Hello, just recently purchased a Sport II and have some ammo questions.

[Arik]

. Since my barrel has a 1/9th rifling twist, several people told me that the SD rounds I have are too heavy for my barrel to stabilize and thus shoot accurately. But since this rifle will be mostly for SD and CQB purposes, I realize that any ammo will do the job. I guess the only thing I need to be concerned about is choosing the best ammo for plinking and long-distance target shooting. According to quite a few opinions, .223/62 seems the most ideal for target/distance shooting for the kind of rifle I have. What do you guys think? I appreciate any input since I am still new to the AR platform.

Yes and no. I have a 1/9 Colt along with a 1/7 Colt. The ammo best suited for 1/9 is under 70 gr but that doesn't mean that heavier doesn't work. People tend to repeat stuff but never try it or even look up what is ment but "not stabilizing". The ammo will work just fine it just won't get you little tiny groups everyone tries for. It's still perfectly capable of center mass shots.

For range use I buy whatever is in 223/556. Most common is M193 or XM193 (same thing) which is 55gr. That ammo will work just fine unless you're trying to go past 500 yards and or on a windy day. Stock up on 55gr and try others as well ....nothing wrong with that

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[egm]

Certainly thank ya for that....

I know that there are many opinions about what the best ammo and grain is for a 1/9 twist but if you had to stock up on ammo for multipurpose use, mostly self defense in and out of the house (for SHTF situations as in the L.A. riots where Koreans had to arm themselves on rooftops), what would be a good choice? 55 grain, 62 grain, etc.?

 

[Ricrock]

I have my AR ready for home defense. I have researched the best ammo (at any cost) for HD purposes. Does it really matter what the round costs when you need to protect your family and home? My LGS recommended (because the local LEO's buy it), Hornady TAP, which is available in 55 and heavier weights. I chose the 55gr because I do not want too much penetration, and the 55 gr will do a lot of expansion damage without too much penetration through the walls of my home, not offering much of a threat to the neighbors.

I loaded one magazine with the Hornady but, my primary HD magazine (from my own research) is Winchester PDX-1, Defender 60gr ammo. That is the most effective defensive round I have found for my purposes, and from all reports I have seen is the best HD ammo available for my AR.

Im an urban area penetration is secondary to expansion. A round that expands and destructs, may not penetrate through doors and walls, but really, do you truly want it to? All you want is a round that will stop the bad guys in their tracks.

FWIW,

Rick

 

[egm]

I have my AR ready for home defense. I have researched the best ammo (at any cost) for HD purposes. Does it really matter what the round costs when you need to protect your family and home? My LGS recommended (because the local LEO's buy it), Hornady TAP, which is available in 55 and heavier weights. I chose the 55gr because I do not want too much penetration, and the 55 gr will do a lot of expansion damage without too much penetration through the walls of my home, not offering much of a threat to the neighbors.

I loaded one magazine with the Hornady but, my primary HD magazine (from my own research) is Winchester PDX-1, Defender 60gr ammo. That is the most effective defensive round I have found for my purposes, and from all reports I have seen is the best HD ammo available for my AR.

Im an urban area penetration is secondary to expansion. A round that expands and destructs, may not penetrate through doors and walls, but really, do you truly want it to? All you want is a round that will stop the bad guys in their tracks.

FWIW,

Rick

Thank you Rick. I appreciate your opinion and I will take it into serious consideration. I want to be able to practice with the self-defense ammo I plan to purchase. For me it makes little sense to purchase FMJs (in the case of my hand guns) if I'm not going to use them in a real life and death situation. And that includes having my red dot zeroed in for the particular ammo I will have loaded in my magazines. I want to practice with what I'll use in those kinds of situations. I have very good experience with the Winchester PDX-1 Defender ammo for my .40 caliber hand gun, but the Winchester Ranger Law Enforcement ammo are top-of-the-line in my personal experience. I see that they do make .223/64 ammo but there was a recall on them back in 2011. If they're up to par or if their .223/55 or whatever else they have for ARs are just as good as the ones I've used for my .40 full-sized hand gun, I won't hesitate to get as many boxes as I can of these Winchester Rangers if and when I see them. I may try all types of brands and suitable grains for my particular rifle (except the dreaded PMC Korean brand) but I've yet to find a range nearby where I can fire my rifle. If I need to purchase bulk ammo urgently, at least I'll have an idea what brands and grains to get right away and which ones to stay away from.

