What AR ammo do you "stockpile"?

M193 ball and equivalent hand loads

For me it's Lake City Ammo .556 in M855. I use it in a few different AR'S with different twists 1/8, 1/9 and 1/7..

Whatever is available at economical pricing.
I prefer 55gr but that would not stop me from buying 62gr

M193 Ball 55 grain FMJ....not every .223 I own is a 1-7 AR. you Said stock pile and to me that means 1K or more rounds. I might buy a few hundred of something else to play with on occasion but the un touched crate is M193 and at some point it will be replaced by another as I run out of uncrated M193 that I use for my main plinking /training ammo.

-kBob

D.B. Cooper said:

So when I said "stockpile" I was thinking training plus "major disaster." Or, for that matter, another self-induced shortage of supply where the shelves go bare for more than a year. (Because you know that day is coming around again.)

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GR

As for the M193 v. M855 debate?


GR

Above video settles no debate ... what a revelation -- lighter bullets go faster and 55 grainers are more accurate with a 1/12 twist?

As for stockpiling, I typically buy the 420 round boxes of M855 or thousand round cases of M193, usually Federal, IWI, PWC, etc., based on sale prices, both are economical and can be had at good prices. As for accuracy, the green-tips are fine from a 1/7 twist carbine for defensive purposes, at least from my Colts and DD. Obviously for match shooting 69, 72, 77 grain bullets (I like the Black Hills offerings) are the ticket. But since I'm not a sniper, 193 and 855 are my go-to plinking rounds.

Old Dog said:

Above video settles no debate ... what a revelation -- lighter bullets go faster and 55 grainers are more accurate with a 1/12 twist?...

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He did his accuracy testing w/ an A2.




GR

I have a little bit of everything. The cans with the dark yellow labels are 223 and 556.

Well, I have about 3k rounds of reloads with 55gr FMJ.....stockpiled, about another 2k rounds of factory FMJ (Federal and PMC) stockpiled and another 1k FMJ bullets that need to be reloaded and stockpiled.

I used to reload a good deal of 223 so keeping a couple bulk bags of Hornady or Winchester 55 grain fmj was normal for a long time. Pretty sure I've still got maybe 800 to 900 loaded rounds split in couple ammo cans. However for at least the last dozen years I've been using pretty much all steel cased ammo from Tula, Barnaul, or Brown Bear. I came to realize there just wasn't the savings or performance advantage to rolling my own for my particular shooting activitives. I can buy new loaded steel ammo for about the same as my component costs. So anymore I generally have around 2000 steel 62 grain fmj, sp, or hp on hand at any given time. I buy a few 500 round cases a couple times a year or whenever a sale comes around for under $100 per box delivered. I did get burned many years ago with a bad case of underpowered 55 grain fmj which wouldnt cylce well and ripped off rims/case heads at least once per magazine. That being said, I haven't experienced this problem for a long time now. At 8 to 10 cents per round cheaper than most of the new brass 5.56 stuff, I can literally replace my entire upper just with the savings each year if it was to wear out prematurely.

Mine's all XM193, probably about 3K rounds.

CarJunkieLS1 said:

I "stockpile" reloads I make myself. In .223 of course I use H335 for all of them and I stockpile a load with a 55 Vmax, 55 SP, and a 62gr fusion.

The only factory loaded ammo I stockpile is cheap 7.62x39 ammo. Steel case and a 123ish HP or SP.

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I’m really close to CarJunkie on this. I load 223 with H335 but use Hornady’s 55gr FMJBT. I have a handful loaded with Sierra hollow points that I loaded thinking maybe they’d be better for varmints or predators. I have a bunch of components and just load one or two hundred when I have time.

I also buy 7.62 x 39 whenever it’s convenient. Usually Tula from Walmart or Bass Pro. Anywhere from 40-100 at a time depending on my budget.

I usually have 2-3k of reloadable components and a few hundred ready. I only have about a hundred or so of factory 223/556 on hand. I don't get the ARs out but a few times a year. I think this would last me a while if I had to ration.

I have stockpiled mostly XM193 with Black Hills Blue Box being my preferred brand along with Federal.

D.B. Cooper said:

Hmmm. I generally avoid steel case ammo I've always heard it's nothing but crap. You seem to have had a better experience. I thought it would tear the gun up pretty bad. I get the cost-benefit part about saving enough money to replace the upper, but what if the upper fails at the worst possible moment? (Or even just a stuck case at the worst possible moment?)

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I'm not sure what the worst possible moment is since these are range toys. I hunt with shotguns and bolt rifles. Surprisingly I don't edc a carbine over my shoulder. So a jamb is simply a cleaning rod away from continued shooting (I do have a stuck case remover in my range bag but never needed it). Frankly the only issues with rim failures were all from the same 500 round case of ammo I bought in 2010 or 2011. Seemed like darned near every mag had one or two and it was frustrating. I kept telling myself i should pull the bullets and move on but instead just slowly shot through them. Anyway there has been a bunch of other steel ammo before and after with no issues. I suppose I could end up with another 500 rounds of garbage at some point but most everyone appears to have gotten their QC in line. No failures of components in AR as yet, but did have a broken extractor in a mini 14. Whether that was the cases fault, it was the original part from 1983 so I don't feel replacing a $10 part was excessive wear.

Range trips for me are offhand paper punching or shooting clays on a birm. I'm not doing mag dumps or chasing tiny groups off a bench with these guns. A couple moa works fine and haven't noticed and change in accuracy over time. If by chance it gets bad or starts keyholing some day I'm willing to swap a barrel and move on.

GunnyUSMC said:

I have a little bit of everything. The cans with the dark yellow labels are 223 and 556.
View attachment 815351

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.....And I thought I had a LOT of ammo!!!!!!! .......

I buy the 420 round cans of Federal M855 on stripper clips. The Pmags have grooves for the stripper clip guides, so I keep a few of them around (center console, in my EDC pack with ear pro, the ammo can I use as my range box...) along with a few empty stripper clips. They make loading magazines so much easier.

I use the M855 because I tend to favor heavy for caliber. So between the two most readily available bulk ammo choices, the 55 gr and the 62 gr, I choose the heavier. Eventually plan to settle on the 75 gr Hornady OTM, when I get set up to reload. The M855 is accurate enough for my uses when I am running drills inside 100 yards. And I have some 62 gr Barnes Vortex around for defense.

PMC green tip.

M193 rounds. I always liked shooting them better than M855 or M855A1 that I carried in the military. However, when it comes to 5.56 I will get whatever is around and affordable. I have a box of 55gr .223 Rem ammo just because it was on sale. And in a tight pitch, I run out of M193, I can shoot the 223 stuff.