The Accurate Reloading Forums
Ammo question
02 January 2025, 20:21
Aspen Hill AdventuresAmmo question
I'm new to the 5.56/.223 black rifle gig. I have a BCA 15 (beer budget here) and have accessorized it now and am ready to shop for ammo.
I put this together for varmint hunting. I am only seeing FMJ offered and wonder is that all there is? Suitable? I've never used FMJ ammo for hunting.
~Ann
02 January 2025, 21:28
crbutlerNo, FMJ is not particularly good for varmint hunting.
You should be able to find .223 ammo in expanding bullets which is what you should use.
Lots of places have it, but it can be both more expensive and not as consistently available- as in you find a load that works well and is accurate, and try and find that exact load again.
Look for it at a local gun shop or one of the bigger online outfits- I found some at Midway by just looking there- but the easy way is make your own. The .223 is easy to reload for
02 January 2025, 21:32
Aspen Hill AdventuresThank you, Doc. Appreciate the advice.

~Ann
02 January 2025, 22:14
SaeedAs my friend the Doctor said.
I would add that generally, FMJ ammo is not as accurate as normal soft or hollow points.
03 January 2025, 08:45
Aspen Hill AdventuresThank you, Saeed. I have been 'shopping' for a good deal/price online. Ammos has gotten so expensive. Ridiculously so.
~Ann
03 January 2025, 15:15
p dog shooterI use FMJ for practice. Shot 10's of thousands of rounds of the stuff.
I would buy Win, Fed, Rem. Soft points for serious social work.
They well be a lot more expensive but one doesn't need as many.
03 January 2025, 15:47
SaeedFor fun shooting for most people coming here, I load bulk bullets I have bought literally millions of!
Not really but a lot.
They come in 500 lot in a plastic bag in a brown cardboard box.
They look exactly like soft points loaded by the likes of Remington and Winchester.
Had the same with pistol bullets, but I am runout of those.
People shoot pistol bullets a lot faster than rifles!
Ann,
Why don’t you reload?
Easy and very cheap!
03 January 2025, 19:28
Aspen Hill AdventuresI don't have suitable space to set up equipment here. I also have a lot of arthritis in my hands from hard wear and tear.
quote:
Originally posted by Saeed:
For fun shooting for most people coming here, I load bulk bullets I have bought literally millions of!
Not really but a lot.
They come in 500 lot in a plastic bag in a brown cardboard box.
They look exactly like soft points loaded by the likes of Remington and Winchester.
Had the same with pistol bullets, but I am runout of those.
People shoot pistol bullets a lot faster than rifles!
Ann,
Why don’t you reload?
Easy and very cheap!
~Ann
04 January 2025, 14:31
SaeedShame you are far away Ann.
I could make you all the ammo you wish.
I do that for many friends.
04 January 2025, 17:38
jeffeossoAnn,
the twist of your barrel could be important in this case - i have found that fast twist 223/556 does NOT like light weight ammo - say 8.5 or faster, but slower twist does a great job (yeah *I* have found that, after the military proved it in the 60s, i just wanted to test it)
i am a big fan of blackhills ammo for 223, for what that's worth, your rifle might hate it -
remember, FMJ is just another way of saying "pointy solid" -- though the only case where i use FMJ in a 223 is when rabbit hunting - doesn't usually tear up the meat
05 January 2025, 08:12
Aspen Hill AdventuresThanks guys!
~Ann
09 January 2025, 00:13
FjoldAnn,
Look for the softpoint/varmint ammo in 223. It's a lot more common and safe to shoot in your 5.56mm.
Frank
"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money."
- Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953
NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite
12 January 2025, 02:08
Aspen Hill Adventuresquote:
Originally posted by Fjold:
Ann,
Look for the softpoint/varmint ammo in 223. It's a lot more common and safe to shoot in your 5.56mm.
Thank you, Frank. Am doing so!
~Ann
24 January 2025, 21:16
shootermetalI have been shooting the 7.5 twist Colt HBAR since it first came out which was a very long time ago. I've shot everything I could find and load through it. Let's cure one myth right now. Fast twist DO SHOOT LIGHT bullets very well. I've even pulled 40 grain jacketed hollowpoints from 22 magnum rimfire and loaded them in my Colt fast twist. No it wasn't olympic grade accuracy but acceptable and not they didn't blow up either. Now onto the FMJ. The original Vietnam issue 193 ammo was loaded with a 55 grain FMJ, the first bullet for the M16. I've literaly shot thousands of these as you could buy them in 5000 bulk lots very cheap. This has been one of the most destructive bullets I've very seen in the 223 AR15's. But there is a catch. It seems the fast twist contributes to it's destructiveness because of not the forward velocity, but of the very high rotational rpm all which cause this FMJ to literaly blowup.
Best advice is don't believe everything you read, but to try all these things for yourself.
I doubt there are many of those 193 FMJ's out there anymore.
26 January 2025, 17:54
Michael RobinsonAnn - I have found the
Ammoseek search engine to be a good source for deals on ammo.
Tons of .223 are listed.
Mike
Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer.
27 January 2025, 09:39
Lamarthat's not all there is.
Hornady uses it's V-max bullet in a lot of it's ammo and it will also offer it plain old soft point.
just find something 50-55grs and go with it.
I can't really recommend much more than that since I mostly only shoot the bullets I make myself for varmints.
27 January 2025, 20:21
Aspen Hill Adventuresquote:
Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Ann - I have found the
Ammoseek search engine to be a good source for deals on ammo.
Tons of .223 are listed.
Nice! Yes, good place to look.
~Ann
27 January 2025, 20:22
Aspen Hill Adventuresquote:
Originally posted by Lamar:
that's not all there is.
Hornady uses it's V-max bullet in a lot of it's ammo and it will also offer it plain old soft point.
just find something 50-55grs and go with it.
I can't really recommend much more than that since I mostly only shoot the bullets I make myself for varmints.
And that is what I am looking to do with this rifle. Fun with varmints. Some target fun now and then.
~Ann
01 February 2025, 17:18
Fjoldquote:
Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
And that is what I am looking to do with this rifle. Fun with varmints. Some target fun now and then.
Yes, they are!
Frank
"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money."
- Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953
NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite
06 February 2025, 02:26
Aspen Hill AdventuresNice rig there, Frank!
~Ann
16 February 2025, 08:37
Rick RSG Ammo offers good prices and usually has a good selection.
https://www.sgammo.com/catalog/rifle-ammo-saleI keep 77gr bthp ammo in my various guns for ringing steel out to 600 yards and for groundhogs or other varmints (even the two legged kind). If your gun doesn’t have at least a 1 turn in 8” twist (probably stamped on the barrel) then you’re going to want to shoot 65gr or lighter but that isn’t much of a problem. 1 in 7” is pretty much the modern standard and will stabilize nearly any .224” bullet.
19 February 2025, 20:07
ClaMarAny 55 gr. with Nosler BT or Hornady VMax should work fine. In my experience, they work fine in 8" twist.
ClaMar