5.56x45 Winchester 62gr Open Tip made by Lapua or Norma?

[Bret]

SGAmmo and a few others are selling Winchester 5.56x45 62gr Open Tip that is said to be made by Lapua. The label says made in Sweden, so I'm thinking perhaps it was made by Norma. Has anyone tried this? It's only slightly more expensive than regular M855. I wondering if it's loaded to Lapua's or Norma's typically higher standards with great quality cases or if it's pretty much just equivalent to M855. I bought a case to try out, but have not had a chance to hit the range yet.
https://i.postimg.cc/DfXrtYH8/Winchester-Lapua-62gr-OT-pack.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/1z70QxyN/Winchester-Lapua-62gr-OT-box.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Y0YQYhY1/Winchester-Lapua-62gr-OT-made-in.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/nzs4VdLS/Winchester-Lapua-62gr-OT-tip.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/sXtpMpQj/Winchester-Lapua-62gr-OT-headstamp.jpg

[artoter]

Have not even seen any of that around the gun stores in my area, but wish I would...I would try some of that out. Looks well made.

[opngrnd]

I've shot the Frontier 62gr BTHP. If it performs similar, you will probably be happy with it.

[FightinQ]

Lapua brass?? I need to find some and see how it shoots.

[mack7.62]

What makes you think it is Lapua or even Norma? From the primer crimp more likely it is loaded by RUAG or NAMMO. I am wondering if the bullet is supplied by Winchester and if it is the older FBI training ammo bullet, not a great bullet but still lots better than M855.

[opngrnd]

Any range reports yet?

[Bret]

Made in Sweden with a average velocity of 3,101fps, 16.1 std dev and 43 extreme spread out of a 16" barrel in 43deg weather.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xur1sKpHGfI&t

[opngrnd]

^much appreciated!

[richiecotite]

I’d love to know who made the brass...it looks like it’d be good for reloading.

Velocity out of 16” barrel also seems pretty zippy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pointblank4445]

What makes you think it is Lapua or even Norma? From the primer crimp more likely it is loaded by RUAG or NAMMO.

I can't remember how all this stuff intertwines, but Lapua is owned by Nammo and Norma/RUAG are together.

[pointblank4445]

Double Tap

[Ned Christiansen]

I bought some a few or several months ago and did not shoot it until today. Not a lot of it. It shot very well, actually shockingly well, at 300 YDS. Right about at 1 MOA. I say shockingly because although I don't remember what I paid for it I do remember it being very reasonable.... basically I ran out and bought some the very minute I found out it was Swedish-made.

That's one group only so before I declare "best stuff ever" I need to shoot some more but I can't deny a good first impression.

[pointblank4445]

I bought some a few or several months ago and did not shoot it until today. Not a lot of it. It shot very well, actually shockingly well, at 300 YDS. Right about at 1 MOA. I say shockingly because although I don't remember what I paid for it I do remember it being very reasonable.... basically I ran out and bought some the very minute I found out it was Swedish-made.

That's one group only so before I declare "best stuff ever" I need to shoot some more but I can't deny a good first impression.

My results were similar. I'm going to work up one of my guns specifically for it and see how far I can push it. I was getting 1.25 MOAish out of a CHF barrel. I want to say it's only 2cents more per round than XM193 and shoots WAAAAAYYYYY better

[Wake27]

I bought some a few or several months ago and did not shoot it until today. Not a lot of it. It shot very well, actually shockingly well, at 300 YDS. Right about at 1 MOA. I say shockingly because although I don't remember what I paid for it I do remember it being very reasonable.... basically I ran out and bought some the very minute I found out it was Swedish-made.

That's one group only so before I declare "best stuff ever" I need to shoot some more but I can't deny a good first impression.

Good to hear. I just bought 180 rounds to test alongside one or two other bulk loads. This has already been around longer than I expected, I hope it stays.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ned Christiansen]

Shot some more today and I'm impressed. For me it shoots better than anything else in the "training ammo" price range. $260 / 900 ($.29 / round) and in two rifles it stayed at a solid 1 to 1 1/8 MOA at 100 and 300 yards. For the price that does the deed for just about anything short of "must shoot smallest group possible".

Seems like one of the places offering it said "one time run" and others seem to be showing out of stock.... dunno about availability now or in the future but to me it looks like very good stuff.

Also have been shooting some Hornady Critical Defense 73 grainers. I got it mainly to check reliability with its not-very-pointed bullet; 100 rounds in, in 3-4 rifles with one even having the dreaded M4 feedramped upper receiver combo'd with a non-M4 barrel extension, feeding has been fine. Defying my expectations, it is 1 MOA ammo too.... tested at 100 and 300Y. At 100 it has the same POI as the above 62's and BHA 77's but has a bit more drop at 300 than 77 SMK's as one would expect. I even had chance to put one through glass and heavy clothing in FBI protocol gel testing and was surprised to see it did not turn to lead dust. Will get some pics and tighter specs up soon.

