[kev]

Someone recommend a good quality and accurate 223 Remington / 5.56mm ammunition. I have a Palmetto State Armory Freedom upper, and it is not very accurate with heavier ammunition. Best results were with 50 or 55 grain ammunition. As the weight of the bullet moved up, the spread increased.

Then again, this was with cheap American Eagle / Federal ammunition.

I would like some good target grade ammo that will not break the bank. Maybe something in the 45 - 55 grain range.

On a side note, I would like to be able to hunt coyotes with the ammo, as what the rifle in the video was built to do.

 

[Chuckleberry]

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What might be accurate in my rifle might not work for crap in yours, even 2 rifles that come off the factory the same day, might not like the same ammo. Some rifles shoot cheap ammo fine, some only premium, others both. Reloading can really help you dial in a round too. What is your twist rate & what is the chamber, i.e. 223. 5.56, 223Wylde?

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[kev]

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chamber, i.e. 223. 5.56, 223Wylde?

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5.56mm 1:7 twist

 

[Chuckleberry]

5.56mm 1:7 twist

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Lighter bullets can have trouble stabilizing with that twist rate. I certainly wouldn't even try anything lighter than 55gr. 60, 62 grain on up will have the best potential. I like boat tails with soft or ballistic tips myself YMMV. :thumb: Also some people feel they don't get as good of accuracy shooting 223 out of a 5.56 chamber. It's why the 223Wylde chamber came into being, so people could shoot both calibers with accuracy safely. For newer builds in 223/5.56, that's what I've been getting my barrels in.

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[Inazone]

Magtech makes a true 5.56 62gr FMJ that is *not* M855 penetrator, and I've recently bought it for around $15 per 50-round box, making it an affordable option. Being that one of my ARs has a 1:7 twist barrel and doesn't seem to like 55gr American Eagle, finding an affordable 62gr alternative has been a wonderful thing. One the other hand, my main SHTF round is Armscor .223 62gr bonded SP, so when I can find their 62gr FMJ for a reasonable price, I buy some to emulate my defensive ammo. Of course, most of my shooting is done indoors, and M855 is off limits at the local indoor ranges, so someone shooting outdoors may not care.

American Eagle now has a 75gr FMJ (boat tail, I think) that friends of mine are using in place of match-grade ammo for rifle competition, with great results. It all depends on the gun.

 

[hinkak]

1:7 should like the heavier bullets but each rifle is different. Nothing wrong with your psa but it is a budget rifle... what accuracy are you expecting? I have a premium 18" upper that shoots 75 gr Hornady frontier moa but my 16" Saint which is a 1:8 doesn't shoot it anymore accurately than it does wolf gold... lighter than 55gr should decrease accuracy with your 1-7 twist. Best case scenario is to find a cheap plinking ammo that has the same poi as your premium "hunting/sd" ammo. Not as accurate but similar poi.

My aero is 1:7 I believe and a pretty basic rifle. It likes wolf gold and IMI 193. M855 is close enough in poi that I practice with the wolf but use either 193 or 855 for something more serious.

 

[xmcp72]

I've had great luck with Australian Defense Industries (ADI) ammo. It's pretty affordable for match ammo and use Sierra Blitz King or Match King projectiles. Even their 55gr ammo shoots great from my 1:7 AR.

It goes on sale pretty frequently, you may want to keep an eye on gun.deals.

 

[charliemeyer007]

You want the most accurate ammo for your rifle, then you need to load it specifically for that rifle. With that twist rate it should like longer/heavier bullets. I would suggest the longer solid copper bullets. They will lighter for velocity but longer needing that twist rate and if you get a boattail they will be faster and shoot flatter than regular bullets at distance. Plus if they are solids (FMJ) type they are easier on the fur.

 

[hardcalibres]

Kevin

Your scope mount is a cantilever type and you have it mounted backwards. Consequently your scope is mounted too far back, the ocular (rear) lens is too far back and your eye relief is too small.

This video shows a PSA upper with a similar cantilever scope mount, correctly fitted and you can see how the scope (and ocular lens) ends up further forward - resulting in correct eye relief.

 

[IamZeke]

Kev, ARs are like women. They are all fickle.

You could grab 2 ARs of the assembly line next to each other and they will likely end up preferring different ammo.

Every time you buy or build an AR you have to commit to a short break-in time with something like your American Eagle and then go pick up a wide assortment of ammo to see what it likes best to eat.

True, the better grades all seem to have the best results, but at some point you will find one brand of basic mispec that deliver consistently for that rifle.

After building, buying, selling, and helping others make ARs I have a decent sized range box of different brands of AR ammo.

Besides your current AE you should be trying PMC, Fiocchi, Frontier, and Monarch as your base grade tests. Monarch is Academy's house brand and actually private label from Prvi Partisan in .223 brass case.

If all those come up short then you bump up to better grades. Hornady, Black Hills, Barnes, Federal Premium.

If you have some Winchester or Remington around you can try it but I rarely bother as those brands almost never do very well.

Stick to brass case unless you are well experienced with the problems associated with going back and forth between steel and brass case ammo.

 

[ajole]

Agree with all the above. Fix your scope mount, then find some 62-70 grain bullets to try. As they said, your gun is going to be different from ours.

