Ammo Questions

[Andrew911tt]

Is Federal XM193 reloaded it looks really really dirty compared to some brand new clean PMC

XM193

PMC

Also I bought a box of 7MM REM MAG and one of the shells has a dent in it. Is it safe to shoot?

 

[BHarada]

XM193 is military ammo and is not polished like commercial ammo (like the PMC) is. The dent in you 7mm mag will be fire formed out after it's fired. It won't cause you any problem.

 

[MichiganScott]

The "X" in XM193 means that it does not meet US standards, but may meet NATO standards for other countries. I've got 1000 rounds that have stab crimps instead of the US specified annular crimp on the primer. It is new ammunition.

If you have a box of loose ammunition, it may have been culled as "seconds" during manufacture. I'd have no problems shooting what you have in the picture.

Agree with BHarda. Shoot it.

 

[BillyJack2012]

The "X" in XM193 means that it does not meet US standards, but may meet NATO standards for other countries. I've got 1000 rounds that have stab crimps instead of the US specified annular crimp on the primer. It is new ammunition.

If you have a box of loose ammunition, it may have been culled as "seconds" during manufacture. I'd have no problems shooting what you have in the picture.

Agree with BHarda. Shoot it.

X means it didn't meet US MILITARY specs, not US in general in case there was confusion. M193 is military only ammo and not sold to civilians. XM is very close to the same but the primary difference is that it lacks a primer sealant. It's great factory ammo and all I shoot.

 

[oneyeopn]

I bought a thousand rounds of federal xm193 5.56x45 it doesnt seem to be near as dirty as some of the steel cased I was shooting before. that dark area on the brass is where the shoulders have been annealed all military brass is annealed at the shoulders, they do that to make us think we are shooting military ammo!
Shoot the heck out of it!

 

[Kodiakco]

This should clear things up! No, not really j/k. It is as clear as mud.

A debate
The word from Federal on XM193

What Federal says about XM193

Another opinion

One man's "information"

Who Put The “X” In XM193?

As the debates goes on about Lake City ammunition, I’ve heard everything from XM193, XM118 are reloads to they’re rejects, basically anything with an X in the number is a bad thing. That’s what the arm chair experts say anyway even though they look the same, weigh the same and have the same LC/NATO head stamps. I decided to settle the debate, at least in my head, by contacting Lake City to get the real info. The person that returned my call turned out to be the production manager for all things 5.56 from the ATK brand including Lake City and Federal. Here is what I was told...Read more

 

[oneyeopn]

From every bit of the specifications I have been able to glean through, the xm193 is loaded to the same level as the m193. The specs changed as too what sealant they started using around the case neck the XM is sealed. Now the military primarily uses the m855, they used to use the M193 and you know ammunition manufacturers made a bunch of the M193 components. And with civilian sales going nuts like it is they are continuing to manufacture bullets to the same specs, don't fix what aint broken!!! I know it doesn't have the NATO stamp but I have some Milsurp 7.62 from South Africa that doesn't either. Regardless because NATO is using a variety of different styles of 5.56x45. I was reading about other countries and their bullet choices and loads and realized the only thing NATO standard is the 5.56x45 physical dimensions.
Federal or ATK or Lake City putting an "X" in front of the designator to identify public purchase ammo makes plenty of sense. As we all well know that they do not inspect every round like we would think that they do, they will sample out of every run to make sure it all stays consistant. I do not put much stock in the supposed mark that is put on all NATO ammo, I have seen too much MilSurp that hasnt been marked, and stamping something on the case head after it has been loaded is ludicrous at best. The results that I am getting out of my Federal XM193 are way better than the minimum military requirements so I dont worry about it. Although when I reload my cases I like to make them really shiney purty LOL