I uploaded the wrong chart in the overlay on the video, Here is the summary results including penetration depths, and accuracy group sizes :D flic.kr/p/2pVq1Bd and It looks like I forgot the weather specs Temp:55.00°F Baro: 29.14" HG Humidity: 25 % Dew Point: 19°F
Is there anywhere you can actually get this as a civilian since it’s not illegal to own? Everywhere is completely sold out. I know they only make it out of one plant in Salt Lake City. However, you can’t tell me there’s not some floating around.
@@DavidA20200 You can buy it from smaller dealers who get it from places unknown. It's not manufactured currently for civilian sales. There's a place called War Pig Armory who gets it in quite often. They gave me a discount code "buffman" for a little off on your orders.
Upvoted and already got some at War Pig thanks to Matt. My concern is that some ammunition may not be available in the future. Get it while you can. Ammo this good, you'll only need a few rounds when you really need it.
Garand thumb does a good video on 5.56 barrel length velocities. The gain from 10.5 to 11.5 was pretty significant also. For a short barrel 11.5 is the way to go.
It's loaded to reach full velocity within a 14.5-inch barrel. So, it's a pretty fast powder. It's probably something like IMR-4198 that achieves max velocity in a short barrel, but still functions in a 20 inch gun.
@@donwyoming19364198 is *entirely too fast* for a bullet of that weight and would be unsafe driving it at that velocity. Not to mention 26gr of 4198 would not even fit in a 5.56 case.
@@donwyoming1936 it's loaded with WC-842 or SMP-842, manufactured by Saint Mark's powder. A bit faster burning then CFE223, people are reporting 10-20% hotter with their handloading. It's a pretty modern powder with copper removal additives and id guess probably flash suppressant as well. Probably closer to TAC or or 4895 burn rate wise.
I highy highly recommend testing Black Hills 77gr TMK. Its loaded nice and hot like m855a1, and offers great performance at long range and promises excellent performance on target. .408BC G1 down to 2300fps, and this load is going 2580fps out of my 12.5". Allegedly frags down to 1700fps.
Usually with increases in velocity there is lesser penetration, as least with lead core projectiles. Not with copper projectioes, though. They only get better as the velocity increases. Fragmentation tavels farther out and gets more violent, while cores and larger fragments travel deeper. Thats why i firmly believe well engineered copper projectiles exceed the performance of lead core projectiles when it comes to terminals and accuracy.
Shorter = 14.5" M4 10.5-11.5 naturally can still benefit from the powder burn, but won't get close to max velocity. Now if you're talking actually built for short barrels, then either you're talking one of the sub-sonic loads or the new .277 Fury for the XM7.
I had seen it mentioned that they had a faster burning powder but I couldn't track down if it was actually a different powder or just some marketing bs.
Yeah, 14.5 - 2820, 16 - 2910, 20 - 3036, the difference between the 14.5 and the 20 inch barrel is only 216 fps. The ammo designers seem to have optimized it for the shorter barrels all right.
@@Sightbain. Ah, so yeah, I heard that too about the faster burning powder, but best as I've found, that was only for the experimental ammo they tested from 2003 - 2006. They added another 5 or 10k to the chamber pressure over the standard M855 with the same penetrator bullet. Edit: And yes, it was used in theater in Iraq. I served with guys who got their hands on it in country when it was being issued. They said the kick was quite hefty, but didn't do anything the M855 did any better except wear out bolts and barrels faster.
Honestly surprised the copper slug was the thing that made those long channels after the expansion area I thought that was what the penetrator would do but I guess the odd shape makes it tumble more.
As close as this load is to a proof load and it's documented high barrel wear I wouldn't want to shoot it regularly but think we should be able to buy it in 210 or 240 round boxes.
Definitely not what you take out to plink with because of the wear and price, but a few mags of this stuff as your 'shtf' ammo you cant ask for any better really
Way off topicbut I was thinking about it earlier, PSA needs to simultaneously release a drop leg holster and 27gr 2500fps 5.7 ammo the same day they drop the X5.7.
I have heard of feeding issues. Particularly, the tip cutting into the weapon itself when feeding and causing damage. I have been told the PMAGs have fixed this problem. Have you had feeding issues or your rifles being damaged?
Glad you asked. I had to dig this up Rockwell Hardness of 58C 😃 The Core is 99.99% Copper The steel tip is 89.712% Zinc, .322% Cobalt, 9.571% Iron, and .393% Manganese
🇦🇺😎👍Hi Matt I have an ORYX chassis on my M18 308 Mauser. I notice you still use your cheek riser. The only way I can use my scope is to take the riser off. I decided to just reuse the factory stock instead. I guess I’ll have to lift my scope up to utilise the riser.
I tend to use a lot of QD scope mounts and they don't go as low as some rings can. Sometimes that causes me a less than ideal cheek weld, so the riser on here is useful :D
Its almost as if people are completely incapable of learning anything on their own. Meaning every single thing you know yiu have been told. Which means you dont know anything. You only know what others think. Those people probably know beijg not much different than you. You litterally could have typed your question in Google and git the answer. But no. Yiu needed someone to tell you. Smh. I'm sure you're not whsts wrong with this country either huh.
