This ammo is created under a strict set of guidelines and meant to fill a very broad role. In that regard, it's perfect. I bought a few hundred rounds to lock away for a "rainy" day, and as this is NATO spec (annealed and sealed), its perfect for that as well. Reported lethality issues are a result of low fps and odd angles of entry, but out of a 16" carbine, this stuff will certainly do the job out to 200m. It's not match-accurate, it's pretty poor against auto glass, but it's good to stock, very affordable and fills an all-purpose role very well.

I shot some of this with my Remington 700 and I am surprised at how accurate this manufactured ammo is. I would imagine you guys and gals with AR-15's and others like it have better groups at 100 yards. I am happy I got some, it has application.

Surperb round, great for CQB. It would have gotten 5 Bullets, if it wasn't for the price.

This is a very good round. If it were not for the price, I would have given it a '5-bullet' rating. While I have not tried to test its penetrating capabilities, it is VERY accurate for what it is. At the 500-meter target on the Brekenridge, TX range this stuff will dance the metal goat all day long with the right rifle. I used a Fulton FAR-15 with a 20-inch 1/9 barrel last April and it was an excellent combination. This ammo however does not work good on rabid skunks; I had to empty a magazine-worth into one a while back before it would stop him. M855 is good for other purposes, but small varmints isn't one of them. For two-legged critters, this is a good choice.

Shot over 160 rounds through my STAG AR-15. Did not try to penetrate steel but all fired fine (no miss fires). Going to order more.

WOW this is the real deal. This stuff goes through a 3/4 inch steel plate at about 20 yards away and through a 1/2 inch steel plate at about 50 yards. I will be stocking up!

Listen I've got 18 years in the Army (SOF). This is the same round we use in our M-4's. Yes this ammo is a bit more dinged up, and a few rds were bent, but it still shoots! This isn't hand made match grade ammo. The jury is still out on it's lethality, but those I sent downrange weren't returned! It's all about shot placement and tight weld.

Hey fellow shooters! Just remember that Lake City don't tumble their brass clean when they manufacture their cases. But the rounds are darn accurate with the right rifle twist. When you order it and inspect your ammo (you should always do this to make sure everything is in order no matter what brand you buy) don't be discouraged by the "gunk" on the rounds. Its from the seal in which make M855 (ss109) waterproof. However if You want pretty clean M855, then look at Winchester Ranger M855 or the foreign made stuff like Pvri Partizan or Igman. I guess MKE is making some M855 also, but is pricey.

Not only is this ammunition not pretty as others have observed, it bears inspection before firing. I've found that roughly 3 percent of these rounds have split cases at the case mouth.

Look at the label on the box. It says that it is 5.56mm Ammo. Now take a look at the stamping on the barrel of your upper. If it says 5.56 or .223/5.56, then you can use the ammo. If your weapon has the stamp of .223 only then your rifle can't handle the overpressure that this round has and it will possibily damage your chamber. Everyone needs to read on the strengths and weaknesses of the AR, esp what this round was designed for. The AR comes with 3 twist types. The 1:9, the 1:8, and the 1:7 (military). Find out what is best for your weapon. As for me, this round is a tack driver.

As others who have responded to postings in this thread about dissatisfaction with the M855, I feel it is again important to remind many of you exactly what it is you are purchasing. As a few others pointed out - this round is designed to take out the enemy in quick order - not hit the ten ring or bulls eye on your paper targets. Please let me also point out that this round is not really intended for .223 remington, but rather 5.56 NATO applications, particulary in the M16A2/A3 and in the M4 Carbine. The barrel twist of the M16A1 and other early model knock-offs can't reliably fire the M855. Here's an extract from Field Manual 3-22.9 with change 4: Cartridge, 5.56-mm, Ball, M855. (Used in the M16A2/3/4 and M4-series weapons.) The M855 cartridge has a 62-grain, gilded metal-jacketed, lead alloy core bullet with a steel penetrator. The primer and case are waterproof. This round is also linked and used in the M249. It has a green tip (5, Figure 2-42, page 2-28). This ammunition should not be used in the M16A1 except under emergency conditions, and only at targets less than 90 meters in distance. (The twist of the M16A1 rifling is not sufficient to stabilize the length of the 62-grain projectile of the round.) Just an FYI - Happy shooting!

Stick to your Match Ammo, This Ammo does exactly what it was designed for. I'm Very Satisfied with the performance of this ammo.

"Probably the best 5.56 ammo for combat ever produced in the USA." Who researches things before they allow someone to type it up on the web site. M855 is the most inaccurate CRAP that the Govt. has EVER issued. It's cheep, over produced, and only good for door kicking, and shots out to maybe 200 yds. Key holes at 500 easily.

