Why is 55gr 5.56 still so prolific?

[rickyrick]

Disclaimer: I have buckets full of the stuff.

It seems that the consensus of the gun community is that other bullet weights perform better in modern ARs than the 55gr stuff. It works fine for me when I’m leisurely shooting. 1-9 and slower twists have fallen out of favor. I don’t know really, just curious as to why 62gr isn’t the cheap fodder now.

[jmr40]

55 gr still shoots fine in a 7 or 8 twist barrel. In fact the most accurate 223 I've found is the 50 gr Fiocchi Loads. They work great in my 8 twist barrels.

As a general rule light/short bullets do OK in fast twist barrels. It's when you try to shoot heavy/long bullets in slow twist barrels that accuracy suffers.

The lighter 55 gr FMJ bullets perform better as anti-personnel rounds at close to moderate range. The 62 gr bullets impact harder at distance and penetrate barriers better.

[bobn]

i think the buckets full covers it nicely.

[Shadow9mm]

M193, 55g fmj
M855, 62g mild steel penetrator (green tip) relatively common, available in bulk, frowned upon in indoor and some outdoor ranges. and its more expensive than m193
M855 A1, 62g hardened steel penetrator, not being produced for the public....
MK262 mod 1, 77g SMK, not being produced for the public, but similar load from IMI and black hills are favored by many.

General public has always followed military guns and cartridges, and they like what cheap, 55g fmj was produced in bulk, cheap, and available to the public, are your really surprised it stuck?

Personally I am getting away from 55g. The only good luck I have has is with Hornady 55g fmj, other stuff has performed terribly for me. Only have about 500 left and after shopping around i keep coming in at around $100-$120 per 1000 after shipping. Found the 69g RMR match/hunting bullets for $150 per 1000, still working the load up but they are showing a lot of promise and I think will be well worth the extra $50 for an all around bullet.

[rickyrick]

It works for me just fine for recreational use, but never see anyone recommending it. If someone asks about their particular setup, something else is recommended, in my recollection anyway. One would think that something else would have overtaken it. I saw an advertisement for BCA stepping into selling ammunition, their first offering is 55gr 5.56 and it made me ponder.

[rickyrick]

55 gr still shoots fine in a 7 or 8 twist barrel. In fact the most accurate 223 I've found is the 50 gr Fiocchi Loads. They work great in my 8 twist barrels.

For the longest time I found that 50gr American Eagle was the best factory ammunition for me, especially out of the Mini14… I just never told anyone, lol.

[pete2]

The AR is why it's so popular. Very accurate, still works well for it's intended purpose which is to kill or disable the enemy.

[4V50 Gary]

1) Lotsa older barrels.
2) Cost (we penny pinch)
3) Availability of surplus (and consumer demand)

[Sarge]

Popular for the same reasons as 9mm- it's cheap, plentiful and has just enough mojo for its intended purpose. I'd guess 95% of what is sold goes into paper or steel so it hardly matters.

IMI 77 grain Razorcore is all I buy these days, but I am not a high-volume shooter.

[rickyrick]

Here’s my smallest container that I’m currently using. I have no problem with the cartridge, just reading 100s of posts and the like, one would think it’s not that popular really. I have several ARs along with a Mini14. It does best in two of my AR 16” carbines. It’s ok in the mini, but it performs better with lighter varmint bullets.





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[Aguila Blanca]

55-grain (M193/XM193) is still popular because it's readily available and comparatively inexpensive. Most of us don't care if our 5.56 projectiles can penetrate a steel pot helmet at 600 meters, so we don't need to penetrator tip in the M855/XM855.

[OPC]

1-9 and slower twists have fallen out of favor.

And maybe this says more about me than anything else regarding the market, but just because the trend changes doesn't mean I will necessarily get rid of or stop using my older 1:9 ARs. Maybe when the barrel is shot out I may move to a 1:7, but that's a long way off. Until then, the 55gr are still a good choice for me when I am stocking up.

[Ricklin]

I think my old Savage is 1 in 12, please don't quit making 55 grain. I just finally got a good scope rail on it. Who would think Savage would build .223 on a medium length bolt action?

[Double Naught Spy]

It works for me just fine for recreational use, but never see anyone recommending it.

Strangely enough, I see a lot of folks that will use it for hog hunting if they are using poodleshooter calibers.

[zukiphile]

I've never shot 62gr steel core and thought the accuracy was acceptable. I have a little left over from some sale during a drought; it's left over because I don't shoot it.

I can shoot 55gr from 1:7, 1:8 and 1:12 barrels and get enough accuracy. 62gr and 77gr from the 1:12 is comic.

I do like 69, 75 and 77gr ammunition I've tried, but ordinary 55gr will give me 3moa and the heavier stuff while better isn't twice as accurate, but may be about twice as expensive.

[pete2]

55GR works in both my Rock River barrels. Cheap and plentiful. I can't see many of us gonna have to shoot 600 yards. Don't even know how.

[Skans]

Works well enough for my purposes. Then again, I'm not hunting spiders at 300 yards.

[44 AMP]

Why is 55gr 5.56 still so prolific?

It is the original loading, is cheaper than other loads, and works well enough for what the majority of the .223 buying public use it for.

And, while I'm not certain, I think they make more of it, by volume, and anything else.

Its what I shoot out of my Mini 14 and what I used in my ARs when I had them. If I want better accuracy or better long range performance, I go to a different rifle and a different cartridge.