Not on most commercial offerings in those calibers because those twist rates are 1:12 or 1:14. That's where .22 Creedmoor comes in. I have it cooking at 3,500 fps from a 18" barrel :O
You can still buy it. Crate Ammo Holdings has it, but be prepared to pay for it. I have the test for it, and will work on it in the coming weeks. It's not as impressive as M855A1..
From my 20” barrel with velocities I’ve tested, that 7.5” shot represents about 300 meters. For my 11.5 it would be about 250. If you look at 5.56 data, that is consistent with design and purpose - they are 300 meter rifles. I believe A1 was specifically designed for shorter barrels, but I still think of my 11.5 as a 200 meter gun.
It's possible I may be misinformed, but if I'm not mistaken M855A1 projectiles are capable of explosive fragmentation out to 500m out of a 14.5" barrel. That's practically unheard of for any other 5.56 bullet.
@@carbon8ed Sierra TMK and Hornady ELD-M could give it a run for its money (regarding expansion/fragmentation, they couldn't touch it in terms of material penetration) Hornady ELD-M reliably expands down to roughly 1350 fps and at that velocity it still acts like a high quality handgun hollowpoint (for example a federal HST) At 1800fps and above it's devastating and because it's a high BC match round it keeps its velocity longer. Sierra TMK is basically the same with some minor differences in expansion velocity due to very slightly different construction. Tipped match rounds are phenomenal in terms of terminal cavitation, but they may or may not penetrate deeply enough for various people's liking. Personally I'll take the rapid and devastating expansion over super deep penetration because they'll still hit 10" EZPZ
The only potential issue I see with it terminally is in the longer barrel lengths, it does overpenetrate what the FBI standard is. On a battlefield, overpenetration isn't much of an issue, for a civilian it could be. Having said that, I would rather a load penetrate too much than not enough, and despite my point, I do think people worry too much about overpenetration. Nice video
I think the use of these rounds by anyone that gets them and knows anything about them would be only bringing the mags of these out when all hell has broken loose and none of that stuff takes priority over winning and survival. Regular home defense maybe go for a different round. Total collapse? Grab these
I agree people think way too much on "over penetration" concerns. I would agree that it may be a touch too much, but still viable IMO especially if you might encounter barriers.
I'm taking M855A1. MK262's terminal affect in gel was a side/byproduct of the design, not a priority. It's goal is precision. If you need long range shots, no doubt MK262. HD/SD M855A1 all day.
@jammbbs1688 and you also arent going to be shooting much of it anyway. This is ammo you put up that only comes out for a rainy day. Its not like you are gonna be slinging this stuff at paper by the hundreds or thousands because thats not what its for. Buy once cry once type thing
There has been several changes since the first lots, but yes they dropped the pressure (it is still high) and optimized burn rate for the 14.5in barrels
My only question with the review of M855A1, is where exactly is the civilian application for this for the average shooter? We know from multiple reviews and the militaries own admission that this round puts A LOT of extra stress on all the integral parts of the gun. Don't get me wrong its super fun to watch the reviews of this, but I just seriously find myself asking: "why would I buy this over something like 77 grain sierra match ammo?" I am looking for legit answers and not trying to be a contrarian about this. Can anyone help fill in my lack of knowledge or not understanding why people are so mad this isn't more available?
If the m855a1 could actually be found for cheaper than 3 dollars a round then I would easily pick the m855a1 since it easily beats out M193 on distance, accuracy at distance and easily beats M193 against any kind of barriers.... But since M193 is a fraction of the cost it's easily the round to go with. I've been having very good luck with recent lots of both XM193 from federal & IMI's offering of M193.
@@TerminalM193so get a mag or 2 of the stuff and keep it put away unless you need it. Its not paper target slinging ammo. Theres no need to buy hundreds and thousands of rounds of the stuff, your gun wont survive it anyways. Continue to plink with 193 and stack a few rounds of this for a rainy day. You are eventually gonna spend the amount this stuff costs just re upping on 193 from what you used at the range that day. HOWEVER, a price drop would be great nonetheless
You have to buy them gray market. Can’t usually walk into a store and buy. Expect 2.25-3.0/rd. Look up war pig armory. They’ve posted a few comments on here. Check aK files post for more info
So are we seeing this ammo becoming more available now that the Army is switching calibers? I think we discussed it a year or so ago and how the only way most folks could get their hands on it was high costs on gunbroker auctions in small amounts.
@@KyleC2OO7 the 6.8 isn’t outright replacing 5.56. I’ve been buying it for 2-3/rd for the last 10 yrs. I think more and more people who have it are just now selling it.
A lot of people have been noticing significant increases in accuracy with some suppressor and rifle combos, especially with cheaper/ less accurate ammo. The geissele super duty with a huxworks suppressor were consistently getting sub moa groups on nine hole reviews.
from what I have seen the new A1 has a lot higher pressure and will cut down the number of rounds your rifle is good for, that the pressure is going to cause parts to wear faster and break more often
@@BuffRANGE People like Chris Bartocci keep pushing the misinformation that M855A1 kills BCGs and barrels without realizing it was dialed back years ago.
Just curious, if you had reason to believe that lvl 4 armored zombies would soon acost you and your kin, what caliber might you go with to counter said armor? Bonus if it fits in an AR.