 

[Edknn123]

Each rifle is different as to what brand, weight, and type of bullet it likes best. Your plan on trying out some of each is a good idea.

As far as what type of bullet to get will depend somewhat on where you live. If in an housing development, where homes are closer together, a frangible or a hunting round designed for quick expansion might be your best choice. To minimize the possibility of a missed shot exiting your house and entering your neighbors.

If things are a little more open, then a more hardy bullet might be better. You will still want expansion but it can be at a slower rate. You'll want something with a soft tip. A full metal jacket round will just punch through and move on until it looses enough energy to stop in something else.

Full metal jacket rounds and match rounds are for the range where there is a solid backstop.

Do soft points cycle in the Sport II? I have a .30 carbine that eats them up, but others say their MI Carbines won't feed them reliably. Waiting for my AR to come next week.

 

[Edknn123]

I own at leat 25 different AR's and they all work just fine with the "cheap" Russian stuff! Pay more if you want. I've been shooting the cheap Russian ammo for many years now and have never found it to be a problem.

I called S&W customer service today with a question. The conversation drifted to ammo. He said to not use any steel or imported ammo. I asked about PMC and Wolf Gold, he was adamant about only American made ammo. I know their are 2 sides when it comes to shooting steel, but these are brass cased ammo by major players in the market. He kept saying it could blow up the guns due to higher pressures. I never heard of Smith only recommending American made ammo before.

 

[sgtsandman]

Do soft points cycle in the Sport II? I have a .30 carbine that eats them up, but others say their MI Carbines won't feed them reliably. Waiting for my AR to come next week.

I don't see why they shouldn't. The only issue I've ever seen with rounds not feeding is hollow points and that was in pistols. I've never seen a rifle having a problem with feeding ammo unless there was a something wrong with the rifle or the magazine. Of course, pistol hollow points tend to have huge, gaping holes for hollow points, where rifles tend to be much smaller.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I called S&W customer service today with a question. The conversation drifted to ammo. He said to not use any steel or imported ammo. I asked about PMC and Wolf Gold, he was adamant about only American made ammo. I know their are 2 sides when it comes to shooting steel, but these are brass cased ammo by major players in the market. He kept saying it could blow up the guns due to higher pressures. I never heard of Smith only recommending American made ammo before.

He's misinformed.

 

[sgtsandman]

Do soft points cycle in the Sport II? I have a .30 carbine that eats them up, but others say their MI Carbines won't feed them reliably. Waiting for my AR to come next week.

I called S&W customer service today with a question. The conversation drifted to ammo. He said to not use any steel or imported ammo. I asked about PMC and Wolf Gold, he was adamant about only American made ammo. I know their are 2 sides when it comes to shooting steel, but these are brass cased ammo by major players in the market. He kept saying it could blow up the guns due to higher pressures. I never heard of Smith only recommending American made ammo before.

There is nothing wrong with any of those rounds as long as you understand the capabilities and limitations of them. Many here have run steel and had no problems. If you think you will ever want to reload, you will want only brass cased cartridges. Most bulk ammo will not give you the accuracy of a premium round (but some rifles actually shoot better with bulk ammo) but is accurate enough to have some fun at the range and to serve as a "just in case" stash.

As far as the ammunition blowing up the rifles, yeah no. That is a bunch of BS. As you browse around, you will see threads on the subject but shooting 5.56 NATO, 5.56x45, or .223 Remington ammunition will function perfectly fine in a 5.56 chambered rifle like the M&P15.

 

[Edknn123]

He's misinformed.

I knew that, just wonder what else he has told people.