$199+shipping seems to be about the going rate from every vendor I've checked. Do any of you know of better deals on this stuff? Thanks in advance.

Actually, the cheapest I have seen it is $4.12 per box from Natchez. But the prices you are quoting add up to slightly less than their price. That seems to be about as good as the deal gets. I usually just stick with M193 anyway nowdays because SS109 tends to be more expensive and for my purposes offers no advantage.

-Charging Handle

Yeah, looking through the shotgun news/ gunlist and that's about as cheap as it gets.  For S&B and Wolf (for AK's not AR's) centerfire is usually pretty cheap.

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CSI&Product_Code=AM223114&Category_Code=SB

I really liked the S&B SS109 too till I learned that it doesn't fragment...ok for plinking I guess though?  The cheapest I've seen it here is over $200.

Are you sure the S&B SS109 doesn't fragment? Their 55 gr stuff doesn't because of the bullet construction, but the SS109 bullet should if it's built to the proper specs. However, I still prefer M193 to this stuff.

-Charging Handle

Are we talking S&B (Sellier & Bellot) SS109 or SB (Santa Barbara) SS109? Becuase the Spanish stuff has had a lot less issues than the Sellier and Bellot.

Sportsmans Guide was selling SB SS109 for $319 per 2000 shipped if I remember correctly.

I was talking about the Sellier & Bellot...at least according to the Ammo FAQ it says that they don't fragment?  Were they refering to olny the 55gr in this question?

Q. Does the 2,700 fps rule apply to all .223 and 5.56 ammo?

No.

Velocity is only one factor, however important.  Bullet construction is another.  M193 and M855 fragment because the bullets have thin copper (actually "gilding metal," which is a copper alloy of roughly 90% copper and 10% zinc) jackets that are further weakened by a cannelure.  It cannot be assumed that all bullets will fragment, or will fragment at the same velocity.

Some examples:

Czech-made Sellier & Bellot (S&B headstamp) ammo uses bullets with thicker jackets made of mild steel which have been copper-plated.  From the outside, they appear just like M193 bullets, but due to the jacket material and construction, they do not fragment.
Winchester 64gr Power Point ammo is loaded with a soft-point (SP) bullet with a thick copper jacket and no cannelure.  It was specifically designed for hunting medium (deer) sized game and was designed to expand, but not fragment.
M995 Armor Piercing ammo has a solid tungsten-carbide core.  Tungsten is denser than lead, but much harder, and it won't fragment.
Some time ago 7.62 NATO rounds manufactured in West Germany also had fragmenting properties.  NATO standards do not specify jacket material or jacket thickness.  The West German 7.62 round used copper-plated steel in the jacket, but their US counterparts used gilding metal alloy around .032 inches (.8mm) thick at the cannelure.  The West German jacket is only about .020 inches (.5mm) thick near the cannelure.  As a result of the differences, particularly the weaker jacket, the West German round yaws after 8cm or so in tissue before breaking in half at the cannelure. The nose, comprising just over half of the bullet's weight, generally remains intact, and the remaining mass of the lower half fragments.  The result in tissue is predictably devastating.

Many people wrongly assume that any ammo loaded with a 55gr FMJ bullet is the same as M193 ammo.  This is false.  Unless the ammo meets M193 specs, including both muzzle velocity and bullet construction, it can not be counted on to perform like M193.

The same applies to 62gr ammo.  Not all 62gr ammo is M855/SS-109.

dont believe all the S&B kaboom hype. especially if you purchase their SS109 product. it is very high quality and the performace rival of any LC M855 and IMI M855.

spanish SB SS109 is lower in velocity but its accuracy is astounding for the price. in my experiences group sizes rival those i acheive with Blackhills 69gr. its definitely a bargain