Best Ammo for 5.56, or At Least, Ammo to Avoid

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TerryMiller

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I did a search on this topic, but most of the threads I saw were at least 4 years old.

Wife and I are just getting into the 5.56 world, and I would like to know what are reliable brands of ammo for the AR. And specifically, I'd like to know what brands to avoid.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what powders being used would cause fouling and such, so that is why I am asking about specific brands.

Thanks in advance.
 

Defcon Shooter

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Great article here on range ammo torture test by Lucky Gunner.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/
My experience here in the shop is I have had to remove 2 stuck brass cases in 25 years from 5.56 platforms. Have removed probably close to eighty stuck steel cases including ones where the customer had ruined the barrel with at home removal techniques. Also a few ripped off extractor lips from "mortaring" techniques. Steel also rusts if you store ammo loose in cans as the coating gets damaged. In higher end rifles such as the "E" chambered POF rifles steel is not too often a problem. In lower end DI rifles it's just not worth it to me. A day of shooting ruined by a stuck case is not made up for by cheap price.
 

SMS

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Federal American Eagle XM-193 works great and can be found on sale and/or with rebates often. It’s commonly available in stores and online.

I’ve used it almost exclusively in all my ARs for the last decade or more through range sessions and Run and Gun competitions with zero QC issues.

I’m sure there are few more brands that folks can vouch for based on actual usage.
 

Glock 40

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Bulk ammo I always had good luck with Federal AE in 223 or 5.56 in both 55 and 62gr. I also shot a lot of rem umc .223 back before the shortages. If you do reload you will probably end up swaging a good amount of the bulk stuff.
 

dennishoddy

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I bought a few boxes of .223 when reloading components were non-existent in case my stash of reloading supplies ran out, but I made it so the factory stuff sits unfired in the ammo bunker now. ( 4 drawer file cabinet that locks :blush:)
I've fired some of it. The Monarch fired fine but I could tell from recoil that the velocity wasn't consistant. Some loads were just weaker than others.
I was given some eastern bloc ammo once that was horrible. Hungarian or something. The brass was so hard it wouldn't resize without sticking in the die no matter how much lube was used. Yes, brass, no magnetic properties. Probably still have some of it in the junk brass bucket.
I stay away from all steel case and eastern bloc ammo like wolf and Tula. The prices are tempting, but not gonna happen.
Sgammo.com, Primary Arms, or Palmetto arms are selling .223/5.56 under $300 for Speer, CCI, and Federal bulk ammo.
Stay with the name brands for reliability.
 

D.M.

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Wolf gold like AKguy1985 said, its not made in Russia. The ammo from Serbia (PPU) is good to go and has good pricing.
Outback ammo from Australia is really good not NATO pressure but consistent, pricy and in goofy oversized boxes.
What twist is your barrel? That will make a difference. If it's a 1/9 you might have trouble with heavy weights over 69 grain
some shoot well others don't I have one that refuses to shoot anything over 69 grain others seem to not have any problem
but Hornady has some good ammo with a 75 grain bullet that works good in a 1/9 twist.It has a shorter bearing surface I think.
I have had good luck with IMI also.
Stay away from PMP, its from South Africa, all of it I shot was weak. Easy to spot it has an Impala on the box
at least I think its an Impala. And like Dennishoddy said SG Ammo is your friend.
 

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