AR Sponsor
Posted: 9/26/2006 3:41:56 PM EDT
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I've purchased a new AR15 recently and the range i shoot at only allows soft point. I am looking to sight in my iron sights and then my new optic and i would like to know the names of the best "quality" .223 soft point round to sight in my new rifle with. Typically i use reloaded remington .223 from the gun show which i buy in bulk, but i would like to do a quality sight-in before i start using it. Looking to see how tight a grouping i can pull together at 100 yds. Any recommendations? I would prefer the complete name along with manufacturer (and a website for me to purchase it at if you want to go that extra mile). I'm shooting a Smith&Wesson Military+Police 15T, 16 inch barrel and an IOR valdada 3x25 scope. Thanks in advance guys. |
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Why soft point if you dont mind my asking? Match bullets offer better terminal performance and are more accurate too. I am sure your range allows anythig other than FMJ ammo and not just SP. Kinda sounds like you are from the Dallas area and if so then I am correct. I am building a stash of Federal 62 grain Tactical TBBC (LE223T3) but its over a dollar a round. It is however the best barrier round made for .223 rifles by far. Only use I have for a SP since I dont hunt with .223 rifles. Look at Black Hills Blue Box match ammo for range use. |
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Actually yes, i do live in north dallas, i shoot at Elm Fork Shooting Park. I'm pretty new to the whole AR scene so i'm still learning a lot. The ammo oracle site is pretty amazing, it pretty much spells out everything i could want to know about these rounds. I use .223 because yeah, like you suspected it's one of our preferred ammunitions of choice. What is the difference between "match grade" and soft point besides the price tag? I didn't see any mention of such a kind of round on that ammo oracle site. I found the 64 grain ranger http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=hotpig27&pd=253335&rdf=mp Is it better to sight-in my AR with the reloaded rounds i'll typically be using or to use a high quality round, get sighted in with that and then use a cheaper practice ammo? I want to become familiarized with the AR15 before i graduate college in a year and would be open to a shooting buddy to learn from before i start applying to police departments in the dallas area. I've also gotten pretty good with a glock 17. |
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Match ammo is HPBT or Hollow Point Boat Tail. The military designation you may also hear for HPBT is OTM or Open Tip Match. This term differentialtes match bullets that have a small hole at the tip as a byproduct of production rather than HP ammo whic is designed to open at the tip. The jacket is applied from the base to tip and its designed to be very accurate and is used in shooting matches. Like the FMJ ammo you read about in the ammo oracle OTM bullets yaw and fragment. They dont expand from the open tip. They have thinner more consistant jackets and fragment at lower velocities due to the thin jackets, and usually long bullet length, and thus have a longer effective range. Its generaly more expensive than FMJ ammo which is not very accurate. Soft point ammo has an exposed lead tip which is supposed to mushroom back to increase surface diameter. Its primarily used in hunting ammo where you want deep penetration with maximum retained weight. Fragmenting bullets do more damage but tend to penetrate less or at the least ruin the meat. Try to aquire boxes of 68, 69, 75 and 77 grain Black Hills Blue box and see which is most accurate in your rifle. Different rifles shoot different loads better. SP rounds tend to have a poor BC or Ballistic Coefficient and shed velocity more quickly. Since they take longer to get to the target and are not as streamlined they are pushed more by the wind. Exposed lead tips can also cause accumulation of lead on your feed ramps and lead to malfunctions if not removed regularly. Match ammo creates more devestating wounds in tissue and is more accurate on paper. Save the cheap 45 grain soft points for blasting at closer range. I would go shooting with you but I have moved from Plano to Houston and am finishing my last semester at Sam Houston. I too am getting my degree in CJ but will probably work in Houston till my Federal applications go through... unless Plano is hiring and will do my TCELOSE certification in their academy. Then you might see me in January.  PS: This should really be in the ammo section. If a mod could move it it would be appreciated. |
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I dont know if I am going to be flamed for this but. I would be careful about putting certain reloads in my fine rifle. especially if some gun show commando was selling them. about the only ones I would consider using are Blackhills, Georgia Arm or Ultramax. Ultramax would be the last resort. But I know Blackhills makes some JHP or JSP. Also Federal American Eagle makes a 50 grain JHP for a fair price. Also look for the Winchester Varmit packs. But those are 45 grain JHP. Just remember your point of impact will change with different weight and type of bullets. So if you Sight in with 52 grain JHP and keep a 69 winchester power for your "Go to ammo" they are going to shoot differently. http://www.georgia-arms.com/index1.htm |
| well i have used a 1k brick from this guy before and he sells to most of the gun show patrons anyway. its pretty decent ammunition, the groupings aren't anything i'd write home about but they're OK to say the least 3-4 inches at 100 yards. it leaves much to improve upon i would say, i haven't used a magnification optic before though. i had an eotech earlier and switched over to the valdad so we'll see how everything goes and i'll repost after i visit the range this week. |
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