Which .556 to buy in bulk??

[TomMcC]

What is the difference on ammo that starts with an X? Xm193 vs M193
Or M855 vs XM855


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It seems to be ATK's way of distinguishing their ammo from ammo that actually and up-front meets the milspec (M193, M855). No manufacturer that I'm aware of claims to actually meet the milspec. Do all these M193 clones come close? Probably.

[ra2bach]

What is the difference on ammo that starts with an X? Xm193 vs M193
Or M855 vs XM855


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my understanding is X is their bulk packed ammo and not first quality. I have received some with dented cases and significant tarnish. I found a few out of every case that wouldn't cycle in my gun...

[C4IGrant]

my understanding is X is their bulk packed ammo and not first quality. I have received some with dented cases and significant tarnish. I found a few out of every case that wouldn't cycle in my gun...

The Govt pays for brass from lake city whether it meets specs or not (tax payer dollars at work). When brass does not pass for the .Mil contract, it is sold or used on the commercial side. Typically, the brass just has discoloration or a dent in it. In some instances though, the vent hole between the primer and the powder is out of spec (too big). This results in a KABOOM! Most every AR I have ever seen blown up was from an "X" load (XM193, XM855). The round that cooked off in my AR during a class and nearly blew off my foot was an XM855 load.

This is why we no longer shoot X load's and also do not stock this ammo any more.



C4

[Kenneth]

The Govt pays for brass from lake city whether it meets specs or not (tax payer dollars at work). When brass does not pass for the .Mil contract, it is sold or used on the commercial side. Typically, the brass just has discoloration or a dent in it. In some instances though, the vent hole between the primer and the powder is out of spec (too big). This results in a KABOOM! Most every AR I have ever seen blown up was from an "X" load (XM193, XM855). The round that cooked off in my AR during a class and nearly blew off my foot was an XM855 load.

This is why we no longer shoot X load's and also do not stock this ammo any more.



C4

Holy crap I did not know this. I have shot a bunch of XM193 and thought it was good ammo. Now I know to look for M193 instead.

[markm]

Holy crap I did not know this. I have shot a bunch of XM193 and thought it was good ammo. Now I know to look for M193 instead.

Slow down, Buddy. You should look at this in the Grand Scheme.....

No one knows exactly why any given lot of XM ammo is wearing the designation on the box. I don't care what they say.
XM193 has been produced in the BILLIONS since 2000. There is NO WAY that much bad brass has been produced. It'd be one of the worst manufacturing blunders in American History.

Military specs on the items produced for them have all kinds of whacky requirements..... Batches of brass can be bounced for any number of silly reasons. I'd guess that some may not have enough primer sealant or neck sealant at worst. Most likely this is simply overun NATO brass put into production.

Lastly... I've probably pulled apart more XM193 ammo here than anyone. Nothing I've found would be bad enough to even raise an eyebrow. I'm not capable of conducting an element analysis of the brass, but I'm willing to throw caution to the wind and roll forward without that info.

Finally.... M193 is a crude, nasty, ball ammo that MIGHT shoot 2 MOA on a good day. Lusting for "GOOD" M193 is nonsense. If you're stressing over ammo quality, you shouldn't be buying M193 in the first place. And for what it's worth, I'll take XM193 over some foreign crap ANY day of the week.

[heat-ar]

The Govt pays for brass from lake city whether it meets specs or not (tax payer dollars at work). When brass does not pass for the .Mil contract, it is sold or used on the commercial side. Typically, the brass just has discoloration or a dent in it. In some instances though, the vent hole between the primer and the powder is out of spec (too big). This results in a KABOOM! Most every AR I have ever seen blown up was from an "X" load (XM193, XM855). The round that cooked off in my AR during a class and nearly blew off my foot was an XM855 load.

This is why we no longer shoot X load's and also do not stock this ammo any more.



C4

This is good know.

[markm]

This is good know.

No. There is NO WAY Federal/ATK is going to release a know dangerous product to the public. It's a liabilty NIGHTMARE.

Now is is conceivable that a piece of brass could have a large flash hole? Sure. No more risk for Lake City than any other ammo manufacturer.

In my opinion XM193 is loaded too hot. I don't shoot it for classes. And I no longer stash it because I've converted to all heavies.... 75-77 grain.

[Kenneth]

Well there is some different opinions out there I guess. Heck what am I saying. I'll shoot whatever I can get anyway at the moment.

[C4IGrant]

No. There is NO WAY Federal/ATK is going to release a know dangerous product to the public. It's a liabilty NIGHTMARE.

Now is is conceivable that a piece of brass could have a large flash hole? Sure. No more risk for Lake City than any other ammo manufacturer.

In my opinion XM193 is loaded too hot. I don't shoot it for classes. And I no longer stash it because I've converted to all heavies.... 75-77 grain.

This is actually incorrect from what I know. It is a calculated risk that the out of spec brass round will blow up a gun and they will have to buy them a new AR. It is far cheaper to do this than to throw away thousands and thousands of brass a year.

In the old days, the Govt paid for a rifle (no matter if it was in spec or not). The guns that did not pass inspection were typically sold to foreign militaries.

Another example of the above where the manufacturer looks the other way and just covers the cost of a malfunctioning gun is Remington and their 700's. Remington has always known that this gun could fire without pulling the trigger, but since it doesn't happen all that often, they accepted the risk.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/forums/gu...misfire-issues & http://www.cnbc.com/id/39554936

So it is somewhat naive to think that companies won't let out products that will either malfunction or blow up for sake of the all mighty dollar.



C4

[opngrnd]

Is the CBC stuff reloadable? Are the primers crimped into place?