The link that sol.torluemke posted above does mention that M855 is exempted.
The link that sol.torluemke posted above does mention that M855 is exempted.
Yeah, but that's a second hand source. If you google "m855 armor piercing atf" you can find a bunch of links that quote the exact same thing, but their actual ATF source is no longer online. So it pretty much doesn't exist on the Internet anymore; you'd have to just apply the definition of armor piercing ammo to what M855 is, which would bring you to the same conclusion of legality.
It seems that mot of the information came from the 1994 Crime Bill era. I wonder if its just outdated at this point.
It is not outdated and is available on the ATF website, but it is buried in a regulation. See ATF FEDERAL FIREARMS REGULATIONS REFERENCE GUIDE 2005, page 166 (http://www.atf.gov/publications/download/p/atf-p-5300-4.pdf)
Exemptions: The following articles are exempted from the definition of armor piercing ammunition.
5.56 mm (.223) SS 109 and M855 Ammunition, identified by a green coating on the projectile tip.
U.S. .30-06 M2AP, identified by a black coating on the projectile tip.
LOL...I was getting ready to start a thread about this ammo. However, I was going to ask about the quality and does it shoot well?
I've seen it for sale for $150 for 420 rounds on stripper clips and it comes with the stripper clip guide and an ammo can. So, it breaks down to approximately $.37 per round which isn't bad if you want to shoot a 62g bullet.
Does this stuff stuff shoot well and is it accurate?
I've seen it for sale for $150 for 420 rounds on stripper clips and it comes with the stripper clip guide and an ammo can. So, it breaks down to approximately $.37 per round which isn't bad if you want to shoot a 62g bullet.
Does this stuff stuff shoot well and is it accurate?
You can shoot it all day and it's accurate enough. You just won't be able to shoot it at most, if not all, indoor ranges or at steel targets.
Thanks for all the info guys, been very useful. I looked into a bit further, and it seems like the core of the M855 is also comprised of greater than 60% lead by mass and volume, so I think it gets exempted from both qualifiers by the law (but don't hold me to that statement 
)
Just based on my research on the M855, its pretty good ammo. Its not match quality obviously, and there's some contention that M193 ammunition does better against biologic targets within 200 yards(source). Plus indoor ranges typically won't let you shoot M855 because it can cause excessive wear on their trapping systems.
)Just based on my research on the M855, its pretty good ammo. Its not match quality obviously, and there's some contention that M193 ammunition does better against biologic targets within 200 yards(source). Plus indoor ranges typically won't let you shoot M855 because it can cause excessive wear on their trapping systems.
Its just blammo. Not great, not terrible.
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