Bought some M855 from the gun show last weekend. Looked at it at the house and they are not green tipped. They are not colored at all. The box says ADCOM Manufacturing Ltd. 5.56x45mm Ball M855. On the end of the brass it is stamped AD 5.56 04
What do I have?

Not always green tip, but it usually is.

It can be black tipped or no coloring.

I've got a lot of bullets that are not green tipped but they are the same construction as those used in M855 ammo.

ADCOM is not green tip.  If you put a magnet to the bullet it will stick.  Its is M855

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=16&t=253108


Do a search for ADCOM.

The short story:  M855 from the US, and also Israel, is green tipped to differentiate it from M193.  Foreign stuff with SS109 bullets, and sometimes labeled M855 (like the ADCOM), isn't green tipped because they do not need to differentiate between 55 gr. and 62 gr., all they use is 62 gr.  Radway Green SS109 is like this.  And you might also come across some Federal XM855PD with no green tip because they ran the rounds through a tumbler.  

M855 is the US and Israeli designation for their 5.56 cartridge with the 62 grain SS109 bullet.
If it is true M855 it will ALMOST always have a green tip. XM855 and PD and other "seconds" may not have green tips, but first rate, military issue M855 will have green tips to differentiate it from M193. This is especially important in Israel as they still actively use M193. Many NATO memebers adopted the SS109 as thier first 5.56 round so they don't require green tips to differentiate between M193, since they never adopted the older round.It is very common to find SS109 bullets sans green tips. M855 is specific to US and Israel, not to any other NATO members. SS109 would accurately describe everything else.

Quoted: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=16&t=253108 Do a search for ADCOM.

Thanks for the link BSTOCK

And thanks to all for the replies and comments. Trying to find something that shoots well into my rifle and that I can buy here localy. I got 200 rounds of the M855, 120 rounds of the value pack at wallyworld, and 200 rounds of Q3131 from Academy. This weekend will try them all

Quick question, noticed that ADCOM is a lot cheaper then other M855. Why?

Quoted: Bought some M855 from the gun show last weekend. Looked at it at the house and they are not green tipped. They are not colored at all. The box says ADCOM Manufacturing Ltd. 5.56x45mm Ball M855. On the end of the brass it is stamped AD 5.56 04 What do I have?

Not all M855 or SS109 is green tipped. Usually the US, Israeli, and most high quality surplus M855 is green tipped. Most of the cheaper stuff doesnt have the green tips.

Almost every other Country that uses the 5.56 round does not "paint" the bullet in green because they never adopted the 193 [55grain] round and they do not have to worry about what bullet the cartridge has as it is all the same save for specialty ammo. Israel and the US are about the only ones that green tip MILITARY ammo. I do not count Olympic ammo as anything CLOSE to mil ammo tho it was green tipped.