If you was wondering can you purchase this round….yes you can many online sites sell them and in bulk cases too I usually buy a 500 round pack and then another 500 round pack of target rounds both by Winchester
Love the videos keep em up. Any way we could get AAC 300 blackout 110g vmax, 115g Sierra JHP, and\or 220g sabre Black tips in gel from around 9 in barrel? Would be awesome. Thanks.
110gr Vmax is in the works. I will get some of the 220gr at some point. the 115gr Sierra JHP I don't have much interest in spending T&M on, as most agree 115gr JHP are not ideal for any means of SD/PP. But it wouldn't hurt anything other than my wallet to highlight that :D
@@BuffRANGE whatever you could do would be awesome. Had a decent amount of the vmax as my supers, and just picked up the 115 JHPs. and got the 220 black tips for my subs. All of those mostly for the SD\PP situation. Again love the channel and thanks!
Why is the tip steel? Tungsten carbide would have been harder. More importantly, tungsten carbide would be denser which allows the bullet to be shorter for the same 62 gr mass. This will allow for more powder and even more velocity.
@@BuffRANGE Yes. I have heard others say that their seater stems contact right where the penetrator meets the copper jacket and that cause some inconsistency in the seating.
I think part of the reason the TC got such poor groups compared to the Hellion is that the 1:9 barrel and the EPM projectile don't mix. Yes it's 62gr, but it's roughly the same length as a 77gr. Since it's mostly copper instead of lead they had to make it longer to keep the same weight as an SS109 bullet.
What's this I keep hearing about m855a1 destroying barrels and feed ramps? If this is true, how many rounds until you start noticing premature wear? I can maybe understand why these might hurt feed ramps but why barrels? I would imagine the metal tip doesn't make contact with the rifling whatsoever.
Originally bullet presentation to feed ramps was low and over time would chew up the feed ramps. USGI EPM followers alleviated this as well as Gen 3 Pmags. I don't know how it would "destroy" the barrel otherwise.
Shocking how the 7.5 is ar 2200. Shows me that 13.9 to 16 inches is still the sweet spot. Maybe an 18” for the distance and no need for further than 20”
@@KindofSavagegaming Basically at current time this is only provided to the military, and it shows up for sale in the gray market. There's no laws making it illegal for you to own/use/buy, likely it's policy/agreement that it's no sold openly to the consumer market..
Stuff operates at the limit of pressure specs, it's hard on barrels and bolts so good for fighting but not something for volume practice unless the DoD is buying the parts.
@@BuffRANGE I go by the specs since I have access to the ARDEC research and development of this stuff. It's considerably hotter than M855 and it does break things more frequently. I'm also the TAMIS guy ordering about 7,000 rds a year for my unit's ranges.
@@BuffRANGE not without credentialed access, M855A1 is definitely pushing the limits of 5.56x45. I don't think they could squeeze much more out of it even if they tried a two-part case. Bolt thrust force is way up over M855, would need some fundamental changes to the whole platform or just adopt a new system (which they did).
@@BlownF150I’m from the internet are those creds ? :) understood, and I would agree from what I have seen these were up there and have been dialed back a touch over the years. It will be interesting to see how 6.8 plays out. Can you comment on whether you deploy/procure M1158 ?
from a terminal ballistic perspective, after having this ammunition tested by the BRF...the findings of this is wild. that EPR tip just does whatever it wants
@@BuffRANGE FBI Ballistic Research Facility. The data itself is not, but I can say the round superbly exhibits and surpasses all desired traits measured by that organization.
That's something the patent holders/designers of the round would have to explain why the 62gr was ideal, unless the military specified that 62gr was the target weight?
@@christytauler5672 Florida Law" “Armor-piercing bullet” means any bullet which has a steel inner core or core of equivalent hardness and a truncated cone and which is designed for use in a handgun as an armor-piercing or metal-piercing bullet." Well M855A1 has a copper core and wasn't designed as an AP bullet for use in a handgun..
I uploaded the wrong chart in the overlay on the video, Here is the summary results including penetration depths, and accuracy group sizes :D
flic.kr/p/2pVq1Bd
and It looks like I forgot the weather specs
Temp:55.00°F
Baro: 29.14" HG
Humidity: 25 %
Dew Point: 19°F
Is there anywhere you can actually get this as a civilian since it’s not illegal to own? Everywhere is completely sold out. I know they only make it out of one plant in Salt Lake City. However, you can’t tell me there’s not some floating around.
@@DavidA20200 You can buy it from smaller dealers who get it from places unknown. It's not manufactured currently for civilian sales. There's a place called War Pig Armory who gets it in quite often. They gave me a discount code "buffman" for a little off on your orders.
Citizens should be able to buy this from Winchester!
They must be selling it to someone. It's in stock at quite a few places online, even in bulk. Not that bad at ~ $2 per round.
Why winchester?
@@CountryRacing186 they are the only company that manufacture it. You can get it at War Pig Armory though!
@@CountryRacing186They're the ones who were awarded the contract to operate the plant that produces this ammo.
@@CountryRacing186they're the only ones that manufacture it
Damn, M855A1 is phenomenal wish I can easily stockpile it.
Thanks for making this video!
