[MosinRuger]

I have recently been turned on to this particular ammo. I love hornady and this seems like a great bargain. hornady bullets and lake city brass/loading.

they have a wide variety of .223 / 5.56 loads. I recently picked up some of the 55 grain BTHP match rounds. Im also thinking about getting some of the 62 gr bthp match rounds as well. every ballistic chart i look at 62 grain carries more energy than 55 gr except in the 1st 50 yards. funny thing is at farther distances the 62 gr carries more velocity than the 55 too.

Im limited by the 1/9 twist of my barrel otherwise id try some 75 gr. I have tested up to 68 gr and while they didn't do too bad I have had the best accuracy with loads 62 grains and under. I swear i looked high an low but didnt see the 62 gr bthp on the shelf although the cabelas website said they have it in stock in store.

so long story short has anyone shoot this stuff yet? what do you think?

Cabelas seems to have a literal ton of it and at decent prices for what seems to be good quality.

 

[MosinRuger]

OK so im going to stock up on a few boxes of this stuff, would you choose 55 gn bthp or 62 gr bthp. mostly range use but could also be used for hunting/ sd in a pinch.

this is from a 16" 1/9 twist and within 500 yards

Im leaning 62 grain becuase it carries more energy farther, also since we arent talking FMJ terminal performance isnt limited to yaw/ tumble to create fragmentation. the bthp even though not designed to will induce expansion and tumbling/ yaw/ fragmentation even at much lower velocities than the fmj requires.

so while for fmj 55 gr might be better i think when talking about bthp the benefits of the 55 gr(higher velocity) are negated and the extra weight of the 62 gr is more beneficial.

 

[MosinRuger]

I bought a few boxes of the 5.56 62 gr bthp. really excited abut this round.

what do you guys think about the 62 gr bthp as a GP go to kinda round?

 

[runfiverun]

I just seen this.
with your shorter barrel the 62gr is your best bet.
a hollow point designation is basically meaningless when it comes to a bullet.
they can have a thin jacket with pure lead all the way to the point and be a varmint bullet or it can be a thick jacket with a harder low tin core set down and away from the nose and act like a FMJ.
or it can be striated to only open the nose so much before it hits the lead alloy core, and have a tapered jacket which gives a very controlled expansion like the 25 Cal. 120gr HP Hornady puts out.
it's one of the toughest bullets available for the 25 cal. rifles.
construction always trumps name designation.

 

[EtherialOne]

Just my opinion but with a 1:9 twist both should work well, and I would likely get some of each and play with them and see what works best for your primary use and then stock up primarily on that.

Personally I prefer to keep both 55gr and 62gr on hand but primarily 62gr since they should work well with 1:7-9. The other thing is that the 55gr should have less penetration, which is sometimes desirable, and if you have any older rifles with longer twist rates (I have one with a 1:11) even the 62gr rounds don't stabilize well.

 

[MosinRuger]

well guys i have tested it twice now and can conclusively say that at least in my rifle this ammo doesnt shoot worth crap. I mean it functions well but the groups are terrible; like twice the size of 55gj fmj terrible. I mean i didnt expect match grade accuracy but i expected at least as good as or slightly better than regular ole 55g fmj 5.56.

heres my 100 yard target from today. you can see the difference in both the 55 and 62 gr frontier bullets(upper left and right)

 

[MosinRuger]

yes, that is blood on the target, i managed to staple through the backing and right into my left middle finger.. at least it wasnt the trigger finger.

 

[jerry]

yes, that is blood on the target, i managed to staple through the backing and right into my left middle finger.. at least it wasnt the trigger finger.

I’ve done that. Hurts. Thanks for the report.

 

[ChaZam]

Im limited by the 1/9 twist of my barrel otherwise id try some 75 gr.

I just saw this post I guess and thank you for the report on that ammo.
As per the part of your post #1 that I quoted regarding your twist rate, might I suggest rebarreling your rifle with a 1-8 or 1-7 twist barrel or even buying a barreled upper. Perhaps even a .223 Wylde chamber, that would allow you to still shoot the 5.56 x 45 NATO stuff yet would possibly yield a wee bit more accuracy out of some of the match loads available or some of the hand loads you might assemble. Those AR parts are as cheap as I've ever seen them, and Santa could maybe find a barrel source.

 

[MosinRuger]

I just saw this post I guess and thank you for the report on that ammo.
As per the part of your post #1 that I quoted regarding your twist rate, might I suggest rebarreling your rifle with a 1-8 or 1-7 twist barrel or even buying a barreled upper. Perhaps even a .223 Wylde chamber, that would allow you to still shoot the 5.56 x 45 NATO stuff yet would possibly yield a wee bit more accuracy out of some of the match loads available or some of the hand loads you might assemble. Those AR parts are as cheap as I've ever seen them, and Santa could maybe find a barrel source.

oh trust me, I have been looking at uppers alot lately, along with a 1-6 scope to eek a bit more accuracy out of it. I really want a 18" Heavy or medium profile .223 wylde. looking for something on the cheaper side. during black friday i just couldnt afford it, now that i can alot of the good deals and inventory is gone.

 

[ChaZam]

oh trust me, I have been looking at uppers alot lately, along with a 1-6 scope to eek a bit more accuracy out of it. I really want a 18" Heavy or medium profile .223 wylde. looking for something on the cheaper side. during black friday i just couldnt afford it, now that i can alot of the good deals and inventory is gone.

How about these choices for a barrel?

https://www.classicfirearms.com/ar-barrel-18-parkerized-1in7-heavy-barrel/
https://www.classicfirearms.com/ar15-18-socom-barrel-223-wylde-parkerized/

 

[MosinRuger]

also, kee in mind, as i have to keep reminding myself, the role of this rifle is not to be a precision long range gun. its a lightweight, jack of all trades master of none sorta role. so im happy with the accuracy potential of the rifle as is. this post is part of my quest to find a good all around round to stock up on. im starting to learn that that might just be good ole 55 gr fmj. i wanted to give this frontier a chance but it has failed in my book. its slightly more expensive than fmj and less accurate.

 

[ChaZam]

Or maybe this one?
https://www.classicfirearms.com/ar15-16-barrel-223-wylde-straight-parkerized/

 

[MosinRuger]

wow those are good deals! I was more looking for a complete upper. my thought is to make my current carbine barreled upper a true lightweight carbine and then have a heavier dedicated spr upper.

 

[MosinRuger]

I like the SOCOM barrel you posted Chazam

 

[MosinRuger]

i might consider one of those barrels. that last one would be a direct swap on part to my current upper carbine gas tube and Handguard.

 

[ChaZam]

Here's a decent price on an assembled upper with free shipping but less the BCG and charging handle.
***********
https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa...-m-lok-upper-without-bcg-or-ch-516446013.html

 

[MosinRuger]

I know im looking at that one already chazam, I just really wanted a black barrel. not really crazy about the bright stainless, plus i want a heavier barrel.

there is no rush, im just going to wait until/when i find the right one.

 

[Junction15]

It might not work well at all but, I'd try few rounds of your 75 gr Match ammo before you yank the barrel. If nothing else, you will confirm you are right.

 

[writerinmo]

How about these choices for a barrel?

https://www.classicfirearms.com/ar-barrel-18-parkerized-1in7-heavy-barrel/
https://www.classicfirearms.com/ar15-18-socom-barrel-223-wylde-parkerized/

Those will be from Bear Creek.