New to AR-15. Ammo help.

[Low Fence]

I’m shooting an 18” .223 wylde 1:8

Box ammo- federal fusion 62gr shoots 1”
Remington 45gr hollow point shoots sub 1”
American eagle fmj 55gr shoots 1”- 11/4”

Hornady 72gr BTHP shoot about 2.5”

So far the good ol “chart” has been a crock of %#+* for me. 45gr-62gr all shoot good- great. All the heavy “box “ ammo sucks. Hand load would probably be a much different story

[StrayDog]

Don’t buy steel case - it’s hard on extractors and can mar up your chamber.

Try some M855 62 grain ammo. A little internet searching and patience and you can find it for $0.28 - $0.29 per round. I killed 15 hogs or so with it last year - they died dead quickly.

If an AR shoots 1-1.5 MOA and you didn’t buy some high dollar rifle then all is good. Keep shooting and enjoy.

[kd350]

Not trying to hikack, but I’m new to the AR world as well.

Is there any practical difference between 5.56 and .223 ammunition for deer/hog hunting? Assuming soft-point bullets. Can you even find those in 5.56?

I just buy 223 for everything. Then again I don’t go out and shoot hundreds of rounds just for fun

For hunting ammo, stick with a soft point or a copper Bullet. Just pick one your gun likes the most, i have killed my biggest pig with the American whitetail and was really impressed. Here’s some examples of good loads

hornady American whitetail
Federal fusion
Barnes
Hornady full boar with the gmx Bullet

[ATI]

I’m shooting an 18” .223 wylde 1:8

Box ammo- federal fusion 62gr shoots 1”
Remington 45gr hollow point shoots sub 1”
American eagle fmj 55gr shoots 1”- 11/4”

Hornady 72gr BTHP shoot about 2.5”

So far the good ol “chart” has been a crock of %#+* for me. 45gr-62gr all shoot good- great. All the heavy “box “ ammo sucks. Hand load would probably be a much different story

Don’t buy steel case - it’s hard on extractors and can mar up your chamber.

Try some M855 62 grain ammo. A little internet searching and patience and you can find it for $0.28 - $0.29 per round. I killed 15 hogs or so with it last year - they died dead quickly.

If an AR shoots 1-1.5 MOA and you didn’t buy some high dollar rifle then all is good. Keep shooting and enjoy.

Awesome answers, thanks fellas!

[ATI]

I just buy 223 for everything. Then again I don’t go out and shoot hundreds of rounds just for fun

For hunting ammo, stick with a soft point or a copper Bullet. Just pick one your gun likes the most, i have killed my biggest pig with the American whitetail and was really impressed. Here’s some examples of good loads

hornady American whitetail
Federal fusion
Barnes
Hornady full boar with the gmx Bullet

[Playa]

Thanks bro!
I'm just not clear on the brass and steel casing,,, some people say steel casing is bad for the gun and some others say it's fine to shoot, but it's dirty....
Also, which of the two calibers has the better knock down power? for example the .223 65 grain or the 5.56 55 grain? if there's such a thing!!!

Ali- steel casing can tear an extractor up, which leaves you with a single shot gun (ask me how I know).

A .223 in 65 gr will have more knockdown power over a 55 gr 5.56. But that is physics, the heavier object even at a slower rate of velocity will carry more force downrange.

5.56 is loaded to higher pressures (one of He reasons you don’t shoot 5.56 in a .223), so I suppose that gives it an edge when comparing apples to apples in terms of projectile mass. But I doubt your target will know the difference.

Federal Fusions are available in 5.56 62 gr, I got a box but really couldnt tell a huge difference

[Low Fence]

62gr fusions in .223 are poisonous to hogs

[Low Fence]

None of these read the “chart” either. Mix of 62gr and 55gr American eagle fmj

[Tony Pic]

Wail all you want about the "Chart". Manufacturers recommend those bullet weights for those twists out of barrels. The "Chart " is not gospel. It is a "Chart" to go by and get started. OP said he was new to this. So...I posted the "Chart".
I have a 1:9 Mossberg MVP that shoots Black Hills 77gr.223 great when 1:9 are not supposed to shoot the heavy loads well. 99% of the time. I go to the" Chart".

[ringtailer]

I have a 1-8 twist. It shoots 55's and 75 grain Hornady's almost in the same hole. Doesn't make sense but it does. I sprays 62 grain bullets everywhere. It does not cycle 75 grain bullets well at all. I quit shooting them for that reason. With all that said. I think every gun is different.

[dphillips62]

check out copper creek ammo the 223 is just as good as fed gold medal match

[kumathebear]

You got a good number of very good responses. One thing I'll put in...for hogs and "whatever" may dictate in the future...I like the Federal "green tip" FMJ.

Killed a few hogs in my day and the Fed's have never failed...most 1 shot DRT. All of the son's and my AR's are wylde so no sweat on 5.56 or 223 as well. We ONLY shoot brass but I have a couple of buddies that say steel in not bad as many say?

Just for us, but most of the bolts don't get as much action as the 10's or 15 platforms these days.

[TacticalCowboy]

My philosophy is to buy the cheapest thing I can find and see how it shoots. If you aren’t satisfied, keep moving up in price till you find something that you’re happy with or decide to handload.