New Military 5.56 ammo

RyanNREMTP · 06-29-2010, 15:47

From Fox News:
June 23: A new round replaces the current M855 5.56mm cartridge that has been used by U.S. troops since the early 1980s. The M855A1 offers a number of significant enhancements: improved hard target capability, increased dependability, consistent performance at all distances, improved accuracy, reduced muzzle flash and a higher velocity. It's tailored for use in the M-4 but also improves the performance of the M-16 and M-249 families of weapons.

Anyone have any details about this stuff. I just wonder what makes it special besides the looks of the tips.

Gunnut 45/454 · 06-29-2010, 19:10

Here's article on it! I guess time will tell if it's any good?

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...3-arnews06.htm

njl · 06-29-2010, 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunnut 45/454

Here's article on it! I guess time will tell if it's any good?

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...3-arnews06.htm

That article doesn't actually say anything specific about what they've changed, though it sounds like they've eliminated lead from the bullet's core.

WoodenPlank · 06-29-2010, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by njl

That article doesn't actually say anything specific about what they've changed, though it sounds like they've eliminated lead from the bullet's core.

That was the impression I got from some google-fu. All copper except for the steel penetrator.

lawman800 · 06-30-2010, 00:27

Does this mean outdoor and indoor ranges might not let you use it compared to the regular lead/copper jacket bullets?

njl · 06-30-2010, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawman800

Does this mean outdoor and indoor ranges might not let you use it compared to the regular lead/copper jacket bullets?

Outdoors, I don't see why it would be a problem. Indoors, depending on the backstop design, they might not want these better penetrators used. Most indoor ranges are too short for meaningful rifle shooting anyway.

lawman800 · 06-30-2010, 08:15

I should clarify... CA outdoor ranges... they always claim some sort of fire hazard here so we have to use lead bullets only.

njl · 06-30-2010, 17:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawman800

I should clarify... CA outdoor ranges... they always claim some sort of fire hazard here so we have to use lead bullets only.

I've heard of outdoor ranges banning use of tracers for that reason, but I don't see how a copper/lead/steel bullet is a fire hazard.

jwagess · 06-30-2010, 18:29

Oh how great.. a green bullet. Let's see how it performs against the bad guys. We'll probably never see this round for sale to the general public.
a steel penetratror with a copper jacket? Interesting.

njl · 06-30-2010, 18:54

It just needs some bacon fat as lube and it'll be perfect for use in the multiple fronts of the war on terror.

lawman800 · 06-30-2010, 20:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by njl

I've heard of outdoor ranges banning use of tracers for that reason, but I don't see how a copper/lead/steel bullet is a fire hazard.

Yep, there are ranges out here banning anything but copper jacket/lead bullets for outdoors due to "sparking" and "fire" concerns.

Wolf or any other steel jacket ammo is banned when it's dry season, which in SoCal, is pretty much year round.

Retseh · 07-04-2010, 01:01

The design was based on the Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, and the military is only talking about how it out-penetrates the M855 (like that was ever a problem, the SS109 bullet was designed to penetrate) but they are being tight lipped about terminal ballistics.

It seems that after the Raufoss and 7.62NATO OTM rounds, we are taking our disregard of the Hague conventions that little bit farther, but hey, when did we ever obey international law.

Merkavaboy · 07-04-2010, 02:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retseh

The design was based on the Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, and the military is only talking about how it out-penetrates the M855 (like that was ever a problem, the SS109 bullet was designed to penetrate) but they are being tight lipped about terminal ballistics.

The TBBC load you're referring to is actually the MK 318 Mod 0 SOST (Special Operations Science & Technology) round. Per a recent article in ArmyTimes dated April 3, 2010, Special Operations Command and the Marines are fielding the SOST round, but it will not be available for Army troops. That's where the new M855A1 load comes into play for the Army.

The original M855A1 "green" loading was made with a bismuth-tin base core and the steel penetrator above it and the tip of the penetrator is exposed and the bullet jacket is crimped around the tip. This round had problems with accuracy when the round got too hot (the problem being with the bismuth-tin core).

The revised M855A1 now has a copper core base in place of the bismuth-tin core.

And yes, the current M855 (62gr SS109 style bullet) is having barrier penetration problems, especially out of the shorter M4 barrels. That's one of the main reasons why the M855A1 was developed. Even the SOST round was designed to have "enhanced intermediate barrier defeat capability" over the M855.

glock22357 · 07-04-2010, 07:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retseh

The design was based on the Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, and the military is only talking about how it out-penetrates the M855 (like that was ever a problem, the SS109 bullet was designed to penetrate) but they are being tight lipped about terminal ballistics.

It seems that after the Raufoss and 7.62NATO OTM rounds, we are taking our disregard of the Hague conventions that little bit farther, but hey, when did we ever obey international law.

Since the Anti-coaltion forces we have been facing have not signed the Hague Conventions of 1899 and/or 1907, U.S. forces are in no way limited in the ammunition they can use.

The Hague Convention on ammunition only applies when both "countries" in a conflict have signed.