The Reaper
07-05-2006, 22:34
Gents:
Took a bunch of ammo, guns, suppressors, and the Chrony to the range today. I was the only shooter for chronographic testing of the ammo.
Test rifles consisted of a 14.5" 1x7" twist Colt M4 upper on an Eagle Arms lower and a 10.5" 1x7" twist LMT carbine. There was a 4x Trijicon RCO on the M4 and the LMT sported an EOTech 552.
Test pistols consisted of an HK P2000 in .40 S&W with a 3.5" barrel, and a Para Ordnance P-12 in .45ACP, also with a 3.5" barrel.
Two suppressors were used, both SureFire, one FA556A on the M4 and an FA556K on the LMT. The SureFire is compact, extremely durable, and has the distinction of being, as far as I am aware, the only suppressor oin the market with almost no shift in point of impact whether the suppressor is mounted or removed. This was verified yet again last week in a shoot we attended with the Trijicon Mil/LE Sales team at the Crucible compound.
Test ammo for the rifles consisted of PMC 55gr. FMJBT Match, Black Hills 77gr. BTHP-Match, LeMas 40gr. CQB, and LeMas 45gr. Land Warfare. The .40 S&W pistol ammo consisted of Winchester Ranger 155gr., CorBon 135gr., and LeMas 77gr. CQB. The .45 ammo was solely to determine the MV of the LeMas 85gr. load.
LeMas informed me that the CQB is actually intended for longer 16"-20" barrels and the LW is specifically designed for max velocity from the 10.5-14.5" 1x7 twist barrels. They have also stated that all of their ammo is constantly being tweaked to improve performance and current production ammo should be faster and more consistent.
Chronograph was a ProChrono from CEI mounted on a tripod 15' from the muzzle.
Weather was clear and 95 degrees with a gusting 10-15mph crosswind. Any pressure problems with the ammo should have been exacerbated by the heat.
There was inadequate time to do any detailed accuracy testing, will attempt to do that at a later date. Suffice it to say that during testing, all rounds were fired from the bench and hit within a decent aggregate group, with vertical stringing due to the wide disparity in bullet weights. The ES would be a decent predictor of accuracy, a pretty reliable one over longer strings, if all of the bullets are relatively uniform and concentric to fly straight.
I fired three shot strings for velocity. I would have liked to have fired five to ten shot strings for better statistical accuracy, but had limited time and no assistant to record data.
I am not a scientist, a professional ballistician, or a Holiday Inn resident. These tests were performed by me to the best of my ability given the limitations I had. The conclusions that I reached are my own and I have not been compensated in any way for this test. The results are provided in hopes that others may find them of value.
The first rifle fired was the M4 without the suppressor.
The PMC 55gr. Ball averaged 2796fps with an extreme spread (ES) of an amazingly bad 100fps. This is right on the edge of the 2700fps threshold for reliable bullet fragmentation. The Black Hills 77gr. averaged 2451fps with an ES of 46, which is pretty high for their match load but is below any fragmenting velocity. The 40gr. LeMas CQB was moving out at a respectable 3327fps, or a little faster than the old M193 (similar to the PMC) would do out of a 20" M16, with an ES of 45. The LeMas Land Warfare was smoking along at 3538fps, with an ES of 48. Note that in this M4, the LeMas rounds were running at about the same ES as the high end match ammo from BH. Theoretically, that should bode well for the LeMas accuracy, but the proof is in the pudding, so we will reserve that call till we actually shoot for accuracy.
Next, I installed the SureFire FA556A suppressor on the M4 and repeated the test. The PMC picked up a little velocity and averaged 2802fps with an ES of 46. The BH liked the can as it picked up 12fps to an average of 2463fps, with an ES of a very low 14. The CQB picked up 36fps, which is typical of the FA556 and averaged 3363fps with an ES of a respectable 21fps. The LW set the bar for velocity with an added 51fps to make an average of 3589 at an ES of 28fps. From an M4, that is moving out smartly!
The 10.5" LMT carbine was new and had not been fired till today. It is very difficult to get a decent MV from such a short barrel and muzzle blast is significant. Those of you who used the XM177E2 without the suppressor know what I mean. The noise under the metal overhead was substantial. I hoped that the LeMas LW would give a decent burn in such a short barrel, as it is allegedly optimized for that purpose.