You are very welcome. Stockpiling it is indeed not super cost effective :(
@@BuffRANGEcan citizens buy this is it on the the market to buy
@@matthewmshell9099 you can buy this on Gunbroker or even a place called War Pig Armory.
@@BuffRANGE how much for a box of 20
@@matthewmshell9099 most places are selling for $3/rd so 60 plus ship.
That is extremely impressive, especially from those short barrel lengths.
Upvoted and already got some at War Pig thanks to Matt. My concern is that some ammunition may not be available in the future. Get it while you can. Ammo this good, you'll only need a few rounds when you really need it.
300 fps gain from 7.5 to 10.5 inches is really interesting.
Garand thumb does a good video on 5.56 barrel length velocities. The gain from 10.5 to 11.5 was pretty significant also. For a short barrel 11.5 is the way to go.
It's loaded to reach full velocity within a 14.5-inch barrel. So, it's a pretty fast powder. It's probably something like IMR-4198 that achieves max velocity in a short barrel, but still functions in a 20 inch gun.
@@donwyoming19364198 is *entirely too fast* for a bullet of that weight and would be unsafe driving it at that velocity.
Not to mention 26gr of 4198 would not even fit in a 5.56 case.
@@jasonmorris159 plus 11.5 wears parts alot slower than a 10.5 due to factors i cant properly explain rn
@@donwyoming1936 it's loaded with WC-842 or SMP-842, manufactured by Saint Mark's powder. A bit faster burning then CFE223, people are reporting 10-20% hotter with their handloading. It's a pretty modern powder with copper removal additives and id guess probably flash suppressant as well. Probably closer to TAC or or 4895 burn rate wise.
I got a couple hundred rounds of this a while back and set aside 20 rounds for testing. It's very impressive.
Smart thinking :D
I highy highly recommend testing Black Hills 77gr TMK. Its loaded nice and hot like m855a1, and offers great performance at long range and promises excellent performance on target. .408BC G1 down to 2300fps, and this load is going 2580fps out of my 12.5". Allegedly frags down to 1700fps.
Im excited for that MK318 mod 1 video! I have both of these loadings on standby, they are great general purpose rounds
I wish this was more readily available
Usually with increases in velocity there is lesser penetration, as least with lead core projectiles. Not with copper projectioes, though. They only get better as the velocity increases. Fragmentation tavels farther out and gets more violent, while cores and larger fragments travel deeper. Thats why i firmly believe well engineered copper projectiles exceed the performance of lead core projectiles when it comes to terminals and accuracy.
I started to think you weren’t going to post anymore. Solid vid bruh
I do post every Tuesday :). Sometimes Thursday if I get caught up too. I stopped doing shorts as they aren’t translating into anything meaningful.
Can you do a Black Hills 62gr TSX solid copper load please?!?! Heard great things about it
This projectile has some serious potential for hand loading.
like say in .22 Creedmoor :D
Like say subsonic sabot 5.7? If you get my drift? 😮😅😂😊
@@BuffRANGE oh boy!
@@BuffRANGE you should make a video on .22 creedmore using m55a1 projectiles! 😉
I believe this ammo was intentionally designed to be used in shorter barrels correct? Those are some very impressive numbers from the 10.5
Shorter = 14.5" M4
10.5-11.5 naturally can still benefit from the powder burn, but won't get close to max velocity.
Now if you're talking actually built for short barrels, then either you're talking one of the sub-sonic loads or the new .277 Fury for the XM7.
I had seen it mentioned that they had a faster burning powder but I couldn't track down if it was actually a different powder or just some marketing bs.
Yeah, 14.5 - 2820, 16 - 2910, 20 - 3036, the difference between the 14.5 and the 20 inch barrel is only 216 fps. The ammo designers seem to have optimized it for the shorter barrels all right.
@@Sightbain. Ah, so yeah, I heard that too about the faster burning powder, but best as I've found, that was only for the experimental ammo they tested from 2003 - 2006. They added another 5 or 10k to the chamber pressure over the standard M855 with the same penetrator bullet.
Edit: And yes, it was used in theater in Iraq. I served with guys who got their hands on it in country when it was being issued. They said the kick was quite hefty, but didn't do anything the M855 did any better except wear out bolts and barrels faster.
Honestly surprised the copper slug was the thing that made those long channels after the expansion area I thought that was what the penetrator would do but I guess the odd shape makes it tumble more.
Definitely wish MK318 mod 1 was still available!!!!!!
Why? This IMO is superior, especially from shorter barrels. I have the review of that too, I will get it edited at some point.
@@BuffRANGEbecause werewolves!
@@BuffRANGEiirc, mk318 is standard 5.56 pressure, not over pressure like m855a1, also no worries on mags with mk318 like there is with m855a1.
I went all in on m855a1. Literally 20k in debt I believe in it whole heartedly
Are you being serious? You spent $20k on m855a1?
@@ebbflow7376 he's trolling lol
Where do you get it?
@@bobborlog1677 You either gotta know a guy or watch GB like a hawk. Same goes for M80A1
@@Grooove_eWarpig Armory has it.
$29.99 for 10 rounds.
I remember Andrew testing these and they fragmented at 1400 fps, cray cray
I don''t think he tested that low did it? I thought he tested 1700?
I can’t find it, it was slow either way
As close as this load is to a proof load and it's documented high barrel wear I wouldn't want to shoot it regularly but think we should be able to buy it in 210 or 240 round boxes.
