MK262

[Army of One]

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it. Last time I actually purchased ammo had to be about a decade ago, and it was MK262.

Anything else I should be looking at besides MK262? This is an AR platform, 16" Proof barrel.

 

[Huskydriver]

Uh yea... What actually shoots the best in your rifle since you are reloading

 

[Trigger Monkey]

IMI Razore Core 77gr match is pretty close to MK262 velocities and is sub-MOA accurate in my rifles. Black Hills 5.56 77gr match is basically civilian Mk262.

 

[S197]

I have been very happy with ADI 55 SBK and it is fairly priced

 

[Coffee_and_Pipes]

I’ll second ADI working well.

 

[Nik H]

IMI Razore Core 77gr match is pretty close to MK262 velocities and is sub-MOA accurate in my rifles. Black Hills 5.56 77gr match is basically civilian Mk262.

IMI has always worked well for me. Good price as well

 

[nn8734]

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it.

What does this mean? Are you still reloading or have you stopped?

IMI Razor Core is good ammo, Black Hills 77g OTM Match (red box) is identical to Mk262 Mod 1....Be wary of Hornady Superformance 75g 5.56 Nato as it tends to be too hot, even for 5.56 Nato and 223 Wylde chambers.

Blasting ammo: IMI XM193 5.56 NATO 55g.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

I never had much luck with Hornady .223/5.56 ammunition save for their 75 gr BTHP match and a couple of their Black loadings. .223 ELD-M factory match and Hornady frontier shot like hell which is a bummer because their 6.5 CM and 6 CM ELD-M match ammo usually shot really well in my bolt guns...I dunno. Goes to show every barrel is a rule unto itself I suppose.

 

[Pappasniper]

Black hills is the best ammo on planet earth in 556 in my estimation. Their combination of accuracy and velocity is hard to duplicate even hand loading. But it’s so hard to find and $$$$ if you can find it. The razor core is the next best thing and that is much more available. Note last time I bought factory 556 I bought AAC 77’s and my batch was hotter than fuck. Primer popping ammo that exhausted me.
Good luck finding some good ammo.
PB

 

[Army of One]

What does this mean? Are you still reloading or have you stopped?

IMI Razor Core is good ammo, Black Hills 77g OTM Match (red box) is identical to Mk262 Mod 1....Be wary of Hornady Superformance 75g 5.56 Nato as it tends to be too hot, even for 5.56 Nato and 223 Wylde chambers.

Blasting ammo: IMI XM193 5.56 NATO 55g.

Decided to take a break from reloading (stopped).

Thanks for the leads. In chasing the leads, not much Black Hills or IMI available, and wow, the prices are way up there!

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Have you been away from shooting for a while? Factory ammo in any caliber has basically doubled in price with half the availability for like the last four years.

 

[Army of One]

Nope, haven't been away from shooting, but have been away from factory ammo for at least a decade. Only ammo I've purchased during that time is Rimfire ammo.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

 

[Army of One]

Noooooooo! I want the blue pill....

LOL!

 

[Trigger Monkey]

You can try to slum it with AAC ammo.....

https://palmettostatearmory.com/aac-5-56-nato-77-grain-otm-20rd-box-ammunition.html

 

[clcustom1911]

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it. Last time I actually purchased ammo had to be about a decade ago, and it was MK262.

Anything else I should be looking at besides MK262? This is an AR platform, 16" Proof barrel.

AAC 5.56 77gr Matchking OR their house brand 77gr to very well. 2750fps from my 18" Mk12... on par with Mk262

 

[ozarak]

What does this mean? Are you still reloading or have you stopped?

IMI Razor Core is good ammo, Black Hills 77g OTM Match (red box) is identical to Mk262 Mod 1....Be wary of Hornady Superformance 75g 5.56 Nato as it tends to be too hot, even for 5.56 Nato and 223 Wylde chambers.

Blasting ammo: IMI XM193 5.56 NATO 55g.

Black Hills red box 5.56 77gr OTM is not identical to MK262 Mod 1 anymore.....it now uses a Hornady 77gr bullet instead of the SMK.

 

[nn8734]

Black Hills red box 5.56 77gr OTM is not identical to MK262 Mod 1 anymore.....it now uses a Hornady 77gr bullet instead of the SMK.

Wonder when they made that switch....I would imagine the ballistics are very similar to the "old" BH stuff with the Sierra MK unless the Hornady bullet is materially better or worse performing.

