[The Reaper]

Thanks for your input Stan.

Just back in from spending the afternoon on the range with Peregrino.

We tested more ammo, and this time did some accuracy testing. We also conducted a minor shooting clinic and two suppressor demos, which put us way behind schedule. Peregrino cannot miss an opportunity to teach and the suppressor does draw a crowd when they figure out what that strange sound is.

Temp on the range at McKellar's Lodge where we were shooting was 85 degrees and a gusty wind was blowing across the course at 8-15 knots. Elevation for the range is about 375' above sea level. When did you ever have a jump or a shoot when the wind did not come up squirrely?

All of the following velocity testing was done from the same 14.5" 1x7" M4 with the Eagle Arms lower and the SureFire FA556A previously used in the earlier test. This one was shot with an ARMS #40L BUIS.

This time, we shot five shot strings for velocity at 15' over a Shooting Chrony Master Chrony to take advantage of the remote readout and printer.

Enough details, on to the velocity testing. The 55gr. M193 was faster than the PMC, but not as much as hoped. Five rounds through the M4 with the SF can averaged 2904fps, with a disappointing Extreme Spread of 87fps. The 62gr. M855 (Green Tip) was surprisingly faster, averaging 2929fps, but with the worst yet ES of 107fps. That stuff was all over the chart. The 77 gr. Mark 262, Mod 0 clocked an average of 2658 fps, at an excellent 26fps ES. I added a lightweight JHP round as a control, the Federal American Eagle 50gr., which was slower than expected at 2952fps with a decent ES of 37fps. The 77gr. Black Hills BTHP-M made 2450 fps with an ES of 49. The 40gr. LeMas CQB made an average of 3306fps with an ES of 57. The 45gr. LeMas Land Warfare round set the record again at a blistering average of 3535fps but with an ES of 73. It was doing pretty well till the last round of the five shot string, which was the slowest of the shots tested, it bumped the ES from 52fps to 73fps. Thus the need to shoot more than 3 rounds for a statistically valid test. The Standard Deviation was not that bad for a 3500fps plus round, clocking in at 27.69fps.

Again, cases were recovered and examined for pressure signs. There were no excessive pressure signs noted. Curiously, the Mark 262 that I have and the LeMas use the same WCC 02 cases. The cases appear to be showing identical pressure signs. The primers are flat, but there is no cratering, primer drag, or flow. The other ammunition cases all appear to be within specs as well.

Murphy being ever present, as we were zeroing the M4 with a 20x scope for shooting groups, the optic refused to zero and I ran out of adjustment trying to set it up. I had to pull the scope off, and rather than shoot the BUIS or J-Point for accuracy, decided to shoot Peregrino’s precision AR for testing. It was built by our favorite long range rifle smith and has a Lilja 20” 1x8” twist barrel, and a 24x optic on top. The SureFire FA556A suppressor was installed throughout the accuracy shoot.

I fired five shot groups at 100 meters from a bench while rested on a gear bag. Some results surprised us. I was able to get the M193 to group a respectable 1.82 inches, which given the M193’s ES of 87, is remarkable. The M855 was even more surprising as five rounds grouped into 1.56”, despite an ES of 107fps. IMHO, this was an extremely good lot of M855, as the round frequently will not hold 3 MOA. The BH was predictably excellent placing five rounds into 0.544”. The LeMas CQB is not a precision round; I got a loose 2.4” group for the five rounds. Since the Land Warfare is not intended for longer barrels, I was uncomfortable shooting it for accuracy in the 20” 1x8” barrel of Peregrino’s rifle, so we stopped shooting. It was getting late, the rangemaster was shutting down, and we had other places to be. Like the GB Club. But I digress. I did take a moment to dump the remaining nine rounds of BH 77gr. from the 10.5” LMT carbine with the SureFire FA556K suppressor rapid fire into the 25 meter target, which you can see below. Not bad for an EOTech and a broken-down old trigger-puller.

In summary, the ammo generally reflected the performance from the previous test. The velocities were within 2% of where they were in the previous test, and given the different range, conditions, and chrony, is within tolerances. The 55 gr. M193 seems slower than I expected, but was a little better for accuracy than my experience would indicate. The 62gr. M855 seemed a little faster than anticipated, and was far more accurate than is normal. Either I found the best five rounds of M855 I have ever seen, or the Gods smiled on me five straight times while I pulled the trigger. The Mk 262 77gr. ammo was almost 200fps faster than the comparable BH 77gr. load. This is significant and will allow the Mk 262 round to fly flatter and longer, and be more effective when it gets there than the BH commercial match load. I did not have enough on hand to do the velocity and accuracy testing, but given that the Mk 262 had about ½ the ES of the BH 77gr., it should be as good, or better than the BH. The 50gr. commercial Federal JHP was slower than I expected. I did not get to shoot it for accuracy due to time constraints and priorities. The 77 gr. BH shot like it did in the previous test, though the ES was significantly greater, it did not seem to have an effect on accuracy. That round wins matches regularly, and as a ½ MOA load on a gusty day, I can see why. The 40gr. LeMas CQB also shot like it did in the previous test, though ES doubled and the match accuracy was just not there today. I had been warned that the CQB was not a precision round, so I was disappointed, but not shocked. 2.4 MOA will normally beat the M855 any day of the week, but not this time out. The Land Warfare, which continued to move out at a double time, doing better than 3500fps, will get accuracy tested the next time I am out with a high mag optic and a rifle with the right barrel. I hear that some of the shorty carbines can hold a pretty good group at 100 meters. We will try that out at our earliest opportunity.

Thanks for your patience, your suggestions, and your compliments.

Hope this helps. Time to clean the guns again.

TR