ZQ1 (ZQI) 5.56 ammo at Walmart

[imarangemaster]

I got some 30 round boxes of ZQI 5.56 ammo at Walmart for $10/30. It is marked "NATO STANAG 4172" on the box. I was told at the store it was M193, 55 grain, but...That is the Nato spec for 62 grain 5.56 SS109/M855 with steel penetrator ammo. It is made in Turkey by MKE. Nice brass cased ammo with annealed case mouths, and sealed, crimped primers.

While the projectile does not have the requisite "Green Painted Tip", it locks onto a magnet, indicating a steel penetrator inside. That precludes it from use where steel core ammo is prohibited.

I haven't shot any yet, bet the reviews on it I have seen seem to say it is equal to US Milspec M855 ammo. What excites me is that it is a readily available, cheap SS109 ammo for practice. I know Federal Lake City can be had online at reasonable prices, even including shipping, but this is still cheaper and handier for most people.

I do mostly shoot M193 Lake City in my ARs, so I load 55 gr 5.56 spec reloads for practice. On the other hand, I keep three mags of M855 Lake City 5.56 in my 6-pack "go bag" for hardened targets, along with 3 mags of M193 for general anti-zombie (personnel) use. To this point, I have only been practicing with M193. It will be nice to mix it up. I know the two rounds differ ballistically, but 100/150 yards or less, the difference will only be an inch or so based on my tests.

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[browningautorifle]

That looks good. I doubt we'll see it here though.

[vintage hunter]

Have'nt tried any of the 5.56mm yet. Seems the local Wally World is always sold out when I'm in there. They do manage to keep plenty of 7.62 NATO on hand though, IIRC it's $10/ 20 rounds, and my wife works there so I get a 10% discount. Pretty good stuff for ''cheap'' ammo even though it hasn't lived up to the less than 1 moa at 100 meters claim so far.

[imarangemaster]

I really prefer M193 out of 14.5/16" barrels, since it takes a 2650 FPS threshold for 5.56 to tumble and break apart at the channular. M193 will do this reliably out to about 200 meters from a 20" barrel, 150-160 meters from a 16" barrel, and 100 meters from a 14.5" barrel. M855, on the other hand, will only do it to 150 meters from a 20" barrel, 90-95 meters from a 16" barrel, and 50 meters from 14.5" barrel.

With that said, however, it is nice to have penetrator rounds in your kit. Realistically, if I use it, it will be under the 95 meter limit. past that range, it is time to escape and evade!

Good article on 5.56 fragmentation ranges on Ammo Oracle

http://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/term_fragrange.html

[imarangemaster]

Up to this point, I haven't wanted to order a bunch of M855/SS109 online to get it cheap, because of my preferences. I got 100 rounds, though, at a local gunshop for $62.00 out the door - just to have three mags full in my kit. The 20 rounder in the M4gery will have alternating M193 and M855 rounds. Not cheap, but not too bad for a LGS price for new USGI M855. (the stuff I got at the LGS current issue Lake City M855).

[imarangemaster]

Check this:
http://www.razoreye.net/mirror/ammo-...r.htm#velocity


Q. So, velocity is a critical component for the wound profile. How fast must the bullet be traveling when it hits its target in order to fragment reliably?


Testing by combat surgeon Col. Martin L. Fackler, MD (USA Medical Corps, retired), determined that M193 and M855 bullets need to strike flesh at 2,700 feet per second in order to reliably fragment. Between 2,500 fps and 2,700 fps, the bullet may or may not fragment and below 2,500 fps, no significant fragmentation is likely to occur. If there isn't enough velocity to cause fragmentation, the result is a deep, 22 caliber hole, except an area where the yawing occurred, where the diameter of the hole grows briefly to the length of the bullet.



M193 rounds after close encounters with ballistic gelatinat various velocities. (Fackler)



With all that said, my house weapon is a cheap 18" barreled 12 ga pump, loaded with four 3" mag, #1 buckshot with (28) .30 cal pellets in each, and with five 1 oz. slugs on the stock in a pouch. My Sagia AK and M4gery are on standby, each with its own Galati Int. "6-pack" shoulder bag. The 30 round AK mags are: 3 loaded with 8M3 Sapsan rounds, and 3 loaded with Chinese steel core, with a 7th mag full of Sapans for the weapon. The 30 round AR mags are: 3 loaded with M193 and 3 loaded with M855, and a 7th mag (a 20 rounder) for the weapon loaded with alternate M193s and M855s.

Now my overall FIRST choice for a single "go to" weapon (though I love my PTR91 .308, my M1 Carbine, and my two ARs) IS my Saiga AK. Since I mounted the vintage Tasco "Accu-Dot" red dot, it is fast and lethal to 100 and beyond. The 8m3 Sapsan 124 grn HP. Before that, believe it or not, my first choice was my USGI M1 Carbine loaded with 110 JSPs.

[imarangemaster]

Continuing the tutorial: On another forum, someone said M855 penetrators are not real good against hard target:

Well, actually at 80 yards, it blows through 1/4" welding steel.



Even at 200 yards, from a 16" barrel, at 2300 FPS, it goes through 1/4 plate

[vintage hunter]

What is welding steel? Never heard of it.

[browningautorifle]

As in weldable steel...that's how it's even marked in some hardware stores. Its not particularly hard steel...

[imarangemaster]

I think it is also referred to as "Cold rolled" steel. Not armor plate, but fairly hard and used to fabricate plates on machinery, etc., according to my buddy the welder.