 

[bfoosh006]

The first batches of AAC / PSA 77gr ammo was to hot.... both the AAC 77gr SMK load and the AAC 77gr ( in house made bullet ) load.

They have since backed off the initial powder charge weight, and it is a very viable alternative, at a lower price.
If you are fussy about packaging, you might not like it, Lol.... they are loose in the 20rd box. That never mattered to me, I just want to shoot it.
The adjusted charge weight change also helped better SD and ES figures.

ADI has been mentioned, and the 69gr SMK load is pretty danged good as well.

 

[ozarak]

View attachment 8338788

Wonder when they made that switch....I would imagine the ballistics are very similar to the "old" BH stuff with the Sierra MK unless the Hornady bullet is materially better or worse performing.

The change to the Hornady bullet was around this time last year. It's performance is VERY similar. Very doubtful the average shooter and likely even a very good shooter would be able to see any difference.

 

[bfoosh006]

Black Hills red box 5.56 77gr OTM is not identical to MK262 Mod 1 anymore.....it now uses a Hornady 77gr bullet instead of the SMK.

Where did you read / see this ?... specifically the Hornady bullet part .

Every can / box I have seen lately says, " MK 262 MOD 1-C , 77 GR SIERRA OTM"

It is my understanding, the Mod 1-C ( Commercial ) just doesn't get subjected to the all the required strict US Mil testing.

The accuracy testing is still the same.

 

[nn8734]

Where did you read / see this ?... specifically the Hornady bullet part .

Every can / box I have seen lately says, " MK 262 MOD 1-C , 77 GR SIERRA OTM"

It is my understanding, the Mod 1-C ( Commercial ) just doesn't get subjected to the all the required strict US Mil testing.

The accuracy testing is still the same.

Here's the only thing I was able to locate on it, website is "KIR Ammo" - scroll to the bottom and they mention the Hornady 77g bullet being used in the ammo..Never heard of them, know nothing about them or their business-just found them in a Google search. Also can't locate a separate listing for Hornady's 77g OTM...Found plenty of websites selling Sierra's, Nosler's, Lapua's and Berger's but not Hornady's 77g OTM.

I don't ever buy factory ammo, apart once in a blue moon for T/E purposes, reload only so I don't keep up on all the latest developments.

 

[bfoosh006]

Here's the only thing I was able to locate on it, website is "KIR Ammo" - scroll to the bottom and they mention the Hornady 77g bullet being used in the ammo..Never heard of them, know nothing about them or their business-just found them in a Google search. Also can't locate a separate listing for Hornady's 77g OTM...Found plenty of websites selling Sierra's, Nosler's, Lapua's and Berger's but not Hornady's 77g OTM.

I don't ever buy factory ammo, apart once in a blue moon for T/E purposes, reload only so I don't keep up on all the latest developments.

Ok... I'd bet the linked upper description is a snafu.
On the same page, but lower down it says.... ( in the middle )
"Bullet Style............Sierra MatchKing Open Tip"

And then it repeats the Hornady "2.Bullet Type: Hornady Open Tip Match" at the bottom'ish.

Thank You.

 

[nn8734]

Ok... I'd bet the linked upper description is a snafu.
On the same page, but lower down it says.... ( in the middle )
"Bullet Style............Sierra MatchKing Open Tip"

And then it repeats the Hornady "2.Bullet Type: Hornady Open Tip Match" at the bottom'ish.

Thank You.

You're welcome...could very well be but that is literally the only reference on-line I can find and nothing on the 77g Hornady projectile...If I cared enough, I'd call black hills on Monday to ask but it's not that critical for me since I don't rely on factory ammo for anything...My clone of Mk262 Mod 1 flies just like the real thing, literally within .1mil ele drop at 700-800m and .75-1.00 MOA out of my Mk12 Mod 1 (1.5-3MOA at 100m on avg out of my carbines w/ non magnified optics) and I use all the same components, except the powder (mine uses AA2520 while Black Hills uses a non-cannister grade powder, AFAIK).

 

[tucaz]

The first batches of AAC / PSA 77gr ammo was to hot.... both the AAC 77gr SMK load and the AAC 77gr ( in house made bullet ) load.

