Mk318 vs 5.56 75gr TAP

[Jack-O]

my vote is for the 60gr Nosler Partition FTW to 500 yards.

[Altair]

They also tend to give better wound potential after barriers, while actually penetrating less through the bad guy on unobstructed shots.

The base of the Mk318 will zip right through the target after the nose frags off, while bullets like the Tactical Bonded tend to hold together in a large classic mushroom shape.

Shooting through glass the bonded bullets hold together, the Mk318 spits a .22cal wadcutter through the glass. While this will penetrate well it won't make as wide of a hole in tissue as the bonded rounds.

This post nails it. The Mk 318 will overpenetrate and won't do as much damage after barriers. The end user will have to decide if, with that in mind, the Mk 318 fits their needs.

For home defense, I don't think it does. For outdoor conflict with large groups of hostiles it does. The latter is far more likely, so premium barrier rounds make more sense to me. If you wanna get a few hundred rounds of good barrier ammo and then stock a few thousand Mk318's, that's fine too.

[Altair]

For any civilian purpose including vehicles and glass and if cost is not an issue, is there any reason why Barnes 50gr TSX for close range or 62gr TSX for longer ranges would not be one of the better choices?

This assumes over penetration is not a concern.

The 50gr TSX is a good choice when overpenetration is a concern. It was designed with LE use in mind.

The 62gr will penetrate more, but makes a good extended range round. I like it because, unlike the 70gr, it will work in 1:9 barrels. There are lots and lots of 1:9's out there.

[kenndapp]

So in summary....... is it safe to say thY while mk318 is not the best choice for duty ammo, it is still a damn fine choice ? Is that a fair assessment ?

[Swstock]

So in summary....... is it safe to say thY while mk318 is not the best choice for duty ammo, it is still a damn fine choice ? Is that a fair assessment ?

I bought 500 rounds of it last month, and Ill be ordering another 500 based on Doc's comment:

"At this time, given the current ammo choices available via the standard green/white side military supply system, for a general purpose carbine, I'd load my mags with Mk318 Mod0 if available."

I understand that a 50gr tsx would be better, but I cant justify spending the current price of it on a "what if" scenario. I spent $400 for those 500 rounds when BH 50gr tsx would have been $700.

My mk318 is getting stored.

[DocGKR]

If you are in the military and procure your ammunition through the standard green/white side military supply system, then Mk318 is the way to go. If you are not in the military and are not restricted to ammo with a NSN, then there are far better choices.

Mk318 is a great military load for use under current LOW requirements, but for CONUS LE or self-defense use, why would anyone choose to use non-bonded 5.56 mm SOST over a quality barrier blind load like TBBC, Win bonded, Speer Gold Dot/Fed Fusion, Rem CLUB, Nosler Partition, or the BH 50 gr TSX??? That is not logical thinking...

The Federal XM223SP1 is selling for around .50/cart and is superior to the T556TNB1 Mk318 that is typically selling for 50% higher cost.

[Swstock]

If you are in the military and procure your ammunition through the standard green/white side military supply system, then Mk318 is the way to go. If you are not in the military and are not restricted to ammo with a NSN, then there are far better choices.

Mk318 is a great military load for use under current LOW requirements, but for CONUS LE or self-defense use, why would anyone choose to use non-bonded 5.56 mm SOST over a quality barrier blind load like TBBC, Win bonded, Speer Gold Dot/Fed Fusion, Rem CLUB, Nosler Partition, or the BH 50 gr TSX??? That is not logical thinking...

The Federal XM223SP1 is selling for around .50/cart and is superior to the T556TNB1 Mk318 that is typically selling for 50% higher cost.

Thanks, thats what I will start buying now. I missed the first half of that

I was also going by "Another acceptable 5.56 mm loading is the Speer 55 gr Gold Dot JSP; the Federal 5.56 mm 62 gr Mk318 Mod0 (T556TNB1) is also a potential option"

I looked up LE223T1 and LE22T3, and they were terribly expensive.

I also totally f'n missed "along with loads using Nosler 60 gr Partition JSP, Remington 62 gr Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded JSP (PRC223R4), .223 Federal 55 gr TSX (T223S), and the .223 Speer 55 & 64 gr Gold Dot JSP's (and identically constructed Federal 62 gr Fusion JSP and Federal XM223SP1 62gr Bonded JSP). "

[tpd223]

You have a source for that ind of price Doc? I'm not finding it anywhere better than .75 per round

[Altair]

You have a source for that ind of price Doc? I'm not finding it anywhere better than .75 per round

Early this year I was looking for the best bargain on bulk defensive ammo and was looking at the Mk318. After doing some research, and finding Doc's comments in the XM223SP1, I decided to pick up 2500 rounds of the XM223SP1 from Palmetto State Armory at .50/round early this year.

It currently shows out of stock, but I expect the price to be the same when they get more.

http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/223-556-ammo.php

[krichbaum]

I asked Palmetto if they would be getting any more of the xm223sp1 in, and they said "That was a contract overrun, and we do not expect to be able to stock it again at this time." I'm not sure why they'd still show it on the website as "temporarily out of stock" if they don't expect to have more...maybe they're as hopeful as I am. I bought a small amount of it planning to test it out then buy a good bit more, then found it was sold out.

I have searched quite a bit and I haven't found it available anywhere lately.