Recieved this order by ground in two days! Great job CTD! My four star rating is based on the price per box I was charged only a few days ago. About 1-3 rounds in every box were dented enough to make them questionable, but at the price, I felt this was acceptable. However, at the new price, I would only give the ammo 3 stars at best. Not an expert, just my honest two cents.

This is mil ammo as was stated, it will not be bright and shiny, these lots are rotated out ammo from the Armed forces. As for the keyhole issue, that means your barrel does not have sufficient twist to stablize the 62 grain rounds. Older rifles have less twist designed for the 55 grain.

I bought this stuff after reading all the bad reviews thinking I'll try it anyway. If you don't like this stuff you need a better weapon. I zeroed at 100 yards with this ammo and then went back to the M193 round. The M855 holds a much tighter group and is very consistent. I like it much better than the M193. I wish I had another 4 or 5 thousand rounds of this stuff.

This is the 5.56x45mm ammo issued for combat. The 62grain projectile will do what it is designed to do. Defeat Level III+ personal body armor and send a bad guy to his maker. It was not designed for competitive marksmanship with tiny little holes for ten rounds to all go through at competitive TARGET shooting range. Targets don't shoot back & this ammo was designed to work in a soldier or marines issue weapon thats probably got a thousand scratches & dings on it, needs cleaning and lube, and has dummy cord tied to his sight. This ammo will hit the bad guys and kill them. Plinking or competitive shooting ammo may hit a more consistantly smaller shot group, but it won't kill bad guys like this ammo will. You get what you pay for and this stuff is not always available so the price is affected by supply and demand. If you are a competitive "marksman" shooter, or a weekend plinker, unless you won the lottery, this is not the ammo for you. If you think you may ever fire your ammo to defend yourself and others, buy this ammo.

Twenty rounds fired, twenty rounds keyholed on a 25 meter target. It is not my AR as I fired 20 rounds reload hornady boattails with no problem. If I want junk ammo, I don't need to pay this high a price.

I purchased only 2 boxes of this ammo and it has very decent performance. Cases aren't shiny like commercial civillian .223 but this is military ammo so you can't expect that. This is not plinking ammo, it is far to expensive and scarce for that. It is for defensive purposes. Someone said it will penetrate 1/2 inch steel at 100 yds, yea right someone does not have a clue of what they are talking about. To penetrate 1/2 steel plate you will need at least a 30-06 but a .50 BMG would be better. This ammo will penetrate 1/4 steel @ 50 yds as such it will defeat level 3 armor out to about 150yds. Someone also mentioned that a this 5.56 penetrated a steel plate better .300 Win. mag needs to put down the crack pipe. Overall very satisfied for home defensive ammo with excellent feeding and extraction through my DPMS Classic 20". None had dings or were corroded, if your shooting "3-4-5" with this something is way wrong with your shooting or your gun. BTW a 1-9 twist can fire up to 75 gr bullets all day long,55 gr. is in no way the ceiling for this twist, 55 to about 69gr however, are best.

Great ammunition! will penetrate 1/4 inch plates with ease. Not 1/2 inch. Tried it myself on regular indusrty steel at ten yards, not hardened armor plate. And the core of the round didnt have enough energy to go all the way through, nice dent though. The .223 is capable of penetrating half inch armor, but you need the black tipped rounds only accesible by the military. The difference is that these rounds have a tungsten tip as well as the hardened steel core. SS109 were designed to defeat most types of body armor not steel plates.

I just received a couple of boxes of these today. Needless to say they do not seem to be the ammo from all the reviews that compelled me to buy them. Many of the casings were pitted and gauged, some so bad they don’t even look safe to fire. I’m not sure my Sabre m-4 will be willing to digest them, hopefully I’m wrong. Way to pricey for these rejects, there not for me, glad the rest of you had better luck!

This ammunition is great for your Ruger Mini-14, and it's safe to use in it. The manual states this: "AMMUNITION (580 series Mini-14 and above) The RUGER® MINI-14® RANCH RIFLES are chambered for the .223 Remington (5.56mm) cartridge. The Mini-14 Ranch Rifle is designed to use either standardized U.S. military, OR factory loaded sporting .223 (5.56mm) cartridges manufactured in accordance with U.S. industry practice." The 180 series Mini 14 States this: " The Mini14 is designed to use EITHER U.S. Military, Commercial sporting, Or Other .223(5.56mm) caliber ammunition manufactured to U.S. industry standards." It's some of the best ammo out there.

Excellent ammo!!! I ordered monday and got it thurs morning. Shipping fast and accurate. Will definately shop CTD again. First time buyer. There is a couple of people posting that say it is ok to shoot 5.56 out of a .223 like a mini 14. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!! they may be shooting them but it is DANGEROUS!!!!!! you can shoot .223 from a 5.56 but not 5.56 out of a .223. Different specs on the chambering. UNLESS it is chambered in a .223 Wylde. I have been gunsmithing for over 25 years and have seen many a Mini14 blown up because of a 5.56 round. Just please be careful people and use common sense. You wouldnt shoot a 357 out of a gun chambered for only .38.