They have since backed off the initial powder charge weight, and it is a very viable alternative, at a lower price.
If you are fussy about packaging, you might not like it, Lol.... they are loose in the 20rd box. That never mattered to me, I just want to shoot it.
The adjusted charge weight change also helped better SD and ES figures.

ADI has been mentioned, and the 69gr SMK load is pretty danged good as well.

i’ve been slumming it with AAC 77gr OTM in an LWRC IC piston for about 500 rounds now. it shoots right at 1moa if i do my job. at 500 yds i can consistently hit a 12” steel plate.


i’ll buy more at .62/rnd. i’m no professional, just a desert crawler looking for rocks to bust up.

 

[ozarak]

Where did you read / see this ?... specifically the Hornady bullet part .

Every can / box I have seen lately says, " MK 262 MOD 1-C , 77 GR SIERRA OTM"

It is my understanding, the Mod 1-C ( Commercial ) just doesn't get subjected to the all the required strict US Mil testing.

The accuracy testing is still the same.

The mod1c still uses the SMK The commercial package 5.56 OTM uses the Hornady bullet. Give a call and confirm it 605 348 5150

 

[bfoosh006]

The mod1c still uses the SMK The commercial package 5.56 OTM uses the Hornady bullet. Give a call and confirm it 605 348 5150

I will phone them on Monday.
Are you sure it wasn't the Hornady 75gr .224 OTM ?

If Hornady is producing a 77gr OTM, I'm sure, lots of us would like to know.

 

[bfoosh006]

The mod1c still uses the SMK The commercial package 5.56 OTM uses the Hornady bullet. Give a call and confirm it 605 348 5150

I stand corrected. Black Hills just told me the same thing as ozarak stated.

 

[71firebird400]

I will third that Black Hills transitioned to Hornady projectiles in 2023 for the 5.56 OTM. The MK262 remains with the Sierra bullet. In my testing of recent batches of ammunition I have found 5.56 OTM and MK262 to shoot identical velocities. IMI Razorcore 77gr is approximately 80-100 FPS slower out of a 16" barrel. Accuracy across the three is very similar in the rifles I have baselined with all of them.

 

[bfoosh006]

FWIW...

Quote,
"
"Factory Fresh 500 round Case Black Hills Ammunition Factory New D556N9: 5.56mm 77 Grain Open Tip Match with Hornady 77 Grain BTHP bullet and Lake City Brass in ten 50 round boxes. OTM = Hollow Point Boat Tail. We have been a Black Hills dealer since 2015.

Black Hills produces factory new rifle ammunition equal to some of the best handloads. It is quickly becoming one of most popular manufacturers of ammunition. Used primarily by all branches of the United State military, this ammunition is also used by competitive shooters and hunters. "The 77 grain MK262 ammunition produced by Black Hills Ammunition has been referred to as the most accurate mass-produced 5.56mm ammunition that has ever been type-classified and issued by the US military. Since its inception, genuine MK262 has been manufactured solely by Black Hills Ammunition. For years, MK262 was only available to the civilian population as cosmetic seconds, but more recently Black Hills has made first-run production lots available on the commercial market." Molon posting on lightfighter.com

Starting in 2023, Black Hills has been using Hornady projectiles in the red box 5.56 77gr OTM. Before then, it was always a Sierra projectile. This ammunition is loaded with Lake City brass that has undergone factory annealing which extends brass life. As a result of the annealing process the neck portion of the brass may be discolored until the case is cleaned.

The MK262 is what the military uses. The 5.56 77gr MK262 MOD 1-C (ammo can) is the commercial version of the MK262 and is also produced with a Sierra projectile. We currently have in stock 460 Rounds of Black Hills 77gr OTM cartridges with the Sierra projectile in Mil-Pack Ammo Cans MP460556N9

We also have in stock Black Hills D556N19. This is the 77gr OTM projectile with a Sierra Tipped Match King bullet. The addition of the polymer tip improves upon the external ballistics by significantly increasing ballistic coefficient from .373 to .420. What this means is that the TMK projectile is much more resistant to both drag and wind, meaning it flies flatter and straighter in adverse conditions. The tip also improves terminal ballistics, increasing uniformity of performance and penetration when the projectile arrives on target.

Please Note: While the 5.56x45mm NATO will fit in a .223 Remington chamber, the 5.56 is a military round that runs at higher pressures than its .223 counterpart and is not recommended to be fired in a .223 Remington chamber."