Definitely not what you take out to plink with because of the wear and price, but a few mags of this stuff as your 'shtf' ammo you cant ask for any better really
@@CJ2808 at $3 a pop too rich for my blue collar blood. If the count seems odd, think of it as seven or eight mags worth for standard load out.
So the early m855a1 was close to proof loads however to my knowledge they have tamed it down in recent runs
@@nathanflecke9635 Yes, and the info floating around is CONDITIONED A1 at 125F, not just sitting at 70F.
@BuffRANGE Correct. At 70 degrees it's 56.5k average. It's now where as hot as people make it out to be.
When can the civilian market buy this ammo? Bruen, and all that.
War Pig Armory!
A1 is clearly optimized for the 14.5 inch barrel.
I love these projectiles.
I do too! I've been using them in 22CM!
@@BuffRANGEI thought you wrote 22tcm for a second and nearly shat myself.
I tried to pull one of these projectiles using a kinetic puller, and it didn't budge at all. The crimping is solid, that's for sure.
What a devastating round especially out that 22"
The 22 was basically the same velocity as the 20. I’m amazed how little it increased between the 14 and 20.
the ar15/m4 with right ammo and barrel length you really cant beat it.
Way off topicbut I was thinking about it earlier, PSA needs to simultaneously release a drop leg holster and 27gr 2500fps 5.7 ammo the same day they drop the X5.7.
A drop leg would be nice!
M855A1 is a pretty awesome round!
The sound on the long barrel vs short barrel is total different.
Could be muzzle brake distance from the mic on my shirt :D
Alot of people say an 7.5" AR is nothing but a range toy. I'd say based on this test, a 7.5" loaded with this is plenty effective!
I have enough of this for one full mag. This and nosler 64gr bonded.
Thank you! Great to see what this ammo does, as I may have to use it on duty
Are you active duty military?
@@BuffRANGE national guard
I have heard of feeding issues. Particularly, the tip cutting into the weapon itself when feeding and causing damage. I have been told the PMAGs have fixed this problem. Have you had feeding issues or your rifles being damaged?
No issues with Gen 3 PMAG or USGI Blue follower
The issue was fixed by the updated followers and isnt present on pkags
Could you do federal 223 tru 64gr sp law enforcement? Thank you for the vids.
..that effect in the gel is impressive..of course the gel doesn't bleed/hemorrhage...
What kind of steel is the steel penetrator made of?
Glad you asked. I had to dig this up
Rockwell Hardness of 58C 😃
The Core is 99.99% Copper
The steel tip is 89.712% Zinc, .322% Cobalt, 9.571% Iron, and .393% Manganese
@@BuffRANGE Wow Thank you! A magnet does not seem to stick, Odd. Your thoughts on this Appreciated.
@@colloidalsilver1096 It should, maybe you have weak magnet :D Use Rare Earth ones
Wonder what powder they use in that round
It's somewhat like CFE 223, but not quite.
🇦🇺😎👍Hi Matt I have an ORYX chassis on my M18 308 Mauser. I notice you still use your cheek riser. The only way I can use my scope is to take the riser off. I decided to just reuse the factory stock instead. I guess I’ll have to lift my scope up to utilise the riser.
I tend to use a lot of QD scope mounts and they don't go as low as some rings can. Sometimes that causes me a less than ideal cheek weld, so the riser on here is useful :D
Where can you find m855a1?
Shady dudes at gun shows.
War Pig Armory
Less shady dudes on GB! :D
Steal it.
Its almost as if people are completely incapable of learning anything on their own. Meaning every single thing you know yiu have been told. Which means you dont know anything. You only know what others think. Those people probably know beijg not much different than you.
You litterally could have typed your question in Google and git the answer. But no. Yiu needed someone to tell you. Smh. I'm sure you're not whsts wrong with this country either huh.
has anyone ever done load tests with those on a 22-250 or 220 Swift case?
Not on most commercial offerings in those calibers because those twist rates are 1:12 or 1:14. That's where .22 Creedmoor comes in. I have it cooking at 3,500 fps from a 18" barrel :O
@@BuffRANGE it would be expensive, but it would have been wild to see what those would do in the gel following a plate pass through.
✌️
I wish the MK 318 MOD 1 was still available. ' the silver bullet " 🥺🥺🤷♂️
You can still buy it. Crate Ammo Holdings has it, but be prepared to pay for it. I have the test for it, and will work on it in the coming weeks. It's not as impressive as M855A1..
crateholdingsammo.com/products/20-round-box-federal-mk318-mod-1-5-56-nato-ammo-62gr-sost-barrier-xmt556tnbinl?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=436ab70bc&pr_rec_pid=9047642341662&pr_ref_pid=8329081520414&pr_seq=uniform
They cause extensive barrel where. They’re hard on the barrel. Causes them to wear out way quicker.
I'd say if you're able to fire 8000 rounds in an semi-auto AR and you've worn the barrel out at the point, it's easy enough to replace..
Where do you buy these rounds?
See this post; th-cam.com/users/postUgkxylj5HxIBV3EJtvsq-SIRFKdHfSifSMlq
From my 20” barrel with velocities I’ve tested, that 7.5” shot represents about 300 meters. For my 11.5 it would be about 250.
