New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

[eleaf]

My current AR 15 is set up as a battle rifle, pure and simple. It isn't special in any way. Just your standard Flatop upper with a 16" 1:9 twist barrel with a 6 position stock. With this gun, I only plan on shooting essentially junk ammo (minute of man) through this rifle as it isn't intended to be precise.

That said, I've recently bought a match upper and am excited to get this thing shooting tight. It's a 16" 1:9 twist Stainless Bull Barrel with free floating handguards, blah blah blah.

What is some good match grade ammo to start with so that I can find what she likes and start to imitate it with my reloads? I have a couple of boxes of Hornady 55 Grain V-Max and blue box BH stuff. I'd like to try some TAP, and I will when I can get some, but I'd like some recommendations on .223 ammo (it must be .223 as my new upper is chambered for .223 Rem and not .556 NATO.

For the time being I'm at 300 yards using a fixed 10x.

Any help would be great.

 

[rrflyer]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

black hills loads all sizes of sierra match bullets. I'd start with those.

 

[eleaf]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rrflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">black hills loads all sizes of sierra match bullets. I'd start with those. </div></div>

Excellent. Thanks.

 

[garandman]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

I've always had good luck with Federal Gold Medal Match.

But yer gonna wanna get into handloading to really make your gun shine.

 

[eleaf]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: garandman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've always had good luck with Federal Gold Medal Match.

But yer gonna wanna get into handloading to really make your gun shine.

</div></div>

I will be handloading. I'm looking for what seems to shoot well through my gun and will try and replicate it. I've always shot junk ammo through the AR as it's a battle rifle designed for minute of man. The new upper with optics will be for more precision stuff.

 

[exhogflyer]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

With the 223 chamber you'll have to experiment with handloads mostly.I'm pretty sure the TAP is all 5.56 pressures and so is most of the Black hills.They will work, it won't blow up,but you may end up popping primers especially when it's hot.

 

[eleaf]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Exhogflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">With the 223 chamber you'll have to experiment with handloads mostly.I'm pretty sure the TAP is all 5.56 pressures and so is most of the Black hills.They will work, it won't blow up,but you may end up popping primers especially when it's hot. </div></div>

The TAP loads come in both .223 and 556. The Black Hills I have is for .223, and most of the places I've been looking are showing .223.

One would hope that, were they loaded to 556 specs. the manufacturer would print that front and center rather than .223.

Thanks.

 

[dinosdeuce]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

I have a 16" bull barrel (DPMS Sweet 16)with a 1-9 twist. It really likes 60gr hornady HP's in front of 25grs of H335. I tried 68gr Hornady BTHP's and they didn't shoot so good.

Goodluck

 

[eleaf]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dinosdeuce</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a 16" bull barrel (DPMS Sweet 16)with a 1-9 twist. It really likes 60gr hornady HP's in front of 25grs of H335. I tried 68gr Hornady BTHP's and they didn't shoot so good.

Goodluck </div></div>

I have the same upper coming. It was on sale at DPMS (closeout I think) and I've always wanted 16" bull barrel AR so I went after it.

I have a few kinds of ammo coming to test out now when I get everything up and running. Hornady Match 75gr BTHP. Hornady TAP. FGMM is just too expensive.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[garandman]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eleaf</div><div class="ubbcode-body">[
I will be handloading. I'm looking for what seems to shoot well through my gun and will try and replicate it. I've always shot junk ammo through the AR as it's a battle rifle designed for minute of man. The new upper with optics will be for more precision stuff. </div></div>

I'll tell ya what works on my 1:8 WOA barrell -

69gr Speer BTHP over 24.0 gr Varget. 2.235 COL

Good luck and enjoy. 223 is a very capable cartridge, accuracy wise.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

HSM offers the 75 Hornady BTHP bullet (2279) in a 223 load with new brass at a reasonable price. The 2279 was made to work with a 9 or faster twist. Much cheaper from HSM than the Hornady TAP variant using the same bullet.

 

[eleaf]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _9H</div><div class="ubbcode-body">HSM offers the 75 Hornady BTHP bullet (2279) in a 223 load with new brass at a reasonable price. The 2279 was made to work with a 9 or faster twist. Much cheaper from HSM than the Hornady TAP variant using the same bullet. </div></div>

I can get Hornady TAP at a distributor for very cheap ($14 a box), though I am limited in how much I can get at a time.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[nickw]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

Try the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic tip. You can get them in a 250ct competition box. I run this bullet over 26.2gr of H335, 1.240oal. Running CCI sr primers. Shoots lights out in every gun I've tried it in including mil-spec type rifles. Many friends shoot this load as well.

 

[eleaf]

Re: New AR Upper: Need Ammo Recommendations

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nick W.</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Try the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic tip. You can get them in a 250ct competition box. I run this bullet over 26.2gr of H335, 1.240oal. Running CCI sr primers. Shoots lights out in every gun I've tried it in including mil-spec type rifles. Many friends shoot this load as well. </div></div>

Thanks.