 

[Happely04]

block blast​

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it. Last time I actually purchased ammo had to be about a decade ago, and it was MK262.

Anything else I should be looking at besides MK262? This is an AR platform, 16" Proof barrel.

You might want to check out the IMI Razor Core 77gr OTM, it's a popular alternative to the MK262, known for its consistent accuracy.

 

[BurtG]

IMI Razore Core 77gr match is pretty close to MK262 velocities and is sub-MOA accurate in my rifles. Black Hills 5.56 77gr match is basically civilian Mk262.

Razor core has been more accurate and had better Es sd than bh mk262 for me


Stand1 loads hot super accurate low es sd 556. More expensive though

 

[BurtG]

IMI Razorcore 77gr is approximately 80-100 FPS slower out of a 16" barrel.

Velocity is within 10 fps out of a 20” saturn for me 2791 for bh mk262. 2780 for razorcore

Stand1 77tmk out of same 20”:

 

[PappyM3]

I've been reloading years and years, and taking a break from it. Last time I actually purchased ammo had to be about a decade ago, and it was MK262.

Anything else I should be looking at besides MK262? This is an AR platform, 16" Proof barrel.

Berger has amazing factory loads. Both 73gr and 77gr flavors. But they’re only loaded to .223 pressures, not 5.56.

I find 69-73gr .224 bullets shoot best for some reason. But when pushing past 300 I do go up in weight.

Black Hills 77gr TMK is great if you can find it. They have a better BC than the SMKs.

I’ve also had great luck with factory loaded Hornady 73gr ELD-Ms.

 

[ClangClang]

Razor core has been more accurate and had better Es sd than bh mk262 for me


Stand1 loads hot super accurate low es sd 556. More expensive though

Stand 1 is effectively out of business. Theres a big notice on their website. They have been in some sort of ownership transition for many months now.

Also, I have several thousand of their 75gr BTHP ammo from several different lots. I've never gotten an SD below 50fps on any of it. Usually around 55-65 FPS. I got a good deal on it so no complaints from me, but I wouldn't classify it as "low SD." Hopefully when they get back up and running they'll have tighter QC on their match ammo.

 

[BurtG]

And S

Stand 1 is effectively out of business. Theres a big notice on their website. They have been in some sort of ownership transition for many months now.

Also, I have several thousand of their 75gr BTHP ammo from several different lots. I've never gotten an SD below 50fps on any of it. Usually around 55-65 FPS. I got a good deal on it so no complaints from me, but I wouldn't classify it as "low SD." Hopefully when they get back up and running they'll have tighter QC on their match ammo.

that sucks. I figured that would happen so bought. 5000 of their TMK

I also bought their bulk 75s. 250 of them. They suck I agree. The TMK load is a different animal. Hotter and more accurate than anything. Without issues

 

[BurtG]

18” desert tech

 

[PappyM3]

18” desert tech

View attachment 8511577

Damn, that’s spicy. 5.56+P

 

[ClangClang]

18” desert tech

View attachment 8511577

Whew. Spicy indeed. Whose barrel and what length is it?

Makes me wish I got some when it was still available. IIRC it was almost double the price of IMI 77gr so I never bothered grabbing any but I clearly should have. I didn't realize how much better it would be compared to the 75gr BTHP.

 

[BurtG]

Whew. Spicy indeed. Whose barrel and what length is it?

Makes me wish I got some when it was still available. IIRC it was almost double the price of IMI 77gr so I never bothered grabbing any but I clearly should have. I didn't realize how much better it would be compared to the 75gr BTHP.

18”. Short action customs. Not sure blank prolly Bartlien ?

Yeah they were 1.40$ when I bought 5000. Think they were $1.80 retail.

Hopefully someone can duplicate their load and accuracy one day. Seems like the people named on their home page are why they are out of business

 

[ggmanning]

My most accurate gasser 5.56 is a PRI MK12. It loves Black Hills MK262.....and the old Southwest ammunition match 77gr. SMK. I am about through my stash of that though, so I have been staying on mailing lists stocking up on Black hills when it is available. It's expensive though, so everything else I have that wouldn't realize the difference gets Razor Core 77gr. My bolt gun gets handloaded 75 Amax....but story of my life I'm running out of those as well and will have to convert the load to their 75gr replacement in the next few hundred.