If you look at 5.56 data, that is consistent with design and purpose - they are 300 meter rifles. I believe A1 was specifically designed for shorter barrels, but I still think of my 11.5 as a 200 meter gun.
It's possible I may be misinformed, but if I'm not mistaken M855A1 projectiles are capable of explosive fragmentation out to 500m out of a 14.5" barrel. That's practically unheard of for any other 5.56 bullet.
@@carbon8ed Sierra TMK and Hornady ELD-M could give it a run for its money (regarding expansion/fragmentation, they couldn't touch it in terms of material penetration)
Hornady ELD-M reliably expands down to roughly 1350 fps and at that velocity it still acts like a high quality handgun hollowpoint (for example a federal HST)
At 1800fps and above it's devastating and because it's a high BC match round it keeps its velocity longer. Sierra TMK is basically the same with some minor differences in expansion velocity due to very slightly different construction.
Tipped match rounds are phenomenal in terms of terminal cavitation, but they may or may not penetrate deeply enough for various people's liking. Personally I'll take the rapid and devastating expansion over super deep penetration because they'll still hit 10" EZPZ
Is this classified as AP ammo by the ATF?
If not, I wonder if PSA could ever bring their own variant to market, saving us from paying $2-$3 a shot.
It hasn't. They would argue the penetrator is part of the "core" and therefore AP...
Make sure you get the correct followers for your mags, otherwise you’re gonna be saying goodbye to your feed ramp
Yep! Blue follower or Gen 3 Pmag
The only potential issue I see with it terminally is in the longer barrel lengths, it does overpenetrate what the FBI standard is. On a battlefield, overpenetration isn't much of an issue, for a civilian it could be. Having said that, I would rather a load penetrate too much than not enough, and despite my point, I do think people worry too much about overpenetration. Nice video
I think the use of these rounds by anyone that gets them and knows anything about them would be only bringing the mags of these out when all hell has broken loose and none of that stuff takes priority over winning and survival. Regular home defense maybe go for a different round. Total collapse? Grab these
I agree people think way too much on "over penetration" concerns. I would agree that it may be a touch too much, but still viable IMO especially if you might encounter barriers.
Okay, where and how can i get this ammo?
War pig armory!
So for an 11.5” for hd/sd are you opting for m855a1 or black hills mk262?
I'm taking M855A1. MK262's terminal affect in gel was a side/byproduct of the design, not a priority. It's goal is precision. If you need long range shots, no doubt MK262. HD/SD M855A1 all day.
Fun Ammo. Great test. Thanks.
You are most welcome!
Very surprising how little gain there is from 12.5 all the way to 24”.
Did you measure bullet length? I know it's expensive to pull these apart, but I couldn't find a length with a quick google search.
At :39 .999” :)
@@BuffRANGE Sorry missed that. It's almost as long as Black Hills TMK.
I wish I had some of this ammo
It can be found quite often on GunBroker, or places like Hogoholics, or War Pig Armory, or different gun swap boards..
@@BuffRANGE very expensive though
@jammbbs1688 and you also arent going to be shooting much of it anyway. This is ammo you put up that only comes out for a rainy day. Its not like you are gonna be slinging this stuff at paper by the hundreds or thousands because thats not what its for. Buy once cry once type thing
At least in the 14.5 and up, these look like normal M855 velocities. Did they download this round since it first came out?
There has been several changes since the first lots, but yes they dropped the pressure (it is still high) and optimized burn rate for the 14.5in barrels
@@Man_Emperor_of_Mankind Yep, and temps under 60-65F end up with less velocity over this load at 85F+
My only question with the review of M855A1, is where exactly is the civilian application for this for the average shooter? We know from multiple reviews and the militaries own admission that this round puts A LOT of extra stress on all the integral parts of the gun. Don't get me wrong its super fun to watch the reviews of this, but I just seriously find myself asking: "why would I buy this over something like 77 grain sierra match ammo?" I am looking for legit answers and not trying to be a contrarian about this. Can anyone help fill in my lack of knowledge or not understanding why people are so mad this isn't more available?
Would you be willing to do another test at 1700 ft./s and see if it will fragment because I know it fragment at 1900
Pretty gnarly rounds. I'd be torn between using them or the M193. The M193 can be so accurate.
I’ve heard because m855a1 is loaded hot, it’s accuracy can suffer compared to m193.
If the m855a1 could actually be found for cheaper than 3 dollars a round then I would easily pick the m855a1 since it easily beats out M193 on distance, accuracy at distance and easily beats M193 against any kind of barriers.... But since M193 is a fraction of the cost it's easily the round to go with. I've been having very good luck with recent lots of both XM193 from federal & IMI's offering of M193.
@@TerminalM193so get a mag or 2 of the stuff and keep it put away unless you need it. Its not paper target slinging ammo. Theres no need to buy hundreds and thousands of rounds of the stuff, your gun wont survive it anyways. Continue to plink with 193 and stack a few rounds of this for a rainy day. You are eventually gonna spend the amount this stuff costs just re upping on 193 from what you used at the range that day. HOWEVER, a price drop would be great nonetheless
Can civilians buy these if so from where
You have to buy them gray market. Can’t usually walk into a store and buy. Expect 2.25-3.0/rd. Look up war pig armory. They’ve posted a few comments on here. Check aK files post for more info
So are we seeing this ammo becoming more available now that the Army is switching calibers? I think we discussed it a year or so ago and how the only way most folks could get their hands on it was high costs on gunbroker auctions in small amounts.
