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Green tip .223?

BGHillbillyBGHillbilly Member Posts: 1,927 ✭✭
edited January 2013 in Ask the Experts
As described on a FB trade group:

'y200rnds of green tip armor piercing .223 for sale'

My questions is two part, 1)Does such a thing exist and 2)Realisticaly just how dand effective could .223 AP be?

No other info was provided. Not Something I'm interested in purchasing, I've got better options if I want to punch holes in armor. Just dangged curious.

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    MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,972 ******
    edited November -1
    The green tip indicates the bullet has a steel 'penetrator', so the bullet can penetrate a steel helmet @600 yrds. not true a.p.
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    beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by BGHillbilly
    As described on a FB trade group:

    'y200rnds of green tip armor piercing .223 for sale'

    My questions is two part, 1)Does such a thing exist and 2)Realisticaly just how dand effective could .223 AP be?

    No other info was provided. Not Something I'm interested in purchasing, I've got better options if I want to punch holes in armor. Just dangged curious.



    Yes, the M855 green tip "penetrator" ammo does exist, and there is plenty of it floating around on the surplus market.

    No, this isn't meant to punch through true ballistic armor. As mentioned, the ammo just has a little bit of steel inside the core and just offers better penetration than the regular jacketed lead stuff. So its for both anti-personnel and "light armor" use (eg against steel helmets, etc).

    Note that this particular ammo has been specifically exempted as NOT "armor piercing" by the BATFE, so you are allowed to buy it, sell it, etc.
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    Riomouse911Riomouse911 Member Posts: 3,492 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It is good stuff. I bought a .30 caliber ammo can full of it many years back from Sportsmans Guide or some other similar seller and every one fired as expected.
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    sandwarriorsandwarrior Member Posts: 5,453 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Riomouse911
    It is good stuff. I bought a .30 caliber ammo can full of it many years back from Sportsmans Guide or some other similar seller and every one fired as expected.


    It's good stuff for plinking or conflict practice (SD/HD). Not really accurate enough to be a good accuracy based competition bullet. As far as SD/HD, use something else. This particular bullet in this cartridge has a bad propensity to bore right through and not impart any energy into the target. It was getting way too much penetration, and leaving hardly any wound channel. The steel penetrator was finally dropped from mil-ammo and it works better now. The penetrator stuff will be magnetic and is often called SS109.

    I use 75 or 77 gr. HPBT's loaded to Mk 262 specs. That will do some damage at any range.

    Iceracerx,

    The load to work up to is 25.3 gr. of RE-15 behind either the 75 gr. HPBT (Hornady) or the 77 gr. HPBT (Nosler CC or SMK). It is a compressed load. I used Winchester and Wolf primers.

    Make sure you do this in a full 5.56 chamber. You WILL get pressure signs if doing this in anything shorter. I tried this load in my old Savage .223 that had the lands eroded a good .125" and it flattened the primers. There was a little more pressure I could have gotten in my AR-15 Carbine, in 5.56 NATO, but I had already achieved the velocity goal, 2700 fps. from a 16" barrel. So, I left it where it was. This was about a 1 moa-1.25 moa load in my rifle.
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    iceracerxiceracerx Member Posts: 8,860 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sandwarrior - would you please send me your Mk 262 load data? I'm using LC brass and 75 gr BTHPs.

    quote:Originally posted by sandwarrior
    quote:Originally posted by Riomouse911
    It is good stuff. I bought a .30 caliber ammo can full of it many years back from Sportsmans Guide or some other similar seller and every one fired as expected.


    It's good stuff for plinking or conflict practice (SD/HD). Not really accurate enough to be a good accuracy based competition bullet. As far as SD/HD, use something else. This particular bullet in this cartridge has a bad propensity to bore right through and not impart any energy into the target. It was getting way too much penetration, and leaving hardly any wound channel. The steel penetrator was finally dropped from mil-ammo and it works better now. The penetrator stuff will be magnetic and is often called SS109.

    I use 75 or 77 gr. HPBT's loaded to Mk 262 specs. That will do some damage at any range.


    Thanks for the data Sandwarrior!
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    rsnyder55rsnyder55 Member Posts: 2,526 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It is also 62gr vs the 55 gr of the older FMJ and I've found it to be far more accurate in new rifles w/ 1 in 7 and comparable twists.
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