The PMC 55gr. made an average of 2480fps from the carbine with an excellent ES of 17fps. As we know, military 5.56 with a cannelure requires 2500fps to fragment at all, and 2700fps to do it reliably. I would not expect this round (similar to the M193, but apparently somewhat slower) to fragment from this barrel length, and the M855 would be even slower and consequently, even less likely. This would result in a .22 hole in the target, which would get wider at the points the bullet yawed. The BH 77gr. was even slower at an average of 2224fps with an ES of 24. Good accuracy potential, but only a .22 hole in the target and very slow flying with a rainbow trajectory reminiscent of the .45-70 or 40mm grenade. The 40gr. CQB, despite not being optimized for such a short barrel, still managed to average 3028fps but the ES was an unsat 81fps. The 45gr. LW lived up to its billing and generated an average of 3128fps, but also with a big ES of 66fps. This is flat out flying from such a short barrel. If it is accurate enough to hit the target (and it should be a much flatter shooting round than the M193, M855, or Mk 262), I would expect this bullet to make the 10.5" carbines a serious threat out to several hundred meters. I would like to be able to determine the velocity and drop out to longer ranges. Looks like I need to drag out a ballistics program and do some work.
I installed the SureFire FA556K suppressor on the little LMT carbine and kept shooting. The PMC somehow managed to lose 45fps to average an MV of 2435fps with an ES of 43fps. The BH made only an average of 2223fps but the ES of 11 was the best of the day. These rounds are going to do little to a target but punch a neat hole through it. Better go for a head shot. The CQB continued to run fast at 3011fps but with big velocity swings generating a bad ES of 88. On the other hand, the LW smoked out of the LMT with the can at an average of 3133fps, and an excellent ES of 14fps. This round with this combo turned the second best ES of the day and could be a very nice shooter.
Since I had the pistol and ammo, I also fired the .40 S&W HK P2000 with the ammo I had on hand. The P2000 is a great pistol, but with just a 3.5" barrel, there isn't a lot of time to make things happen. I suspect that a 4"-5" barrel would produce significantly better velocities for all rounds. The Winchester 155gr. was a decent performer, making an average of 1143fps with an amazing ES of just 9fps. The CorBon 135gr. load, which in its 10mm loading, has turned averages approaching 1600fps from my Delta Elite, was only able to make 1265fps average with an ES of 22 from the HK. The 77gr. LeMas smoked out of the pistol at an average MV of 1718fps, with a mediocre ES of 43fps.
Since I had the 85gr. LeMas in my P-12 carry pistol, I fired a string of 3 rouds to check it out as well. The ammo made an amazing 1791fps average from a 3.5" barrel, with an ES of 31fps. I have seen the same ammo in a 5" Para make 2300fps. That is phenomenal performance from a handgun, even moreso considering that is faster than the lighter 77gr. 5.56 round does from a 10.5" barrel. The LeMas .45ACP subgun ammo in a 10" barrel breaks 2500fps, as I understand it, and given the performance in shoter barrels, I have no reason to doubt it.
All of the ammo functioned perfectly in the rifles and pistols, there were no failures or stoppages. How was the pressure of the ammo? Not having test equipment, I recovered the majority of the cases fired and examined them. While this is nowhere near as accurate as an actual pressure or strain gauge, I have been shooting and reloading for 30 years or so, and I think that I am a pretty good judge of when brass is showing pressure signs. The PMC cases looked like they had seen little pressure. Primers were well rounded, there was no flattening, cratering or firing pin drag or flow. Given the low MVs, I can see why. The Black Hills cases were showing a bit more pressure. The primers were slightly flattened and the firiring pin impressions were deep. The LeMas rifle cases were definitely a bit warmer yet. Primers were significantly flattened, but there was no cratering or firing pin flow. These looked to me like typical warm match loads, certainly no red-lining with primer pockets blown or firing pin perforations I have seen from some shooters. The pistol ammo was a real shock. The Winchester was warm, flattening the primer pretty well and dragging the firing pin slightly, indicating that the pistol was unlocking before chamber pressures had completely dropped. The CorBon primers were not quite as flat, but were dragging the firing pin somewhat worse than the Winchester and two of the three were showing cratering. The LeMas? Those .40 cases appeared to me to be the lowest pressure of the three. Primers were slightly flattened and on two of the three cases, there was slight firing pin drag. The .45 LeMas clearly showed the least pressure of the pistol cases. Primers were barely flattened and there were no drag, crater, or flow marks of any kind. Looked very similar to the military .45 Ball cases that I have examined.
