UMC 55grain for AR-15? What do you think?

[OregonPlinker]

A few years ago I was talking with a guy that said most .223 bullets under like 62 grain werent good for shooting out of AR's cause of the faster twist rates. He said the lighter bullets would just spin apart as they flew through the air... What is your experience with this?

Im asking cause I have quite a few of these rounds around for my bolt .223 and am getting them 11 cents cheaper a round than say FED bulk stuff thats 62 grain... Im gonna go shoot 500 rounds next weekend at paper with my AR out to 200 yards. I dont care about match grade accuracy but I want my shots to get to the target without vaporizing...

I get good results from these rounds with my bolt gun out to 200 yards but its 1 in 12" ... Thanks for reading!!!

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[1stIDFMP]

I wonder what the guy'd been drinking or smoking before he talked to you. I shot 55 gr. FMJ out of an M-16 in the Army (1977-1980) and never had trouble qualifying Expert every time I shot it. If I remember the ranges correctly, targets were from 75 to 300 meters. Uncle Sam also taught us the maximum effective range of the M-16, with 55 gr. FMJ bullets, was 460 meters. Hope that helps.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Depends on the barrel twist as to how well they will do. UMC is bottom of the US barrel but if they shoot OK go for it

 

[OregonPlinker]

Its 1 in 8".. Im gonna go shoot some that I already have tomorrow and see how they do before I buy more for next weekend. They shoot MOA or a little less out of my bolt gun. Its a 700 with 26" bull barrel and 1 in 12" twist. So its a little different approach than the AR-15. I'll report back tomorrow and we'll see how they perform in the AR.

 

[Bookite03]

I've put around 2k through a couple 16" AR15's with a 1x9 twist, as well as a Olympic Arms 24" Ultra Match Upper with 1x8 twist. All with very good results and no problems. Used to be able to get it under $6 a box at BiMart on sale. Good for most all-around shooting/plinking IMHO...

 

[AMProducts]

Honestly, a 1:7 twist shoots just fine with 55gr bullets, but it shoots like crap with bullets lighter. as long as you're 55gr+ you're fine.

I regularly shot 55gr SMK's out of my HBAR and took plenty of trophies with it in high power matches. Once you start to get lighter than that... yea bullets do funny things, but heavier not an issue.

 

[deadshot2]

You've got to send a .223 round a lot faster than the 3,000 fps range to cause them to vaporize. The shooters that have that problem are shooting light varmint bullets at speeds around 4k or so.

As for the UMC ammo, it's crap. Be prepared for a nasty cleanup after shooting a few rounds. If you shoot them from an AR, make sure you have a good chamber brush on a rod that you can turn like a screwdriver. When you get a failure to chamber fully, you've got enough crap from the UMC ammo and will have to stop and clean.

This why I only reload for my AR's and Bolt guns now. I don't have to shoot Junk in order to shoot inexpensive ammo.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Sounds like he might want a pack of gas tube brushes and a few spare roll pins for the tube, as well. We shoot only M855 factory and my matching handloads, although we have softpoints in stock to mix some in the mags when it matters, and I am looking for a 62 grain BTHP bullet with a channelure for reloading

 

[deadshot2]

Sounds like he might want a pack of gas tube brushes and a few spare roll pins for the tube, as well. We shoot only M855 factory and my matching handloads, although we have softpoints in stock to mix some in the mags when it matters, and I am looking for a 62 grain BTHP bullet with a channelure for reloading

Nah, the gas tube pretty much blows itself clean, especially if you put a drop or two of hoppe's in it when putting it away, muzzle down.

It's the BCG and chamber that collects all the "schmutz".

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Nah, the gas tube pretty much blows itself clean, especially if you put a drop or two of hoppe's in it when putting it away, muzzle down.

It's the BCG and chamber that collects all the "schmutz".

I've never had an issue 'cause I use better ammo but have read of it. Best to be prepared and it's cheap insurance

 

[OregonPlinker]

Yeah I normally reload too. Single stage till now. I just got into the modern sport rifles/ battle rifles so when my sister in law moves out of my office... My reloading stuff is getting set back up. Along with the progressive stuff Ive been collecting over the last few months while my office has been invaded. I figure I can shoot this cheap stuff for now and reload the brass later... Im pretty good about cleaning my guns so Im not worried about the messy crap that goes with cheap ammo. Thanks for all the replies. Im headed out now to put a few rounds through it...

 

[OregonPlinker]

You've got to send a .223 round a lot faster than the 3,000 fps range to cause them to vaporize. The shooters that have that problem are shooting light varmint bullets at speeds around 4k or so.

As for the UMC ammo, it's crap. Be prepared for a nasty cleanup after shooting a few rounds. If you shoot them from an AR, make sure you have a good chamber brush on a rod that you can turn like a screwdriver. When you get a failure to chamber fully, you've got enough crap from the UMC ammo and will have to stop and clean.

This why I only reload for my AR's and Bolt guns now. I don't have to shoot Junk in order to shoot inexpensive ammo.

You are exactly right. Failed to fully chamber at 37 rounds. Brand new gun. Well its got 200 rounds through it now... But yeah you called it man. Thanks for the info!

 

[lamrith]

Thanks for the update, I am almost ready to shoot my AR for the 1st time. Guess I will avoid the UMC.

 

[AMProducts]

AR-15's don't really break in until you're over 1000 rounds...

How you tell whether an AR is broken in or not, pull the rear takedown pin, fold the gun in half, and then lean the upper rearwards (barrel up) if it gets more than about 20 degrees or so your gun is either dirty, poorly lubricated, or not broken in yet.

 

[OregonPlinker]

AR-15's don't really break in until you're over 1000 rounds...

How you tell whether an AR is broken in or not, pull the rear takedown pin, fold the gun in half, and then lean the upper rearwards (barrel up) if it gets more than about 20 degrees or so your gun is either dirty, poorly lubricated, or not broken in yet.

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Im confused.. Holding it by the grip and lean it back? Mine just flops around...lol.

 

[deadshot2]

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Im confused.. Holding it by the grip and lean it back? Mine just flops around...lol.

I'm assuming that he means a round placed in the chamber should fall out when the barrel is elevated as he described.

I don't bother with this "test", I just generously apply the Chamber Brush both before shooting and after a couple or three 30 round mags. I have a Dewey Chamber cleaning rod that's about 18" or so long with a screwdriver handle on it. Makes it a piece of cake to break open the AR, clean the crud out, and continue shooting,

If you have a new AR and it has a tendency to be sticky, use the same method that the US Army uses at Basic Training. Get some CLP in aerosol form. Before shooting, give a quick squirt through the dust cover with the bolt locked back. Don't soak it but make sure that some goes back on the bolt and a little into the chamber area. A quick squirt will only hit the back of the chamber. Avoid spraying too much that will then run down the bore. Then shoot away. May seem a little messy at first but it's one sure fire way to make an AR run good.

Unless you're dragging your AR through dry sand and silt, this works fine. For desert conditions dry would be better but prepare for wear and regular stoppages.

 

[OregonPlinker]

I actually got a bad chamber in that gun... So yeah, Take it for what you will I suppose.

 

[AMProducts]

The bolt carrier is the part that should flop around...

Pull the upper off. Push the bolt/carrier all the way home. Hold level to the ground, and then slowly tilt the barrel end up. If you get to about 15-20 deg and the carrier just flops out, it's broken in.

The MFG of the gun also plays a role in how long it takes to brake in. I've found DPMS guns need much more brake in than say a stag or a bushmaster.

 

[deadshot2]

If you get to about 15-20 deg and the carrier just flops out, it's broken in.

It can also mean that the gas rings are worn out.