@@KyleC2OO7 the 6.8 isn’t outright replacing 5.56. I’ve been buying it for 2-3/rd for the last 10 yrs. I think more and more people who have it are just now selling it.
@@BuffRANGE gotcha bud, thanks for the reply!
Wow that stuff is really effective.
How do you obtain these rounds? They seem impossible/expensive to get.
War pig armory!
My go to round
Nice!!!!!!!!!
Where do you buy?
A lot of people have been noticing significant increases in accuracy with some suppressor and rifle combos, especially with cheaper/ less accurate ammo.
The geissele super duty with a huxworks suppressor were consistently getting sub moa groups on nine hole reviews.
You should get a 22inch 1/7 twist to see if the velocity would be better
Twist rate has only a small influence on velocity. :)
from what I have seen the new A1 has a lot higher pressure and will cut down the number of rounds your rifle is good for, that the pressure is going to cause parts to wear faster and break more often
It is higher but not a lot like the original 2011-2012 stuff. It’s been dialed back.
@@BuffRANGE People like Chris Bartocci keep pushing the misinformation that M855A1 kills BCGs and barrels without realizing it was dialed back years ago.
Just curious, if you had reason to believe that lvl 4 armored zombies would soon acost you and your kin, what caliber might you go with to counter said armor? Bonus if it fits in an AR.
Well if by "AR" you count an AR10, then 7.62 NATO, M993, M1158, M80A1. If by AR you mean "AR-15" constraints, 5.56 NATO or .22 ARC :D
If you was wondering can you purchase this round….yes you can many online sites sell them and in bulk cases too I usually buy a 500 round pack and then another 500 round pack of target rounds both by Winchester
Could you direct me to a site that sells a 500 round case of them as most retailers who sell M855(A1) typically in 10 to 100 rd lots. :D
@@BuffRANGE they got 200 round 55 grain target Ammo too for 120
@@BuffRANGE your gonna love me 😂
@@SticksAndStoners007the ammo I reviewed here isn’t like 55gr FMJ or 62gr green tip that you buy in bulk from many retailers :)
@@BuffRANGE they must don’t have any in stock if you don’t see it they usually run out fast I wasn’t referring to the green tips 😌
Love the videos keep em up.
Any way we could get AAC 300 blackout 110g vmax, 115g Sierra JHP, and\or 220g sabre Black tips in gel from around 9 in barrel?
Would be awesome. Thanks.
110gr Vmax is in the works. I will get some of the 220gr at some point. the 115gr Sierra JHP I don't have much interest in spending T&M on, as most agree 115gr JHP are not ideal for any means of SD/PP. But it wouldn't hurt anything other than my wallet to highlight that :D
@@BuffRANGE whatever you could do would be awesome. Had a decent amount of the vmax as my supers, and just picked up the 115 JHPs. and got the 220 black tips for my subs. All of those mostly for the SD\PP situation.
Again love the channel and thanks!
Why is the tip steel? Tungsten carbide would have been harder. More importantly, tungsten carbide would be denser which allows the bullet to be shorter for the same 62 gr mass. This will allow for more powder and even more velocity.
Tungsten is not as easily sourced as steel. US relies heavily on imports for tungsten.
Steel is cheaper & close enough in performance. Militaries dont get the best equipment, they get the cheapest.
Have you found a seater for M855a1 that is long enough yet also contacts the projectile below the steel penetrator?
For loading them ?
@@BuffRANGE Yes. I have heard others say that their seater stems contact right where the penetrator meets the copper jacket and that cause some inconsistency in the seating.
I think part of the reason the TC got such poor groups compared to the Hellion is that the 1:9 barrel and the EPM projectile don't mix. Yes it's 62gr, but it's roughly the same length as a 77gr. Since it's mostly copper instead of lead they had to make it longer to keep the same weight as an SS109 bullet.
It still stabilizes, but you're right. a 1:8 or 1:7 would work better here, but I haven't found a 5.56 chambered bolt gun in 1:7, yet..
What's this I keep hearing about m855a1 destroying barrels and feed ramps? If this is true, how many rounds until you start noticing premature wear? I can maybe understand why these might hurt feed ramps but why barrels? I would imagine the metal tip doesn't make contact with the rifling whatsoever.
Originally bullet presentation to feed ramps was low and over time would chew up the feed ramps. USGI EPM followers alleviated this as well as Gen 3 Pmags. I don't know how it would "destroy" the barrel otherwise.
Pretty vile my friend. Thanks for the data
You are most welcome
I dont have a rifle in 5.56, but god damn, that round is scary. Lol
Shocking how the 7.5 is ar 2200. Shows me that 13.9 to 16 inches is still the sweet spot. Maybe an 18” for the distance and no need for further than 20”
are these legal for us citizens?
Why wouldn't they be? They're not defined as Armor Piercing
@@BuffRANGE ah man u gotta love it !