Took a bunch of ammo, guns, suppressors, and the Chrony to the range today. I was the only shooter for chronographic testing of the ammo.
Test rifles consisted of a 14.5" 1x7" twist Colt M4 upper on an Eagle Arms lower and a 10.5" 1x7" twist LMT carbine. There was a 4x Trijicon RCO on the M4 and the LMT sported an EOTech 552.
Test pistols consisted of an HK P2000 in .40 S&W with a 3.5" barrel, and a Para Ordnance P-12 in .45ACP, also with a 3.5" barrel.
Two suppressors were used, both SureFire, one FA556A on the M4 and an FA556K on the LMT. The SureFire is compact, extremely durable, and has the distinction of being, as far as I am aware, the only suppressor oin the market with almost no shift in point of impact whether the suppressor is mounted or removed. This was verified yet again last week in a shoot we attended with the Trijicon Mil/LE Sales team at the Crucible compound.
Test ammo for the rifles consisted of PMC 55gr. FMJBT Match, Black Hills 77gr. BTHP-Match, LeMas 40gr. CQB, and LeMas 45gr. Land Warfare. The .40 S&W pistol ammo consisted of Winchester Ranger 155gr., CorBon 135gr., and LeMas 77gr. CQB. The .45 ammo was solely to determine the MV of the LeMas 85gr. load.
LeMas informed me that the CQB is actually intended for longer 16"-20" barrels and the LW is specifically designed for max velocity from the 10.5-14.5" 1x7 twist barrels. They have also stated that all of their ammo is constantly being tweaked to improve performance and current production ammo should be faster and more consistent.
Chronograph was a ProChrono from CEI mounted on a tripod 15' from the muzzle.
Weather was clear and 95 degrees with a gusting 10-15mph crosswind. Any pressure problems with the ammo should have been exacerbated by the heat.
There was inadequate time to do any detailed accuracy testing, will attempt to do that at a later date. Suffice it to say that during testing, all rounds were fired from the bench and hit within a decent aggregate group, with vertical stringing due to the wide disparity in bullet weights. The ES would be a decent predictor of accuracy, a pretty reliable one over longer strings, if all of the bullets are relatively uniform and concentric to fly straight.
I fired three shot strings for velocity. I would have liked to have fired five to ten shot strings for better statistical accuracy, but had limited time and no assistant to record data.
I am not a scientist, a professional ballistician, or a Holiday Inn resident. These tests were performed by me to the best of my ability given the limitations I had. The conclusions that I reached are my own and I have not been compensated in any way for this test. The results are provided in hopes that others may find them of value.
The first rifle fired was the M4 without the suppressor.
The PMC 55gr. Ball averaged 2796fps with an extreme spread (ES) of an amazingly bad 100fps. This is right on the edge of the 2700fps threshold for reliable bullet fragmentation. The Black Hills 77gr. averaged 2451fps with an ES of 46, which is pretty high for their match load but is below any fragmenting velocity. The 40gr. LeMas CQB was moving out at a respectable 3327fps, or a little faster than the old M193 (similar to the PMC) would do out of a 20" M16, with an ES of 45. The LeMas Land Warfare was smoking along at 3538fps, with an ES of 48. Note that in this M4, the LeMas rounds were running at about the same ES as the high end match ammo from BH. Theoretically, that should bode well for the LeMas accuracy, but the proof is in the pudding, so we will reserve that call till we actually shoot for accuracy.
Next, I installed the SureFire FA556A suppressor on the M4 and repeated the test. The PMC picked up a little velocity and averaged 2802fps with an ES of 46. The BH liked the can as it picked up 12fps to an average of 2463fps, with an ES of a very low 14. The CQB picked up 36fps, which is typical of the FA556 and averaged 3363fps with an ES of a respectable 21fps. The LW set the bar for velocity with an added 51fps to make an average of 3589 at an ES of 28fps. From an M4, that is moving out smartly!
The 10.5" LMT carbine was new and had not been fired till today. It is very difficult to get a decent MV from such a short barrel and muzzle blast is significant. Those of you who used the XM177E2 without the suppressor know what I mean. The noise under the metal overhead was substantial. I hoped that the LeMas LW would give a decent burn in such a short barrel, as it is allegedly optimized for that purpose.
