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I've never paid attention to the grain of a round before while shooting issued weapons. I just loaded what I was given, but now that I've ordered my own I'm starting to concider the effects of different loads. How does one determine which load works best with their barrel, and the effects of 5.56 or 223? I ordered a DDm4vll mil spec+ with a 16" 1:7 twist.
Coal Dragger
11-01-15, 12:20
Your 1:7 barrel will stabilize any round you can buy commercially, and any round you might reload (if you decide to make your own) that will fit in the magazine.
The 1:7 twist being faster than 1:9 (most common non NATO twist rate these days) will have a higher probability of favoring bullets 60gr or heavier up to about 90gr although the heaviest you're going to find that can be magazine loaded will be 77gr Sierra Match Kings. Please note that 1:7 barrels can shoot lighter bullets well, but you will have to test loads to verify this. Most people shoot 55gr XM193 type ammo out of 1:7 barrels with good results, and my 1:7 barrels both shoot 55gr pretty well.
The 5.56 NATO vs .223 for your purposes doesn't matter much, you have a NATO chamber with a longer throat that will accommodate higher pressure 5.56 loadings, and .223 which is a bit lower pressure.
The 1:7 twist will give better stability to the longer bullets than the slower twists will. That said, every barrel is s law unto itself and the only way to find out what will shoot well is to shoot the rifle. Buy a sample of the ammo you want to try and shot it to see if it gives you the performance you need
PS- 223 ammo fired in a true SAAMI spec 223 chamber makes about the same pressure as 5.56 ammo fired in a 5.56 chamber. It just does not reach its full pressure when fired in a 5.56 chamber
I've never paid attention to the grain of a round before while shooting issued weapons. I just loaded what I was given, but now that I've ordered my own I'm starting to concider the effects of different loads. How does one determine which load works best with their barrel, and the effects of 5.56 or 223? I ordered a DDm4vll mil spec+ with a 16" 1:7 twist.
Works best for accuracy?
What are YOU capable of?
Get some 77gr otms, 75 gr otms from hornady, black hills, asym precission, etc
Get some 60 gr tap
Get some American Eagle black box 50 gr varmint ammo from palmetto state Armory for $8/20 rds.
One of these at least should post groups , 10 shot, less.than 1.5" extreme spread. Maybe all will.
For actual practice/use. Find a load to stock up on with good terminal performance, and find a cheap load with similar ballistics for practice.
223/556, I don't worry about it. You may see some slight poi changes at extended range.
Sight in with actual "duty" ammo. Practice with cheap. Understand any poi differ3nces.
How does one determine which load works best with their barrel, and the effects of 5.56 or 223?
It's more like you pick the load based on your perceived needs ( accuracy, terminal performance, barrier penetration, cost ) and then verify your rifle shoots it acceptably.
Most likely it does, great, you're done.
Buy more of that ammo and drive on.
On the small chance it doesn't shoot acceptably, try the second choice ammo or swap the upper and repeat the process.
You have to just jump in and try some different types and weights of ammo. Are you looking for maximum accuracy at 100 or 300 yards? OR most lethal at close distances? Those are the types of questions you might ask yourself.
The rifle will tell you what it likes best with some experimentation. Just know that a good barrel/rifle cannot make crappy ammo shoot accurately.
The best ammo for a given task is not necessarily the most accurate for your rifle. And the most accurate round for your rifle might not be the best for the task.
JMHO
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll just grab a few different grains to see if I can tell the difference and see which one I like best before I buy bulk.
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll just grab a few different grains to see if I can tell the difference and see which one I like best before I buy bulk.
What do you want to stock up for? Self defense ammo? Practice ammo? Long range shooting ammo? Varmint hunting ammo? What do you want your stash to do?
If you explain your goals, we may be able to point you in a more specific direction and save you time and money.
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll just grab a few different grains to see if I can tell the difference and see which one I like best before I buy bulk.
If you just want to have some bulk on hand in case of emergency, buy a case of M855 or M193 or Wolf Gold. You can keep that while you are trying out other types. The M855, M193/Wolf Gold is fine for practice/plinking and at least you'll have something on hand. M855 is one of the main rounds I keep in bulk because it is cheap I also keep some M193 and Magtec CBC Mk262 which is very accurate out of my rifles.
G&R Tactical MagTech CBC Mk262 clone (http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=CBC556C&reference=/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi%3Fsearch%3Daction%26keywords%3D%26searchstart%3D9%26template%3DPDGCommTemplates/FullNav/SearchResult.html%26category%3DMAGT)
This is a very good price for really good ammo.
The plan is paper, but you never know what you'll use them for until you do. I want mostly target, and a few mags ready for SD.
The plan is paper, but you never know what you'll use them for until you do. I want mostly target, and a few mags ready for SD.
Go to the local vendors and grab a selection of whats available on the ground to you. that way if you like it, you know a local source to get more.
Then go to the range and shoot it. Take notes, save targets, observe how the weapon functions (if it can't cycle reliable, it dosen't matter how accurate it is).
Once you have some intial findings branch out to the on line vendors and try some more rounds.
Then once you find what you like, order in bulk. That way you have it in case of a scare, plus you get better consistancy if you stay in the batch and lot number.
FYI Grainage or bullet weight isn't the sole deciding factor in round accuracy. Velocity, length of the bullet and other factors have a vote. Dig throught some of the knowledge threads here and give Molon's posts a read. He does a lot of in depth technical posts and accuracy tests.
Welcome to M4carbine.net
This is really being overthought. If your plan is to shoot "paper" there are metric assloads of ammo out there to fill that role. If you are looking for loads to use for defensive purposes that (can) be something entirely different. The stuff I plink with, isn't what I carry in my magazines for SD. But, all the ammo I have can do that if needed. Shot placement is the key.
The distances that you plan on doing "self defense" are such that the accuracy is going to be negligible.
That is a good price on fusion. I bought some a few weeks back at $11.99 and thought I got a good deal. Might need to pick some more up....
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