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Old January 3, 2013, 01:22 PM   #1
boostedtt91
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.223 penetrator ss109 bullet id

my local gun shop had a bunch of 62 grain pulled .223 bullets and he wasnt sure if they were the ss109 penetrators or not. It does stick to a magnet and i did a cut away on it and it looks like it is, but i want some professional advice if someone can verify if thats what i have.
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Last edited by boostedtt91; January 3, 2013 at 01:40 PM.
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Old January 3, 2013, 01:40 PM   #2
MtnCreek
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What did you cut it with? The few that I've cut open had a hardened penetrator, but it didn't exactly match the inner dimension of the jacket. They were more like a cylinder shape that was tapered. The ss109 is manufactured by different companies in different countries, so I wouldn't be surprised to see variations.
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Old January 3, 2013, 01:42 PM   #3
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i used my dremel tool to cut it. Id really like to know if they actually are the ss109 bullets so i can go buy the rest of what he has and reload them correctly
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:17 PM   #4
the led farmer
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If it weighs 62gr and has a steel core I would say its a duck

It doesn't make any difference if its steel core or not to load them correctly
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:18 PM   #5
Marco Califo
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Magnet sticks or they aint

If they do not stick to a magnet they are NOT SS109.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:23 PM   #6
Tom68
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Looks just like the SS109's I have on hand. 62 grain, sticks to a magnet.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:31 PM   #7
Marco Califo
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Magnet sticks or they aint

If they do not stick to a magnet they are NOT SS109.
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Old January 3, 2013, 05:13 PM   #8
boostedtt91
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Yes a magnet sticks to it but i know there are fake ss109 rounds out there that use cheap steel. I dont know how many 62g bullets are out there that have steel cores besides ss109's and imitation ones
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Old January 3, 2013, 05:59 PM   #9
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Different countries have different variations of the SS109. The UK runs a thicker jacket than the US so that their rounds don't fragment in flesh (their lawyer's version of Hague convention compliance). In the end, they all work, with the nod going to the Israeli's for consistency based on some sampling I've seen that lack an air gap between the steel penetrator and jacket at the nose.

Odds are if you bought it in the US and it has a green tip it is Lake City pulled bullets. Nothing wrong with them.

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Old January 3, 2013, 07:30 PM   #10
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No green tip but all the bullets i see for sale aren't painted yet. If i wanted to paint the tips so i know what is what, whats the best way to go about it? It matter what paint is used?
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Old January 4, 2013, 12:05 AM   #11
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The green paint is just to identify the round as M855. Other countries may have different markings.

An unpainted projectile could come from another country, a production overrun domestically, or the bullets could have been tumble shined after being pulled. Sometimes you just don't know.

In the back of my mind there is a nagging feeling that there was some M249 linked ammunition that had the M855 bullets unpainted, only the tracers painted. But I can't seem to recall where I saw that. It has been a couple of years since I shot a SAW so forgive me a failing memory.

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Old January 4, 2013, 12:33 AM   #12
boostedtt91
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Yea the shop i got them from is a huge military surplus place so i wouldn't be surprised if they were ss109 rounds. As far as reloading them does anyone have any data for charges?
I have imr 4198 and 3031 with cci primers
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Old January 4, 2013, 02:28 AM   #13
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Take the one you cut apart.

Does the magnet stick to the core or to the jacket?
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Old January 4, 2013, 07:52 PM   #14
boostedtt91
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yes it sticks to magnet as stated above
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Old January 4, 2013, 08:06 PM   #15
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boostedtt91,

I've just got to ask... does it stick to a magnet...

Sorry, I had to..

I think you have more answers than you wanted. Have a good evening. It's all part of life.

Enjoy life, there is only one way out.

OSOK
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Old January 4, 2013, 08:18 PM   #16
Sport45
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Quote:
yes it sticks to magnet as stated above
I saw that, but apparently my question wasn't clear enough.

Does the core stick to a magnet? If not, it doesn't have a penetrator.

Does the jacket stick to a magnet? If it does and the core doesn't it's steel jacketed fmj.

Whether or not the whole bullet sticks to a magnet doesn't mean a whole lot.
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Old January 4, 2013, 10:30 PM   #17
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yes the core sticks to a magnet
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Old January 4, 2013, 11:17 PM   #18
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That wasn't so hard now, was it?

Sounds like you have the SS109 bullets.
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Old January 4, 2013, 11:38 PM   #19
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Well now that i did it with tip of the core broken off, the tips the only magnetic parts. The bottom half isnt?
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Old January 5, 2013, 12:20 AM   #20
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That's correct.

Look at the next to last bullet on this page.
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Old January 5, 2013, 02:40 AM   #21
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Ok good deal, thanks for the info
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Old January 5, 2013, 09:41 AM   #22
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Old January 5, 2013, 05:14 PM   #23
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I have some, I've cut them in half too. You have ss109s, don't worry. Mine look the same as yours, my core sticks to a magnet and not my jacket too.
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Old January 6, 2013, 04:17 AM   #24
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I hate to say this but in this time of demand outstripping supply I hope you bought all that you could get your hands on if it was reasonably priced.
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