My M&P sport 15 .223/.556 will not shoot FMJ bullets accurate. Does anyone else have this problem? My rifle will shoot the polymer tip bullets very accurate (Hornady V-max, Nosler Varmageddon Freedom munition V-max). I am just looking for the reason why the rifle shoots the fmj bullet so much different. Love to here what you guys have to say. FYI 1 inch group with polytip at 100 yds 3 to 4 inch group with fmj at 100 yds. Thanks.

Avg fmj range ammo isn't accurate. It's battlefield accurate but not MOA. It's range ammo....meant for practice. Just as an FYI the military accuracy is 3 - 4 inches at 100 yards. This is what the manual calls for a AR and issued ammo.

There is match/target ammo and there is range ammo. One is designed for optimal accuracy, the other for practice. All ammo is not created equal. There are variances in exact dimensions, exact weight, exact powder and typos powder along with primers. Range ammo may be downloaded by a few hundred feet per second thus causing different impact vs point of aim. The amount of powder may vary slightly. Instead of being 55gr it may be 54.7...etc..

Along with all that each rifle is different. Even two identical rifles, sighted in the same way by the same individual will vary in what ammo they prefer. Microscopic imperfections will be individual to each firearm and cause this

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There should be an accuracy difference between match and range ammo or else there would be no need for the one with the higher price tag. What you are experiencing is normal.

Try other fmj ammo as they are not all created equal. Also, you can get fmj's that are bot tail.

The difference between 55 gr "blaster" ammo, and something like Black Hills 69 can be really dramatic. And the twist rate is a big factor in that. If you rate is 1-9, then it would be okay with 55 but really better suited to the longer 69s, and maybe 75s.

It won't shoot any FMJ accurately? Handloads or factory ammo? IF you're shooting the bulk stuff with off-brand foreign FMJ, you're results are not surprising. Most people that buy this stuff have little interest in decent accuracy.

Try some quality factory ammo or handloads loaded with FMJ bullets by Hornady, Sierra, Nosler, or Federal and see what they will do. 55s will often shoot surprisingly well even in 1 in 7" barrels.

You won't get decent accuracy with range ammo, doesn't matter who makes it. Especially that most makers but and sell to each other.

Most off brands are not. For instance.... Independence brand ammo is made by IMI (Israeli Military Industries) but are made under 2 different loads. One is made for Lake City under contract using LC components and was sold to the US military in the mid 00s. The other load is loosely related to IMI but made in a different factory using Federal components for their brand sales. This is commercial. Then there is the load they make for their military using SMK 77 and 69gr match loads

Wold Gold is 193 and made in Taiwan who also made the same exact ammo for the US military under contract. While we're on Wolf ....they are not a Russian company. Instead it's an American company, a trade mark of SSI (Sporting Supplies International) out of California that buy ammo mostly from Russia but also Taiwan and a few other countries

Geco is RAUG which is a Swiss brand but made all over EU.

Hornady buys certain cases from Russia. Russia outsources their ammo to Fiotchi who in tern buy some components from S&B. Then there is PPU who aso supplied the US Military back in the early to mid 00s as well as selling their ammo under different brands throughout the years. Hotshot is mostly reboxed Romanian ammo....and so on so on...

Globalization!!!!
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Like stated above, every rifle is different. What shoots well in one rifle will not necessarily shoot the same in a different rifle of the same exact brand and model.

Each brand of ammunition is different as well. For example; Remington 168gr HPBT Sierra Gold Medal Match shoots very well in my one rifle but Federal 168gr HPBT Sierra Match King does not. Same bullet but something is different in the load. Different powder, same powder but different charge level. Different primers. Different brass casings. I don't know. All I do know is my rifle likes one brand and not the other.

Some rifles also have a particular preference for a certain weight of bullet. Others can shot a more diversified range. It can be frustrating as all get out.

On top of that, my other rifles might not like what the rifle in question does. My M&P10 shoots Lake City M80 fairly decently where as my 7.62 NATO MVP Patrol does not.

Unfortunately, the only way to find out is to try different brands and bullet weights in search of what your rifle does like. Record your findings for future reference in case you forget for whatever reason.

There is an acronym; GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out!

People scour the internet and brick & mortar ammo stores for the absolute lowest price ammo and then wonder why it shoots 4 MOA.

In 1984 I loaded surplus Winchester 55 grain FMJ/BT (paid $8.99/1000) with WW748 (8 pound canisters were $54.99). With CCI Small Rifle Mag primers ($6.99/1000) I get slightly less than 3/8 MOA, with Winchester SRP (small rifle primers, not magnum, same price as CCI) I get 1/2 MOA out of a 1994 Bushmaster AR-15 A-3 (flat top with carry handle) using Leo. Veri-X III 4.5-14x40mm. Out of a Cooper 23 Bolt gun with Veri-X III 6.5-20x40mm, both ammos shoot 1/4 MOA or even better on a really good day. I loaded 20,000 rounds.

In 2011 or 2012 made a single box batch using Hornady 55 grain FMJ/BT with WW748 and CCI mag primers. Out of the Bushmaster the groups were 2.5 to 3 MOA and never tried with the Cooper 23. Maybe a different powder (H335) and a different primer (Rem. 7 1/2) would do better, but I already found a good combination.

I moved in 2014 and found a box of 1000 Winchester 55 FMJ/BT's.
My 1984 loading data came from Lyman#45.
On poly-tipped bullets my AR prefers A-max, and the Cooper 23 prefers Sierra BlitzKings.


Ivan

Well that solve that issue. Thanks for the reply. FYI Freedom munition has the poly tip ammo at a pretty good price if anyone wants some also Ram Precision Ammunition has good price.Thanks again for the info.

I have a friend who buys cheap ammo, sites in his scope, and on the next range trip, he buys a different brand ammo, and wonders why his scope is off again.... Not all ammo is created equal.