[SeriousStudent]

Ned, I ran some in a class two weeks ago and it was very good as well. No issues at all, and quite accurate.

[Wake27]

Glad to hear it. Mine should be here tomorrow so I can try it in my (hopefully) newly replaced BCM barrel. Sadly the KAC isn’t back from the factory but I’ll also rest it in my beater PSA that was able to do a 1” Group at 50.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[opngrnd]

Ned, I ran some in a class two weeks ago and it was very good as well. No issues at all, and quite accurate.

The Hornady or Winchester?

[Wake27]

Shot some more today and I'm impressed. For me it shoots better than anything else in the "training ammo" price range. $260 / 900 ($.29 / round) and in two rifles it stayed at a solid 1 to 1 1/8 MOA at 100 and 300 yards. For the price that does the deed for just about anything short of "must shoot smallest group possible".

Seems like one of the places offering it said "one time run" and others seem to be showing out of stock.... dunno about availability now or in the future but to me it looks like very good stuff.

SGAmmo still has a good amount.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ned Christiansen]

THe WW Sweden-made 62 grainers in a 20 Wilson Combat 8-twist, and an HM Defense 7-twist 16"-er, in several groups fired, have not yet gone over and inch at 100 yards. The pic shows also a 4 of 4-shots group on steel at 300 yards, 3". I was wrong about the Critical Defense, they are shooting about 1.3 MOA but that includes a few groups at 300y. The groups on paper were fired round-robbin, like WW, Hornady, BHA; WW, Hornady, BHA; WW, Hornady, BHA etc.

https://i.imgur.com/4Nd2TnE.jpg

[SeriousStudent]

The Hornady or Winchester?

It was the Winchester referenced in the above photos. Good stuff, ran like a champ.

[opngrnd]

Has anybody figured out the ballistic coefficient on these? If it's similar to the boat tail hollow point Hornady bullets that you can get at Mid-South, it would almost be too good to be true.

[pointblank4445]

Has anybody figured out the ballistic coefficient on these? If it's similar to the boat tail hollow point Hornady bullets that you can get at Mid-South, it would almost be too good to be true.

Having some issue with that as well...

I estimated a 0.155 G7 but that's just a wild guess based on what was in my app's bullet library at the time. Pending weather cooperation, I'm going to go out and try to fine-tune my dope at distance to calibrate the BC.

[Ned Christiansen]

I pulled one down last night. The bullet is not a boat tail but neither is it a flat bases, exactly. Kinda radius-heeled. Had I not already had good results on target with them I'da said "might not be impressive". Bullet is tar sealed but very slightly and right at the very base and it looked to me as if the tar remaining on the bullet would be simply hanging down into the case below the neck.... I'll look again atht the proportions. Ball powder charge of 26.0, case weight with tri-staked primer, 101.6. Actual bullet weight, sample of one, 61.5 to 61.8.

[Ned Christiansen]

A slight boat tail. A compound boat tail. A Swedish boat tail :-)

https://i.imgur.com/uX5u4LR.jpg

[Ned Christiansen]

Chrono yesterday.... Avg of five was 3134 (correction, 3121, range from 3105 to 3137) in a Wilson Combat 20" barrel. I didn't graph it in my old Saber Defence 24" but this barrel too put 5/5 into under 1" at 100Y. I did get one or two groups at about 1.5 but those are the first ones. All groups have been of five shots and nothing kicked out.

[Ned Christiansen]

I will gel-shoot one of these later this summer when we do testing, but in the meantime, preparatory to a ballistic rodent management research mission, I found some diet root beer in the basement and used it for the only thing it's good for-- shooting. I lined the five plastic bottles up and (ew, wait a minute, did someone drink one of these...?) shot them with some varmint loads with a particle board backer as an indicator of how much the bullets were disrupting. As expected, Hornady V-Max, Barnes Varmint Grenades, and Nosler Varmageddons turned the bottles inside out, spraying the offensive substance everywhere, and little in the way of solid chunks came out the back. These 62's, as expected, poked right through leaving a small inny and a small outy without much further damage to the bottle, passing through the backer and the 4X4 backing the backer.

[Esq.]

I bought the last 4 full cases Sam had. For me, it has averaged 5 shot groups of 1.25 MOA across 4 SPR type rifles. Good ammo for the money and I'm betting the brass is excellent for reloading....

[Ned Christiansen]

I'll bet you're right and even though I reload mostly with pre-prepped brass from Everglades or mountaineerbrass@ymail.com, I'm keeping this brass separate to give it a try.