I reload, my 1:7 rifle likes Nosler BTHP or Sierra SP, at 69 grains, with RL15 powder. But the cheap commercial 69 grain stuff wasn’t consistent, and since my reloads were so good, I never bought “good” commercial ammo.

 

[kev]

Kevin

Your scope mount is a cantilever type and you have it mounted backwards. Consequently your scope is mounted too far back, the ocular (rear) lens is too far back and your eye relief is too small.

Agree with all the above. Fix your scope mount, then find some 62-70 grain bullets to try. As they said, your gun is going to be different from ours.

Thank you, but my scope is mounted right, the video is wrong.

If I move the optic forward it will hit the rear sight. So the only way to reverse the mount is to take the rear sight off. One of the goals of the rifle was to be able to remove the scope and use flip-up sights. The rifle was built so the bipod and scope could be taken off, then handed to someone to be used with open sights.

I just do not have to lean forward to use the scope.

 

[sarge912]

I have found the Silver Bear 62 gr. JHP to be very accurate in my 1/7 and 1/8 barrels.

 

[ajole]

Thank you, but my scope is mounted right, the video is wrong.

If I move the optic forward it will hit the rear sight. So the only way to reverse the mount is to take the rear sight off. One of the goals of the rifle was to be able to remove the scope and use flip-up sights. The rifle was built so the bipod and scope could be taken off, then handed to someone to be used with open sights.

I just do not have to lean forward to use the scope.

So the video wasn’t your gun...ok.

I’m having a hard time seeing what you mean in regards to where things are on your gun. Your irons are in front of the scope?

And I’m not sure what you mean by leaning forward...I was taught to put my nose right up by the charging handle, there is no leaning involved, but not sure how much further a guy could lean.

 

[IamZeke]

Kev, they make offset iron sights now so you never have to remove the optic, but still have your backup.

https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-offset-irons/

 

[hardcalibres]

Thank you, but my scope is mounted right, the video is wrong.

If I move the optic forward it will hit the rear sight. So the only way to reverse the mount is to take the rear sight off. One of the goals of the rifle was to be able to remove the scope and use flip-up sights. The rifle was built so the bipod and scope could be taken off, then handed to someone to be used with open sights.

I just do not have to lean forward to use the scope.

Your rifle, your call Kev.

But the horizontal stringing you saw in groups could be caused by that reduced eye relief (and consequent inconsistent parallax) combined with suboptimal cheek weld (caused by your head up posture). Reduced eye relief can be quite risky if you have to shoot your rifle prone or around some obstacle - you can get "scoped" when the back end of the scope hits your eye socket (not fun).

If you google "cantilever AR mount images" you will see hundreds of different AR scope mounts similar to yours that are mounted the opposite way around to the way you have it. Also note in those images that the ocular lens (ie rear end) of the scopes on ARs are usually level with the charging handle or up to at most about an inch to the rear of the charging handle.

All those manufacturers of scope mounts who have posted images of their mounts holding scopes on to ARs must know a thing or two.....

Your backup rear sight can either be replaced with a lower profile one or just stored with the tools your would need to remove the scope. That scope working the best it can will always be higher priority than the backup irons.

 

[kev]

So the video wasn’t your gun...ok.

The video in the opening post is my rifle. The mount was originally mounted like the one in the second video, then I realized the scope was sitting on top of the rear sight. The spring in the rear sight was applying pressure to the optic.

Two options:

Remove the rear sight - which is not an option.

Reverse the scope mount and move the optic back so it clears the rear sight.

 

[kev]

Your rifle, your call Kev.

But the horizontal stringing you saw in groups could be caused by that reduced eye relief (and consequent inconsistent parallax) combined with suboptimal cheek weld (caused by your head up posture). Reduced eye relief can be quite risky if you have to shoot your rifle prone or around some obstacle - you can get "scoped" when the back end of the scope hits your eye socket (not fun).

I just do not have to lean forward to get the correct eye relief.

I am not the only person who has experienced this issue with Palmetto State Armory freedom uppers. James at the firearm blog did a comparison between the mini-14 and a PSA freedom AR-15. His results promoted me to try my own tests. We both got comparable results.

There are numerous other videos on youtube showing how bad the PSA freedom uppers are when it comes to accuracy.

Back to the original question, someone recommend good quality 223 ammunition. If I can not get decent accuracy out of this upper with good ammo, I may just sell the upper and replace it with something else.

 

[kev]

So the video wasn’t your gun...ok.

I’m having a hard time seeing what you mean in regards to where things are on your gun. Your irons are in front of the scope?

And I’m not sure what you mean by leaning forward...I was taught to put my nose right up by the charging handle, there is no leaning involved, but not sure how much further a guy could lean.

When you shoot say a Marlin 30-30 lever action, is your nose against the hammer? Chances are no. your cheek is about mid-way on the stock.

When you shoot a Remington model 700 is your nose against the bolt? Probably not.

 

[Chuckleberry]

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You can build a plenty accurate AR upper for not much dough. Don't need to spend big money to get accuracy out of the AR platform. I don't have any freedom uppers, but I have a lot of other PSA uppers & lower parts that have all been G2G, for me at least. I know a lot of other people have had good luck with them, some not so much. You might have got a bad one, or it might be the ammo. I'd try some heavier ammo to start with before you decide to get rid of it.

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