I'm looking to get some bulk ammo for my forthcoming mp15 and have some questions....

1) what does the difference in gr mean to me?
2) what constitutes 'good' ammo. I see some ammo listed as "great for plinking?" I assume that is code for low quality?

3) what should i look for in ammo that may be stored for some time? What's the best way to store it?

What be the difference in THIS AMMO @ 500 for $130 and This ammo @ 500 for $200 or This Ammo @ 500 for $155.

Much Thanks!

The Wolf and Silver Bear are steel cased, non-reloadable. Some will tell you the steel case is hard on their AR extractors, but I shoot it all the time and never had a problem. Wolf is dirty, though. No big deal if you clean your gun.

Great for plinking means it is not super accurate. If you were shooting a match, you'd never use ****** ammo. For blasting at the range, there's nothing wrong with it. I used to be able to get 1000 rounds of Wolff for $150. Those days are long gone.

I just picked up 1000 rounds(50 boxes of 20) of Tula .223 55 gr FMJ on sale from Cabella's. Paid $169.50 (before tax). It isn't $150 per 1000 but it's the closest thing I've seen in a while. Shoots just fine for range practice, just like Wolf.

__________________
Stu

thanks
a follow up on ammo.

I am reading this on NOTusing 5.56 in a .223 rifle. I assumed that the mp 15 was a .223 but looking at the designation in the manual it looks like the mp 15's are 5.56 so no problem using either ammo? I assume that's all the mp 15s are 5.56 cross all the mp 15 line.. I have a mp 15x coming next week and want to make sure I have the right stuff to feed it.

5.56 ammo should not be fired in a .223 chamber, but you will rarely find anything but a 5.56 chamber in an AR15 model built as a police/military/personal defense rifle. The exceptions to this rule are mostly varmint or target variations.

__________________
Pisgah

I agree....I have gone thru 2000rds of the Tula .223 from Cabelas. I have the M&P15T and it just eats it up! We have a range here that has a "Buffalo" target out at 500yds and I have no problem hitting that with just my EoTech and the Tula ammo. Its a great buy right now at Cabelas. I think I paid $3.79 a box.

I have also put at least 1000rds of the new Wolf ammo thru it as well. I think thats good stuff as well. Stock up now while its on sale! Have fun!

Curious why S&W on their web site for the M&P 15 has some guns listed as:
# Caliber: 5.56 mm NATO / .223
# Capacity: 30 Rounds, 5.56 mm or .223

and other models as straight 5.56.

For instance this model, there are several others too.

__________________
Bill

5.56 is .223 loaded to mil spec. It's a bit hotter. Don't know too many AR's that won't shoot 5.56 NATO. I used to have a Rem 700 .223 that advised against 5.56. Read the manual, but I'll bet that M&P will shoot 5.56 just fine. Course, the Wolf and Silver Bear you mentioned are .223, so they're fine.

The M&P is 5.56 (at least mine is) but I shoot exclusively .223. Am I to understand that it's OK to shoot 5.56 OR .223 in a 5.56 weapon but NOT OK to shoot 5.56 in a .223 weapon?

FWIW, .223 equates to 5.664 so it's (very slightly) larger round than the 5.56 is. The "hotness factor" of the 5.56 over the .223 would have to be the reason for not firing a 5.56 in a .223.

Kind of like shooting a .38 round in a .357 firearm but not a .357 in a .38 firearm.

__________________
Bill

Well put. Exactly!

I have an M&P 15 OR. Stamped on the barrel, near the muzzle, is 5.56 NATO 1:9. It has no problem digesting either 5.56 or .223 cartridges.

__________________
Stu

I have the same Arizona; and, that's what I was taught: the 5.56, which is stamped on the barrel, is hotter; thusly, will also handle the .223.
I have shot both--no probs so far.
And so far, really love the gun. I'm still putting a handle on the sound--to me, it's unique. It's a kind of pinging,ringing zing.
nice reading all....

Anybody finding any good buys on quality 5.56 ammo? I would like to stock up on some 5.56 (have plenty of .223 on hand).

__________________
Bill

The problem would be shooting .556 in a bolt type .223 chambered varmint rifle..

This from another site.. and the Winchester web site.


There are a lot of questions about these two cartridges. Many people think they are identical - merely different designations for commercial and military. The truth is that, although somewhat similar, they are not the same and you should know the differences before buying either cartridge.

