I won't miss it a bit. It is inaccurate and ballistics are inferior to m193.

 

I had an interesting conversation at the LGS the other day. They were putting out 120 round boxes of American Eagle M855 (just over $60 a box if you bought two boxes or $65 if you only wanted one, but a limit of two.)

Several of us were standing there watching them put it out. It turned out that they had intermingled a few cases of AE 55 gr boat tail in with the M855.
One guy was picking threw the pile to make sure he had the M855 and I mentioned that some folks find the M855 to not be very accurate. Another guy jumped in the conversation and challenged my comment. He was quite angry and made it personal. He acted as if he wanted to fight. I backed out of the conversation and went on my way. Seems some folks are taking this pretty dang seriously.

 

I bought it because it was more accurate in the 1 in 7 barrel of my 6920 than 193 was.

 

+1 And it was way cheaper than 62gr SOST or 77gr OTM.

 

Apart from the politics is also the price.

Many makers made and kept supplies of 855 on hand to fulfill military requirements to be military providers. The cheap way to do that used to be to over produce the ammo in runs and trust the civi market to soak up the excess and any military options they don't pick up.

Now, the cheapest way will be to keep stockpiles lighter and more open capacity to manufacture to meet military requirements for demand.

That means less cheap ammo.

I doubt I would have ever bought another round of 855 in my life (the one case I got was on accident - I thought I had grabbed 193) - but this ruling will increase costs on all 5.56 going forward - if only a little.

 

The stuff goes thru 1/4 inch unarmored steel nicely and will also go thru both sides of a car. Relatively inexpensive. What's not to like?

 

Also, something to think about...I wonder how many of the people saying it isn't accurate could even shoot pizza box on Table 1.

 

More then anything else, to me, it's the government getting into restricting the military surplus ammo market. Removing this is just another step in a long line of the government keeping us from having what the government has. And by my reading of the 1939 Miller case we're 'allowed' to have the same arms as the government. That includes the same ammo, even if it's not a very good round.

By taking this off the market it will only lead to increased prices for it's alternatives.

Besides which, it's not like they can show where this round has been used to take out cops wearing body armor. Heck, they'd have a very hard time showing that it's EVER been used in any shooting incident. It's a 'solution' looking for a problem that doesn't exist.

 

m193 is already higher priced than it used to be.but I'll still stick with the 62-77 premium ammo as it is what I reload.

 

Here is another point of view. I shoot M855 type projectiles for training almost exclusively because they are the most accurate, cheapest, and widely available option for me. I am not alone in this. If they ban M855 then myself and every other shooter that uses it will have to resort to other types/brands. This means that all of you that "won't miss it because it sucks and you never use it" will now be competing with the thousands of us that do use it for YOUR favorite types of plinking loads.

This might not effect you right now, however, 5 years down the road when you are looking to replenish your stocks and the prices are up/availability is way down. Supply and demand.

 

call me stupid but whats this m193 you speak of. sorry never been in the service.

 

NOT STUPID.........M193 is a 55gr. FMJ 5.56X45 cartridge.

 

The ATF is moving closer and closer to total control and we have people focusing on reasons why what the ATF takes away won't be missed.

The stupidity is astounding.

 

Throwing vitriol and insulting a citizen on your side is a wasted effort. Concentrate on those who are eroding your rights.

Part of the OP was a litmus test to gauge whether the mechanics, uses & function of the round could be dissected away from the politics of the situation...and clearly this question was put to bed.

Now go be useful and sign the petition.

 

They cant take it away if you make a sporting use for it.

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=383048

 

I prefer Tyrant Hunting as a new sport.

 

As far as "armor peircing" goes they really don't have any advantages vs regular 5.56/.223. They will both penetrate all soft armor like a hot knife in butter but will be stopped by all level 3, level 4, and AR500 armor. Weather they are M855/SS109 or not will make no difference against body armor. The only real advantage they have is the ability to penetrate targets better (cars, doors, walls, etc.). So no, it really doesn't make much of a difference to me as far as shooting goes. That being said, I do have a problem with the ATF slowly making a ferther advance on our second amendment rights.

 

My main attraction to the M855 round is price per 1,000 rounds. It has been available in Alaska for several years at $349.99 per 1,000 rounds. It is not super accurate, but is accurate enough for predators and meat in the cache.

 

That's still much more then buying Wolf steel cased ammo. That can be had for about $240 for 1000 rounds.


http://ammunitionstore.com/products...om/products/223-5-56x45-ammo-55gr-fmj-wolf-wpa-polyformance-500-round-case.html
http://www.sgammo.com/product/223-5...-round-case-223-rem-62-grain-hollow-point-wolf-wpa-military-classic-or-polyform

 

I also like the fact that it will destroy a wild boar in thick brush without issues.

 

See below.

Here is another point of view. I shoot M855 type projectiles for training almost exclusively because they are the most accurate, cheapest, and widely available option for me. I am not alone in this. If they ban M855 then myself and every other shooter that uses it will have to resort to other types/brands. This means that all of you that "won't miss it because it sucks and you never use it" will now be competing with the thousands of us that do use it for YOUR favorite types of plinking loads.

This might not effect you right now, however, 5 years down the road when you are looking to replenish your stocks and the prices are up/availability is way down. Supply and demand.

+1 to ^^that. This has nothing to do with the round itself. It has to do with the justification for banning and the cheapness/availability of the round. They can use the LEO safety and non-"sporting use" clause as an excuse for an "armor piercing" steel core M855 which is easier to explain to an idiot public (such as how other steel core ammo is banned) than the M193 which does not have a steel core. The goal is to raise the cost of ammo. They tried restricting firearm ownership at the federal level and failed so now they have realized that without cheap and plentiful ammo firearms are a useless paperweight. They will have continuing bans on ALL types of ammo that are not deemed "sporting" or can be fired from a handgun i.e. all popular military rifle rounds. Once the first ban passes the floodgates have been opened.

 

There are at least three (slight) advantages of the round:
1. The penetration in steel is better.
2. It is slightly heavier and might resist wind or leaves better.
3. In rocky terrain the effect on soft targets may be slightly better, due to ricochet of the penetrator, once it separates from the rest of the bullet.

 

Looking at this from a different angle, but does a .270, 30-06 or .308 penetrate the armor they are talking about?

 

Yes, just about any center fire rifle cartridge will penetrate the light body armor worn by police. That is what is most concerning about this ruling, that ATF could use the same logic to take away a lot more than the m855 version.

 

More supply to choose from = lower prices in general