.223 Ammo, The Cheapest?

[XD BACKUP GUN]

What is the cheapest ammo out there in .223Remington for an AR-15?

[Ed Ely]

XD BACKUP GUN, please be reminded that it is
highly recommended that one choose to purchase
5.56mm NATO (MilSpec) ammo when shooting their
AR-15/M16. Both will shoot .223 cal though. For
some who are new to 'black guns', there is a mis-
interpretation when .223 cal is mentioned.

Here is why I make this suggestion. I notice in another
thread that you are attempting to purchase an AR-15, or
parts to put one together. There are barrels on the market
that are .223 caliber specific and are installed in the uppers.
These barrels will not accomodate the 5.56mm round as
the latter is just a smedon mite bit bigger than the .223 cal.

So, if you are planning on buying an AR-15, please make
sure that it says on the lower, 5.56mm. Also, I would
suggest that when you purchase 5.56mm ammo, that it
is 5.56mm ammo and not mislabled .223 cal. Good hunting.

Ed

I meant to add this site -

http://www.outdoormarksman.com/index.php?cPath=65_63_33

[XD BACKUP GUN]

Thanks for the info Ed!
So DPMS, Bushmaster, RRA, Armalite and Olympic...et all their AR's are chambered for 5.56....but you can shoot .223 in them?

[one-eyed-fatman]

Excellent post ED.

[Ed Ely]

Originally Posted by XD BACKUP GUN

Thanks for the info Ed!
So DPMS, Bushmaster, RRA, Armalite and Olympic...et all their AR's are chambered for 5.56....but you can shoot .223 in them?

I would say 99% correct. But, and a big but, please check
what you are buying. Those manufacturers above all buy
their lowers from the same source.

Ed

[XD BACKUP GUN]

Great info Ed!
Thank You!

[NiK]

I just built an M4-style carbine with a Stag Arms lower and upper, after hours of research on ar15.com. Universally recognized as high-quality parts. Some people are willing to spend twice as much on a bushmaster or RRA lower because they'd rather have the snake/crosshairs logos instead of the stag head, but I think that's ridiculous.

I bought my stripped Stag Arms lower receiver from www.title2.com/Stagarms.html for $87 shipped. Best price I've found so far. The guy is good to deal with and a prompt shipper.

http://www.del-ton.com/detail.aspx?ID=101 is where I bought my DPMS lower parts kit. Again, best price I found - about $56 shipped. This is everything you need to assemble the lower receiver, minus the stock, buffer, and spring.

My stag arms upper came from www.eaglefirearms.net . Once again, best prices on the net. Other sites are actually posting on their own pages that they will match Eagle Firearm's prices. I opted for the flat-top m4-style upper with an ARMS #40L BUIS. These sights are low enough so that the eye relief of an ACOG will fit over them when retracted. $498 shipped.

My buttstock came from a kitchen table dealer on AR15.com who sells his stuff at cost to active military. I paid $46 for a 6-position m4 stock with buffer and 2 springs. His price to forum members is $54, if I remember correctly. This guy is awesome; I emailed him at 11 PM and he answered it. Shipped the same day I placed my order. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.htm...=263404&page=1

There are a lot of stock options out there. You could go ape-nuts and buy a vltor, or you can get a reasonably priced skeleton stock from ACE (I want one for my next build). If you want a shorty stock, del-ton has them for $55 with buffer and spring. That's about average. The best place to find AR stuff is on the equipment exchange forum at ar15.com. Also, they have excellent illustrated guides to assembling your lower. The guide recommends all sorts of specialized armorer tools, all of which can be had from brownells.com . But I'm telling you all you really need is a 3/32, 5/32, and 1/8 punch, a ball peen hammer, a block of wood to support the lower when you drive the trigger guard roll-pin, and some tape to mask the receiver when you drive the magazine catch roll-pin. Thanks to Ajames for talking me out of spending $100 on unneccesary tools.

I ditto the recommendation to ensure you are buying a 5.56 chamber. I also recommend a 1:9 twist barrel, as you can pretty much fire any type of 5.56 or .223 with stability.

Cheapest .223 ammo out there has got to be Wolf. You can get 1000 rounds for about $110 at Sportsmans Guide.

As far as 5.56 ammo, you've got two basic kinds. (All info I'm about to regurgitate is found on www.ammo-oracle.com):

M193 - Formerly standard issue for the military. Best selection for self-defense purposes, can be fired from a slow or fast-twist barrel. Available for sale to civilians as XM193; this is second-rate stuff from the only USA plant that manufactures it, Lake City, packaged in brown boxes. Also available at a slightly lesser cost is XM193PD, 3rd rate stuff which has a higher rate of defects. Inspect your rounds before firing them. BTW the 1st rate stuff goes straight to the military.

M855 - Uses the SS-109 steel penetrator bullet, usually green-tipped but not always. Current standard issue for the military. Requires a fast twist barrel e.g. 1:9, preferably 1:7, to stabilize. Better than M193 for distances exceeding 100M, but within 100M has slightly less penetration and fragmentation capability. Available in XM855 and XM855PD; same deal as the XM193 stuff.

Visit www.ammo-oracle.com to answer any question you might have about it.

[Ed Ely]

Nik, thanx for all the 'hard work' info. Good job!
Now, whomever logs onto this thread and cannot
find what they are looking for, they need braille
keyboards.

Ed

[XD BACKUP GUN]

Originally Posted by Ed Ely

Nik, thanx for all the 'hard work' info. Good job!
Now, whomever logs onto this thread and cannot
find what they are looking for, they need braille
keyboards.

Ed

Great Info Nik Thanks!

[boricua9mm]

I wouldn't trust what the lower says. You can usually check under the handguards of the upper to find out what the barrel is actually chambered for. Incidentally, my RRA R4 (M4) barrel does not have these markings, but their R4 barrels are all chambered for 5.56, which will accept .223 ammo with no problem. Most manufactureres have markings on the barrel which designate the chamber size. If you don't find these markings, contact the manufacturer for clarification. Optimal performace is obtained by using 5.56 ammo in your 5.56 barrel, but there is nothing wrong with using .223 in your 5.56mm barreled rifle.

B9