* The cartridge casings for both calibers have basically the same length and exterior dimensions.
* The 5.56 round, loaded to Military Specification, typically has higher velocity and chamber pressure than the .223 Rem.
* The 5.56 cartridge case may have thicker walls, and a thicker head, for extra strength. This better contains the higher chamber pressure. However, a thicker case reduces powder capacity, which is of concern to the reloader.
* The 5.56mm and .223 Rem chambers are nearly identical. The difference is in the "Leade". Leade is defined as the portion of the barrel directly in front of the chamber where the rifling has been conically removed to allow room for the seated bullet. It is also more commonly known as the throat. Leade in a .223 Rem chamber is usually .085". In a 5.56mm chamber the leade is typically .162", or almost twice as much as in the 223 Rem chamber.
* You can fire .223 Rem cartridges in 5.56mm chambers with this longer leade, but you will generally have a slight loss in accuracy and velocity over firing the .223 round in the chamber with the shorter leade it was designed for.
* Problems may occur when firing the higher-pressure 5.56mm cartridge in a .223 chamber with its much shorter leade. It is generally known that shortening the leade can dramatically increase chamber pressure. In some cases, this higher pressure could result in primer pocket gas leaks, blown cartridge case heads and gun functioning issues.
* The 5.56mm military cartridge fired in a .223 Rem chamber is considered by SAAMI (Small Arm and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) to be an unsafe ammunition combination.



Before buying either of these two types of ammunition, always check your gun to find what caliber it is chambered for, then buy the appropriate ammunition. Most 5.56mm rounds made have full metal jacket bullets. Performance bullets - soft points, hollow points, Ballistic Silvertips, etc. - are loaded in .223 Rem cartridges. Firing a .223 Rem cartridge in a 5.56mm-chambered gun is safe and merely gives you slightly reduced velocity and accuracy. However we do not recommend, nor does SAAMI recommend, firing a 5.56mm cartridge in a gun chambered for the .223 Rem as the shorter leade can cause pressure-related problems.

__________________
SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I have ar's chambered in both .223 and 5.56. definite diffrence in the two with the federal 5.56 hotter and the .223 milder but more accurate with the hornady v-max load. these two do not go out shooting together just as a precaution to not mix 5.56 in the .223. Hornady load has a poly tip bullet though so its easy to tell on from another. by the way bitteroot valley ammo is just as accurate as the Hornady but cheaper

Cabelas has a sale on now for PMC bronze 55 grain FMJ $6.49 for a box of 20. I just put a couple hundred thru my MP15 MOE. Shot prefect no problems and very clean.

IMO, this deal is one of the best ammo secrets out there right now:

Ammunition To Go : 500rds - .223 Hornady TAP Training 55gr. FMJ Ammo [9754EL] - $139.95

- Was even better when they were selling by the 1000. Sure, it is steel cased (the primed cases are bought by Hornady from the Brown Bear plant (Barnaul) in Russia - but Hornady load the powder and supply the bullets. This ammo is phenomenally accurate (i.e. on a par with the regular premium TAP - it is damn near match grade), but costs just bit more than Wolf and Brown Bear. It doesn't stink like Wolf and Brown Bear, either! Runs like a dream in my M&P15T, and I'm now on my third lot of one thousand.

Edit: I see you were talking specifically 5.56 - honestly, if you have a 5.56 chambered rifle,I wouldn't worry about differentiating between the two.

That's because it is Wolf - just packaged differently.

5.56 will create 10 or 12,000 lbs more chamber pressure, and this is why it is not advised to shoot in a .223 chamber.

I ran through several boxes of each this past Monday at the range.....just to compare them since I had some of each on the shelf in the gun room.

For being the same ammo, they sure did perform differently out of the same gun. POA - POI between them was different.

You are welcome to your opinion and if your facts support it, so be it.

As far as I am concerned, they are not the same load with different packaging. They may be from the same manufacturer. They are both made in Russia, per the boxes.

__________________
Stu

Curious, was your Wolf the newer polymer coated stuff (like the Tula) or older? I have indeed used both Wolf (Polymer) and Tula (Polymer). However, I think that the Wolf Military Classic may be a slightly different loading.

It is polymer coated...not the older lacquer coated cartridges.

__________________
Stu

I would not fault all this because ammo and rifle makers are under the liberial press and lawers aim devices. I have for over 30 years fire; Mini-14, 4 of them, S&W model 1500 .223, H&R single shot, Ruger M77 .223 thought out reloading for all and firring without a single failure 5.56 and .223 in them all! NO rifle or case issues, but I look carefully at every case after firring and BEFORE reloading.

almost 2 year old tread

Maybe his pc is slow.

I have yet to see an AR that is chambered exclusively for .223, I am not saying they are not out there but in everything I see and read I have yet to find one.

__________________
Grover Oathkeeper