223 Federal LE Tactical TRU 55gr

[JimBow]

I took a Rifle class in Greencastle Ind. last Dec at the end of the class the instructor who is also a police officer, recommended this round. .223 Federal LE Tactical TRU 55gr. He said it's what they all use. I have found very little Terminal balistics data about this round. I have heard mixed messages about the balistic tip ammo. Any advise or info would be appreciated. thanks Jim

[RyanB]

Great ammo, does especially well on barriers from short barrels.

[DocGKR]

JimBow--Depends on which Federal 55 gr load you are speaking about; the 55 gr Fed Tactical load using the TBBC JSP projectile (LE223T1) is one of the best .223 loads currently available with very good soft tissue and intermediate barrier capabilities. On the other hand, if you are referring to the 55 gr Federal TRU load (T223F) using a PT style bullet, then it is a poor performer with woeful barrier abilities. But hey, don't listen to me, why not read what Federal Cartridge LE has publicly written about these loads: http://le.atk.com/pdf/223RifleDataBook_vol-1.pdf.

Just about every researcher involved in would ballistic studies over the last decade agrees with what goes into making a good rifle load; my thoughts are listed here: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=22323. In a recent professional briefing, some of the ideal characteristics a duty rifle cartridge should possess were described as:

-- Penetration of 12 to 18 inches
-- No impact AOA induced variations
-- Blind to barriers
-- No deviation from shot line after impact
-- Minimal fragmentation
-- Consistent terminal performance from 0 – 300 meters
-- Sufficient accuracy to hit threat targets out to 600 meters

Which Federal Cartridge load most closely meets the above requirements?

Anyone that would willingly choose the T223F over the LE223T1 for the majority of duty purposes is a complete idiot...

[JimBow]

Yes he was reffering to the T223F. he even passed it around the class to show everyone what the best round was. He seemed very concerned with not having too much penetration, espically on interior walls. I have a couple boxes of it and plan to use them on coyotes. I would imagine they would make a good varmit load if anything.

[RyanB]

Might as well stick to VMAXs for coyotes, cheaper and probably more effective.

We shot the 55gr TBBC into a car from 20 and 11 inch barrels. It performs much better from shirt barrels against steel. Holds together better.

[JimBow]

Thanks for your reply DocGKR both here and Warrior Talk. As for the Coyotes seeing as I already have a couple boxes of the T223F that's what I'm going to use. From the data I've seen (from DocGKR) the round is better suited for varmits.

[RyanB]

Dammit I keep confusing myself as to which is which. My bad. This is what I get for posting on my mobile. Carry on.

[DocGKR]

JimBow--Look carefully at the penetration numbers provided by ATK for both their rifle and pistol loads––typical duty handgun projectiles are going to penetrate just as deeply, if not more so than ANY 5.56 mm loading. Logically then I would expect that the officer/instructor in question would have expressed alarm about his much deeper penetrating duty handgun loads having "too much penetration" on interior walls...did he do that?

[RPD03]

We were stuck with the T223F by our old chief who thought he knew everything. I can tell you from personal experience that it sucks against barriers (auto glass in this case). I fought hard to get the Federal Tactical (62gr) but got the Speer Gold Dot 64gr instead (some sort of available issue) and much of the info was directly from DocGKR. Haven't had to use it yet but I'm glad we've made the change.

[ack495]

I presented info from DocGKR to my department and got them to switch from XM193 to Federal tactical 62gr. I am transferring to another department in a few weeks that uses Winchester ranger 55gr ballistic silvertip which I believe is similar to the T223F. Hopefully after a few months of getting to know people I can get them to switch to something better. Don't want to be the new guy trying to change things right away.

[JimBow]

To answer the question DocGKR , no he did not mention anything about handgun penetration. I am surprised at the number of LEOs that are issued these rounds or rounds like these.