@@KindofSavagegaming Basically at current time this is only provided to the military, and it shows up for sale in the gray market. There's no laws making it illegal for you to own/use/buy, likely it's policy/agreement that it's no sold openly to the consumer market..
Need Too Aquire Some Of These Were Did You Find It and Was It Expensive Buffman 😮😀😊
War pig armory!
It can be found quite often on GunBroker, or places like Hogoholics, or War Pig Armory, or different gun swap boards..
@@BuffRANGE Thanks 😊
I am curious to know what the twist rate for each of the barrels was.
The 22” is 1:9. All others 1:7
@@BuffRANGE Thank you Sir!
Thank you for the coupon code! It saved me 15 bucks on my order
Makes me sad I can’t just buy it
Me too.. I wish it was stocked at the LGS
Should be wayyy hotter than that from a 14.5
Not when it’s only 50F outside.
I heard these rounds eat your gun alive unless you run the specific mag made for these rounds!
Use Gen 3 PMAGs and or Blue Follower USGI Mags. The "eat alive" is a little far stretched"..
It can destroy your feed ramps overtime.
@@silence6408 Use the above mags, Use M4 Feedramps, and in civilian use will be fine..
Stuff operates at the limit of pressure specs, it's hard on barrels and bolts so good for fighting but not something for volume practice unless the DoD is buying the parts.
Velocity and lack of pressure signs shown on this basically brand new lot says otherwise.
@@BuffRANGE I go by the specs since I have access to the ARDEC research and development of this stuff. It's considerably hotter than M855 and it does break things more frequently. I'm also the TAMIS guy ordering about 7,000 rds a year for my unit's ranges.
@@BlownF150is that data shareable ?
@@BuffRANGE not without credentialed access, M855A1 is definitely pushing the limits of 5.56x45. I don't think they could squeeze much more out of it even if they tried a two-part case. Bolt thrust force is way up over M855, would need some fundamental changes to the whole platform or just adopt a new system (which they did).
@@BlownF150I’m from the internet are those creds ? :) understood, and I would agree from what I have seen these were up there and have been dialed back a touch over the years. It will be interesting to see how 6.8 plays out.
Can you comment on whether you deploy/procure M1158 ?
Thanks Matt!
Thanks
Welcome you are !
from a terminal ballistic perspective, after having this ammunition tested by the BRF...the findings of this is wild. that EPR tip just does whatever it wants
BRF? Is this info public ?
@@BuffRANGE FBI Ballistic Research Facility. The data itself is not, but I can say the round superbly exhibits and surpasses all desired traits measured by that organization.
@@89gnn interesting. A lot of us on ARFCOM wondered if the FBI ever did any testing on M855A1.
Where is DocGKR ? This guy said that round is shit around 14 years ago... Does he still live?
@@michamichaowski8375 Doc Gary Roberts said M855a1 was shit?
Assuming a G1 of .291 at a muzzle velocity of 2900 you’re reaching 2200 fps at about 225 yards
Why did they make it in 62grain? Why not 65 - 77? Cost?
That's something the patent holders/designers of the round would have to explain why the 62gr was ideal, unless the military specified that 62gr was the target weight?
0:28 wait did those come in that box on stripper clips. Normally mil issue rounds come in open end boxes with 3 stripper clips per box?
That's MK318 mod 1 behind it, that I tested on the same day. Indeed these came in open end boxes, 30rds on stripper clips :D
Where the hell are you even finding this stuff?!? Every time I find a source for m855a1 it ends up being fake reloads.
What do you mean by fake reloads. M855a1 is pretty hard to fake. There’s a site called war pig armory. They have legit a1.
@@BuffRANGEThere was a thing going around where people were pulling bullets and reloading
War pig armory!
@@TerminalM193 That makes no sense.
Very hard to get the ammunition
It’s all over GunBroker. Or even War Pig Armory has it.
When you gonna test out m955
When someone owns up to having 100 rds, and wants to sell it and somehow I have a spare $12.5k to buy said 100 rds.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks, will do!
Awesome. Thank you
You're welcome!
The problem is where to buy them?
There’s a company called war pig armory who has some. Even gave a free sticker promo of “Buffman” if you’re interested.
War Pig Armory! Free ship over 199 and no sales tax either.
insane perfroamnce
I don’t think these are legal in Florida😢
Why not?
@@BuffRANGE The Armor Piercing aspect of it.
@@christytauler5672I mean this isn’t defined as an AP load anywhere. I guess I’ll have to read Florida law
@@BuffRANGEI see your point now. Thanks Matt😊
@@christytauler5672 Florida Law" “Armor-piercing bullet” means any bullet which has a steel inner core or core of equivalent hardness and a truncated cone and which is designed for use in a handgun as an armor-piercing or metal-piercing bullet." Well M855A1 has a copper core and wasn't designed as an AP bullet for use in a handgun..
How do I get this?
I'm totally not hinting at the fact that it's all over Gunbroker, or even a website called warpigarmory that has it...
And now it's soon gone :(
@@BuffRANGE yeah no idea what you are talking about. ;) Thank you for everything you do. 🙏
War pig armory!
@@WarPigArmory is this a one time deal or is it permanently staying?
Hopefully the M80A1 review will soon follow
It’s going to cost 2.5x this review.
We are working on getting something together for it! Should be coming soon.