The PMC 55gr. made an average of 2480fps from the carbine with an excellent ES of 17fps. As we know, military 5.56 with a cannelure requires 2500fps to fragment at all, and 2700fps to do it reliably. I would not expect this round (similar to the M193, but apparently somewhat slower) to fragment from this barrel length, and the M855 would be even slower and consequently, even less likely. This would result in a .22 hole in the target, which would get wider at the points the bullet yawed. The BH 77gr. was even slower at an average of 2224fps with an ES of 24. Good accuracy potential, but only a .22 hole in the target and very slow flying with a rainbow trajectory reminiscent of the .45-70 or 40mm grenade. The 40gr. CQB, despite not being optimized for such a short barrel, still managed to average 3028fps but the ES was an unsat 81fps. The 45gr. LW lived up to its billing and generated an average of 3128fps, but also with a big ES of 66fps. This is flat out flying from such a short barrel. If it is accurate enough to hit the target (and it should be a much flatter shooting round than the M193, M855, or Mk 262), I would expect this bullet to make the 10.5" carbines a serious threat out to several hundred meters. I would like to be able to determine the velocity and drop out to longer ranges. Looks like I need to drag out a ballistics program and do some work.
I installed the SureFire FA556K suppressor on the little LMT carbine and kept shooting. The PMC somehow managed to lose 45fps to average an MV of 2435fps with an ES of 43fps. The BH made only an average of 2223fps but the ES of 11 was the best of the day. These rounds are going to do little to a target but punch a neat hole through it. Better go for a head shot. The CQB continued to run fast at 3011fps but with big velocity swings generating a bad ES of 88. On the other hand, the LW smoked out of the LMT with the can at an average of 3133fps, and an excellent ES of 14fps. This round with this combo turned the second best ES of the day and could be a very nice shooter.
Since I had the pistol and ammo, I also fired the .40 S&W HK P2000 with the ammo I had on hand. The P2000 is a great pistol, but with just a 3.5" barrel, there isn't a lot of time to make things happen. I suspect that a 4"-5" barrel would produce significantly better velocities for all rounds. The Winchester 155gr. was a decent performer, making an average of 1143fps with an amazing ES of just 9fps. The CorBon 135gr. load, which in its 10mm loading, has turned averages approaching 1600fps from my Delta Elite, was only able to make 1265fps average with an ES of 22 from the HK. The 77gr. LeMas smoked out of the pistol at an average MV of 1718fps, with a mediocre ES of 43fps.
Since I had the 85gr. LeMas in my P-12 carry pistol, I fired a string of 3 rouds to check it out as well. The ammo made an amazing 1791fps average from a 3.5" barrel, with an ES of 31fps. I have seen the same ammo in a 5" Para make 2300fps. That is phenomenal performance from a handgun, even moreso considering that is faster than the lighter 77gr. 5.56 round does from a 10.5" barrel. The LeMas .45ACP subgun ammo in a 10" barrel breaks 2500fps, as I understand it, and given the performance in shoter barrels, I have no reason to doubt it.
All of the ammo functioned perfectly in the rifles and pistols, there were no failures or stoppages. How was the pressure of the ammo? Not having test equipment, I recovered the majority of the cases fired and examined them. While this is nowhere near as accurate as an actual pressure or strain gauge, I have been shooting and reloading for 30 years or so, and I think that I am a pretty good judge of when brass is showing pressure signs. The PMC cases looked like they had seen little pressure. Primers were well rounded, there was no flattening, cratering or firing pin drag or flow. Given the low MVs, I can see why. The Black Hills cases were showing a bit more pressure. The primers were slightly flattened and the firiring pin impressions were deep. The LeMas rifle cases were definitely a bit warmer yet. Primers were significantly flattened, but there was no cratering or firing pin flow. These looked to me like typical warm match loads, certainly no red-lining with primer pockets blown or firing pin perforations I have seen from some shooters. The pistol ammo was a real shock. The Winchester was warm, flattening the primer pretty well and dragging the firing pin slightly, indicating that the pistol was unlocking before chamber pressures had completely dropped. The CorBon primers were not quite as flat, but were dragging the firing pin somewhat worse than the Winchester and two of the three were showing cratering. The LeMas? Those .40 cases appeared to me to be the lowest pressure of the three. Primers were slightly flattened and on two of the three cases, there was slight firing pin drag. The .45 LeMas clearly showed the least pressure of the pistol cases. Primers were barely flattened and there were no drag, crater, or flow marks of any kind. Looked very similar to the military .45 Ball cases that I have examined.