 

[MarshallDodge]

My most accurate gasser 5.56 is a PRI MK12. It loves Black Hills MK262.....and the old Southwest ammunition match 77gr. SMK. I am about through my stash of that though, so I have been staying on mailing lists stocking up on Black hills when it is available. It's expensive though, so everything else I have that wouldn't realize the difference gets Razor Core 77gr. My bolt gun gets handloaded 75 Amax....but story of my life I'm running out of those as well and will have to convert the load to their 75gr replacement in the next few hundred.

I've had to do the same but the 75 ELD-M is a good replacement, just a higher price point.

Why don't you load Mk262 as well? I've been loading mine with 77 SMK or Nosler CC with success. The 77 SMK with N140 is a performer. My friend likes the 73 ELD-M

 

[ggmanning]

I

I've had to do the same but the 75 ELD-M is a good replacement, just a higher price point.

Why don't you load Mk262 as well? I've been loading mine with 77 SMK or Nosler CC with success. The 77 SMK with N140 is a performer. My friend likes the 73 ELD-M

I certainly would load it with a recipe to follow. How many grains N140 are you using....same COL as the MK262?

 

[Dogtown]

24gr is the magic number

 

[BurtG]

My most accurate gasser 5.56 is a PRI MK12. It loves Black Hills MK262.....and the old Southwest ammunition match 77gr. SMK. I am about through my stash of that though, so I have been staying on mailing lists stocking up on Black hills when it is available. It's expensive though, so everything else I have that wouldn't realize the difference gets Razor Core 77gr. My bolt gun gets handloaded 75 Amax....but story of my life I'm running out of those as well and will have to convert the load to their 75gr replacement in the next few hundred.

Razor core has been more accurate and better numbers for me than black hills lately

 

[ggmanning]

24gr is the magic number

Thanks. Similiar to my Varget koads...a little lighter.

Black Hills is decidedly better for me than Razorcor. Not that it's bad at all but it gives me bigger groups always with more SD. every gun different though.

 

[91Eunozs]

You can try to slum it with AAC ammo.....

https://palmettostatearmory.com/aac-5-56-nato-77-grain-otm-20rd-box-ammunition.html

View attachment 8338667

It’s actually worked out pretty well in my rifles… I’m a fan.

Don’t know if I trust it enough yet to use for more than training, but zero ammo-related failures over several thousand rounds in several guns.

 

[BurtG]

It’s actually worked out pretty well in my rifles… I’m a fan.

Don’t know if I trust it enough yet to use for more than training, but zero ammo-related failures over several thousand rounds in several guns.

What is es sd?

 

[91Eunozs]

What is es sd?

No idea…just shoot it on the move and shoot range; almost never beyond 100 yards, and most inside 50. I think it’s a good analog to 262 for training.

I don’t shoot .223/5.56mm for accuracy per-se, but I do want the ammo to be accurate, if that makes sense. I no longer do 2 and 3-gun due to health issues, but still like to run shorter stage drills with ‘duty’ ammo. I also supply my son and a couple of the other younger shooters in our extended family with training ammo, and the PSA ammo in a variety of flavors is a lot cheaper way to feed them! LoL

I’ll normally shoot 55gr for general plinking and to get new uppers or rifle reconfigurations on paper, but really like the PSA and IMI 77gr (and 75gr) for getting an approximate zero before confirming zero with actual 262 ammo.

Edit: there’s a thread on here somewhere where a member did a pretty in-depth accuracy test on that ammo; I’ll try to find it.

Not this one, but here’s one to start: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/another-unscientific-aac-ammo-comparison.7221810/

Found it: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/american-ammunition-company-77gr-smk-hpbt.7145873/

…again, I’m not saying it’s match ammo, but it’s worked out well for my needs; especially for the price per round vs. MK262.

After re-reading that thread, I’d also add that I must be lucky, because we’ve not seen a single split case in any of the AAC ammo purchased from PSA. We don’t save or reload .223/5.56 brass though, so in fairness we haven’t been looking at the spent brass too closely.

 

[dgheriani]

24gr is the magic number

Ever try N150? I've been using it for my bolt .223 with Hornady 75 BTHPs and the same charge weight I use with N140 (24.7) gives me about 75fps faster (than with N140) and no pressure. This isn't loaded to AR mag length but I've been meaning to work up a load at AR mag length so I can use it interchangeably in my bolt and gas guns.