJ?
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Not even close. XM193 is real M193, in good Lake City brass, crimped and (usually) sealed, and loaded HOT.
Fed AE is commercial .223, with horrible Federal brass, no primer crimp, and weak.
Buy some XM193, put it in a surplus ammo can, and forget about it. When you remember it again, it will be good to go.
Different topic: does the $100 for 1000 rounds 7.62x39 still have steel in the projectile? I bought some of this a while ago, and was VERY disappointed that I can't use it at the range! I don't have anywhere to shoot outdoors.
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Wolf is the only cheap 7.62x39 that uses copper-jacketed bullets, though I believe they may have some ammo in this caliber with steel jackets too. All other Russian and Czech (S&B) ammo in this caliber use a copper-plated steel jacket. The core is lead, not steel, in all of them. Wolf advertises their steel-jacketed bullets as "bi-metal", which is their code for "copper-plated steel".
-Troy