Don't Worry About Ammo Types in M&P 15s

[apollolanding]

Prior to purchasing my 15T I read all kinds of nasty things about M&P 15 series not running steel cased ammo properly, extractors ripping the case rims off, failures to eject, etc... Now most of these accounts weren't first hand. I purchased anyway and have intentionally run every type of ammo I could find in the past 3 weeks: M193 Ball, 52 grain brass handloads, 62 grain handloaded brass, Hornady steel cased 55 grain LE Training, soft point zinc plated cased 55 grain (cheapest in the store)... Not one failure, hiccup or damaged case. I ran them through Magpul GenM3 15/30 magazines (limited because a I live in the People's Republic of NJ) and GenM3 10 rounders. 250+ rounds not one issue so buy what you can afford and shoot as much as you can. Accuracy was of course slightly better with the handloads but even the cheapest, soft point zinc plated cased ammo grouped within an inch.

 

[JaPes]

That's been my experience too. I haven't found .223/5.56 ammo my 15-Sport won't cycle.

 

[thecatch8]

Agreed......1,000 rounds and counting and not a single problem with my 15T. Granted I don't shoot crappy pink commy steel ammo, but you get the point!

 

[thedman]

Also found no issues with my Sport. Herters Steel (Tula), and various brass from all manufacturers has been flawless. Just got back from shooting this morning and testing the steel. When I inspected the spent casings they are unmarked, as is all the different brass. Very happy after 7-800 rounds. I replaced the NJ fixed pinned stock with a MOE rifle stock kit from Brownells and it is much better fit for me and solid rifle. I disliked the short rattle trap pinned stock from day one.

 

[78Staff]

My 15OR, has occasional issues with Wolf steel cased ammo, but I don't shoot it that much. Have a couple hundred rounds of it, but normally shoot M193. Seems like every time I bring the Wolf, I get some sort of FTE or something, so quit using it really. M193 runs like butta. Also using H2 Buffer & Blue Sprinco if it makes a difference (which it might )

 

[preacherjeffro]

My M&P 15 (Bruce) has been 100% having eaten everything; federal xm193, PMC fmj, Tula and Black hills. Love my black rifle!!!

 

[mbjku]

Also found no issues with my Sport. Herters Steel (Tula), and various brass from all manufacturers has been flawless. Just got back from shooting this morning and testing the steel. When I inspected the spent casings they are unmarked, as is all the different brass. Very happy after 7-800 rounds. I replaced the NJ fixed pinned stock with a MOE rifle stock kit from Brownells and it is much better fit for me and solid rifle. I disliked the short rattle trap pinned stock from day one.

I would agree on TulAmmo, but can't find one in stock for .223. Who cares is bronze or still, it is shooting fine and no problems with it.

 

[JaPes]

I would agree on TulAmmo, but can't find one in stock for .223. Who cares is bronze or still, it is shooting fine and no problems with it.

Brass case copper jacketed and steel case bi-metal jacketed ammunition perform the same basic function. They are not the same. The difference in construction, particularly of the lead core projectile jacket, does evidence a difference in cumulative barrel wear. Best to be aware of the difference, so that you can make an informed choice.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/

Things to remember:

1. Barrels and bolts are wear items on AR-15's. Eventually they will need to be replaced.

2. The decreased cost of Russian steel case ammo offsets the cost of a new barrel, vice versa.

3. Steel case bi-metal jacket ammo, any ammo that can't pass a magnet test, are sometimes banned by shooting ranges. Best to make sure you can shoot up the TulAmmo supply you may have built up.


The third one stings me the most. I have 400 rounds of TulAmmo, and all of the ranges nearby me have banned it's use.

 

[thecatch8]

Crappy steel ammo is banned by most ranges, causes numerous jams and FFL/FFE, runs dirty compared to brass, degrades barrel life faster than brass ammo and is often manufactured by less than adequate companies with shady QC.....not sure why anyone would shoot this, buy this, reload this.

 

[GSS]

Interesting to note how the emphasis is often on "steel case", yet few realize that "bi-metal" FMJ or HP's is Russky code for "thin copper plating over steel bullet jacket"....hence the wear documented in the linked story.

 

[mrwintr]

If you shoot a bunch of coated steel cased ammo, you really should clean the chamber before running brass cases through it or eventually you may end up with a stuck case. The polymer, varnish, or other coatings on the steel cases will burn off into the chamber walls and then a brass case can get mega stuck when it expands in that dirty , coated chamber.....just a piece of advice to save you a big headache.

 

[rjbFL]

mrwintr

What do you use to clean the polymer from the chamber?

