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5.56 Optimized a.k.a. Brown Tip

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29 April 2009, 17:47
perry
5.56 Optimized a.k.a. Brown Tip
There is little known about this "new" round, new to public but certain units have been using it for awhile now. It is a factory loaded 70gr Barnes TSX that runs about 2750 out of 12" bbls and 2850 out of 16"bbls. I have been using it on medium to small game for 3-4 years now and it is awesome. From the factory it shoots sub 1/2 moa out of sniper rifles and about 1 moa out of battle guns/cabines. It seems that the internet AR experts all hoard/ crave/love the sometimes frangible rounds, TAP/MK262/etc, but us hunters know the true value of weight retention, penetration and expanded bullet diameter. Anyway this stuff is awesome and just wanted to pass it on. It is not cheap, 1.40/round, but well worth it to me to put a stock pile away and not have to worry about reloading.

Perry
29 April 2009, 18:56
Rick R
Who is loading this round? I take it that it's a standard 5.56 cartridge with some creative loading involved?
02 May 2009, 03:56
COOL
5.56 Optimized/Brown-Tip Ammo: Enhanced Terminal Ballistics for SpecOps SBRs
02 May 2009, 03:56
COOL
quote:
Dirty Little Secrets Discussion Board
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Subject: Brown Tip 5.56mm for Short Barrels
James Dunnigan 6/5/2008 10202012 PM
U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) has used its own, bureaucracy free, budget to design and manufacture special ammunition for the short barrel (10-15 inch) weapons (like the M-4 and SCAR Light). The new ammo, referred to as "5.56 Optimized", or "brown tip" (because the tips of the bullets are brown for easy identification) uses a bullet that is solid copper and 70 grains in weight (compared to 62 grains for the NATO standard 5.56 bullet). The solid copper design is believed to be based on a commercial design (the Barnes Triple-Shock X) that was introduced five years ago. The new round was designed to achieve better accuracy and hitting power at the ranges (under 300 meters) the short barrel weapons are most effective at. The brown tip ammo costs more, because of its unique design and small production runs, but SOCOM doesn't worry about that when it's for something that will make its operators more effective, and help keep them alive.


02 May 2009, 04:02
perry
That's the stuff and it flat works...on 2 and 4 legged targets.

Perry
02 May 2009, 04:53
COOL
Where do you buy it Perry?
02 May 2009, 18:31
perry
Cool
p.m. sent
07 May 2009, 00:17
BECoole
How is this better than the 77gr ammo?
07 May 2009, 07:20
perry
It expands to .50 cal with the shape of a motor boat prop and retains all of it's weight.

Perry
07 May 2009, 11:40
N E 450 No2
This info comes from people who are working in Iraq.

One group, that mostly is shooting peole that are generally in the open much prefers the 77gr HP. They feel it knocks the enemy down much quicker.

Another group, tried the 77gr, but went back to Green Tip.

The reason was they found the superior penetration of the Green Tip was to their advantage.

Sometimes they had to shoot though the windows of the vehicles they were in, and when making entrys, shooting thjrough furniture and other stuff the Green Tip worked better for them.

IF this Brown Tip is truely Barnes X, it might just rovide the best of both worlds.

Good expansion in tissue, and good penetration of "intermediate objects".

The only broblem is it might run afoul of the Geneva Convention, as X bullets are designed to expand in tissue.

The reason Sierra Matchking HP's are authorized for Combat, is that they are not designed for expansion in tissue, but for accuracy.

[Last I heard the US did not sign the Geneva Convention anyway]

The above info is not second hand, I got it straight from the Operators involved.


DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY
07 May 2009, 12:01
N E 450 No2
For use here in the USA, by Citizens and the Police, factory ammo with Nosler 50 or 55gr Ballistic Tip works good.

Winchester 55gr Ballistic Silvertip has done very good in actual shootings.
Has proven very accurate, especially in Sniper type AR 15's even at extended ranges.

Also it breaks up fairly quick in house walls.

If you need to shoot through stuff, then Federals Tactical load with the Trophy Bonded Bearclaw, or a load with Barnes X bullets would be a good choice.

If you can get Green Tip, that will work pretty good as well.


DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY
07 May 2009, 17:36
perry
The units using this stuff are not bound by the Geneva Conv. and they are the only ones using it. I have heard, first hand, they prefer this stuff over the Mk 262 77gr. Shooting through barriers this stuff works very well. Auto glass tends to "close" the hollow point so the bullet acts like a 70gr wad cutter but through doors and windows it punches through and still expands. No doubt the green tip is good for punching through stuff bad guys are hiding behind though.

Perry
15 May 2009, 03:20
homebrewer
quote:
shape of a motor boat prop

Shades of the "Black Talon" and all the bullshit (contrived by the drive-by media swine cabal) that that ammo precipitated. Remember..?
16 May 2009, 08:48
sputster
If you are not going for precise placement and need an overall mix, maybe a solution is to alternate green tip and brown tip throughout the magazine.

I did the same with green tips and tracers throughout my magazines and that worked, but then again I wasn't onvolved in quite the same tasks of the fellows above.


sputster
16 May 2009, 08:49
sputster
Ok, I should have said extremely precise placement.


sputster
17 May 2009, 06:47
perry
I just found out that there are/were 3 very unhappy Somali pirates that this stuff was invented/adopted.

Perry
17 May 2009, 08:16
Skidly
what is this ammo? bullet? powder? charge?


50bmg half inch holes ...... at long range!
17 May 2009, 08:40
perry
essentially Mk 262 with a Barnes 70gr TSX

Perry
24 June 2009, 07:48
.500Pro
That what I say. BWTFDIK and who are "They". Sounds like a RRLP and MK262 muddled Gyrostabilized.

quote:
Shades of the "Black Talon" and all the bullshit (contrived by the drive-by media swine cabal) that that ammo precipitated. Remember..?

14 August 2009, 21:20
Andy
http://www.barnesbullets.com/i.../load-data/data-224/

you can roll your own. Here is link to Barnes reloading data for 223, all the TSX bullets in this caliber.

The 70 grain does require a 1-8 or faster twist.

They are showing 2875 and 2915 for for a 24 inch barrel using h335 and rl-15. You can subtract at least 100 fps for a 20 inch and 150-200 fps for a 16 inch?

Andy