 

[mrwintr]

I use a chamber brush made for the AR15.I have a brass and SS brush and one made of nylon bristles. I use the brass one with some cleaning solvent or CLP and then I wrap a thin patch around the nylon brush and run that into the chamber to remove fouling.

 

[JaPes]

Hoppes No.9 Cleaning Solvent

+

AR-15 Chamber Brush

The swab out with

A .40 or .45 caliber brush with a patch wrapped around it.

If the chamber lugs are dirty:

The Talon lug scraping tool is a bit overkill. I've never really encountered fouling where I absolutely had to use it. As with anything AR-15, I went a bit overboard. I experimented with a bunch of tools, some good and some worthless.

 

[Englishrob]

I've run 3,000+ rnds through my M&P. Not had a problem until I switched to Federal m193. Found these are much dirtier than PMC. I have had just 2 cases fail to eject...a clean at the range and everything works fine. I field strip every 200 rnds and a full strip every 1,000 or so.

 

[sgtsandman]

I've run 3,000+ rnds through my M&P. Not had a problem until I switched to Federal m193. Found these are much dirtier than PMC. I have had just 2 cases fail to eject...a clean at the range and everything works fine. I field strip every 200 rnds and a full strip every 1,000 or so.

Just out of curiosity, is that white box Federal or the regular commercial stuff?

 

[SgtBill]

Prior to purchasing my 15T I read all kinds of nasty things about M&P 15 series not running steel cased ammo properly, extractors ripping the case rims off, failures to eject, etc... Now most of these accounts weren't first hand. I purchased anyway and have intentionally run every type of ammo I could find in the past 3 weeks: M193 Ball, 52 grain brass handloads, 62 grain handloaded brass, Hornady steel cased 55 grain LE Training, soft point zinc plated cased 55 grain (cheapest in the store)... Not one failure, hiccup or damaged case. I ran them through Magpul GenM3 15/30 magazines (limited because a I live in the People's Republic of NJ) and GenM3 10 rounders. 250+ rounds not one issue so buy what you can afford and shoot as much as you can. Accuracy was of course slightly better with the handloads but even the cheapest, soft point zinc plated cased ammo grouped within an inch.

Joe, you did not mention that your Uncle Bill has the same weapon with the same scope a Nikon P223 3X9 BDC on it and has had the exact same exp. altho my groups were tighter with handloads. LOL
Uncle Bill

 

[Maddmax]

Brass case copper jacketed and steel case bi-metal jacketed ammunition perform the same basic function. They are not the same. The difference in construction, particularly of the lead core projectile jacket, does evidence a difference in cumulative barrel wear. Best to be aware of the difference, so that you can make an informed choice.

Brass vs. Steel Cased Ammo - An Epic Torture Test

Things to remember:

1. Barrels and bolts are wear items on AR-15's. Eventually they will need to be replaced.

2. The decreased cost of Russian steel case ammo offsets the cost of a new barrel, vice versa.

3. Steel case bi-metal jacket ammo, any ammo that can't pass a magnet test, are sometimes banned by shooting ranges. Best to make sure you can shoot up the TulAmmo supply you may have built up.


The third one stings me the most. I have 400 rounds of TulAmmo, and all of the ranges nearby me have banned it's use.

That's where I have always been picky about ammo. I "normally" buy for the reloadability of the brass. I'm also very picky about what the bullet jacket is too (for barrel life). I do buy and shoot steel case ammo too,but I am VERY picky which MSR I shoot it out of. Those I save for the ranges that won't let you collect your empty cases (rare around here,but there are a few).

 

[Maddmax]

Hoppes No.9 Cleaning Solvent

+

AR-15 Chamber Brush

The swab out with

A .40 or .45 caliber brush with a patch wrapped around it.


The Talon lug scraping tool is a bit overkill. I've never really encountered fouling where I absolutely had to use it. As with anything AR-15, I went a bit overboard. I experimented with a bunch of tools, some good and some worthless.

The first two are still the best over all for cleaning. But I like having the Talon Tool just in case. Right tool for the job.

 

[apollolanding]

Joe, you did not mention that your Uncle Bill has the same weapon with the same scope a Nikon P223 3X9 BDC on it and has had the exact same exp. altho my groups were tighter with handloads. LOL
Uncle Bill

Guilty, I did fail to mention that Uncle Bill ;-) LOL

The the steel case ammo I'm shooting isn't Tulamo or Wolf, I've been using work issued, 55 grain Hornady LE training ammo. I did pick up a few, cheap boxes of 62 grain, soft tip zinc plated case case stuff that I'll never buy again but had no failures with.

My best groups are with my father's 55 grain handloads and Federal Lake City M193. Picked up a few boxes of PMC XTAC M193 last week... Need to start building up my brass supply for reloading!