To answer the question asked by a gentleman before, it works extermely well in a mini 14, I have the target model mini 14,no problems found on this ammo, my stepson is active military, serving in Turkey right now, and when he is on leave we go shooting, he says it performs better in the mini, compared to the same ammo in his issued AR, imagine that!

Used many of these rounds, they perform the same as they did in service. Keep your weapon in check, extracter clear, fresh springs in the weapon and the mags, tight gas rings and of course a good hammer strike and your GOOD 2 GO. These M855's do what they were meant to do and thats to stop hearts! I've spent 1000's of rounds of this ammo from CTD at the range without any problems, I will buy more soon. P.S. MAINTAINE THOSE WEAPONS!

Excellent ammunition. Will go through half-inch steel plates. Recommended.

I've purchased at least 1, 000 rounds and really can't decide which rifle handles the SS109 better. (The Siaga or the Mini 14) The rounds go bang in each rifle so I'm pleased.

I bought 2000 rounds of these back in May I think it was. All the rounds have been stamped -'07. I shoot a Sig 556 16' barrel. The barrel has a 1 in 7 twist and the rifle sports the Trijon Acog scope. As far as reliability I have had zero problems, I have shot about 700 rounds to date and of the Sellier & Bellot I shoot (same 62 grain) and my hand loads (Sierra HPBT 77gr.) these L.C. rounds are the least consistant. Granted my gun is, I believe known for 1.5 MOA, maybe 1" but these will have a flyer 1 out of 5-6 shoots. The S&B shots groups like the Sierra's at 1 MOA" sometimes better, and this is whether I shoot from a gun vise or not. Its not the shooter, I can shoot sub MOA (3/8" groups-5 shots) from my Savage .308 w/Millan stock. Again the Sig is not a competition rifle so I am not so much knocking the ammo for its accuracy but merely its random flyers, gun clean, dirty whatever, consistant tests. Could have been a bad lot but..... Compared to the S&B which is consistant and never a single problem with them, I wish I would have bout 2000 of them (S&B)and 750 of the Lake City instead of the other way around. I wont buy these for my rifle again

i got my first order of these a couple months ago. out of 15 boxes i got at least 14 worth of 07 ammo and about 20 from 06. my next order i got all 08 so im very pleased with the ammo, it looks great and nothing wrong with them. I don't think it even took more then a week to reach me so its very fast shipping.

just received my shipment.great delivery time.all the ammo was marked 08 which was surprising but good.only 1 cartridge had a very little dent that u could hardly see,no corrosion.have not shot any yet but i will write when i do.so far so good.

Just got my second shipment of these, I love this stuff, so does my Mini 14. I have had ZERO problems with this ammo. Out of this order, 95% was marked "07", the rest "06". It's practically brand new, the brass is not shiny because it's not supposed to be, but it is free from corrosion and dents and feeds flawlessly from a 20 rnd mag, the price has gone up just like everything else, but you cant get better ammo for less(imho). I'll be buying lots more to put up for a rainy day. I love CTD, quality goods for less, and FAST shipping.

shipping was very fast and the lot I received was from 07 and still shinny with no dents very pleased. U's have definitely have made a loyal customer of me.

Awesome ammunition!!! I used this ammo in my DPMS Arms M4 and shot steel targets out to 500 "yards" iron sights. I had to move my 1/4" steel plates out past 260 yds because it does what it says...it penetrates. The bullet hole is somewhat smaller than the caliber of .223 out past 200 yards....I think there is a steel core that makes it fly through steel. Absolutely great ammo, feeds flawlessly, fired rounds smell like the military rifle ranges I've trained at when shooting 5.56. I trained my baby sister on an AR15 out to 500 meters exceding the army standard 300 "meters". Stock up while they are still available. or before i start stocking up on more. My wall locker is almost full of these.

I suspect that the bad reviews are people wanting to scare off buyers. "More for me!" You can't find this stuff anywhere. It shoots just fine through my Bushmaster. I wish I could afford to buy all they have left.

I am happy with the consistency of this ammo. I compared it to Federal American Eagle (the pretty, shiny ammo) and achieved similar groupings at 100m without changing the iron sights.

Purchased this ammo and received it in a timely few days. The ammo did not look abnormal or deficient but rather good. I have yet to shoot this ammo but anticipate it will be a good experience.

Some of the best ammo I have put throught my bushmaster. stock up while you can, this is the real deal and still a great price. Save some for a rainy day. It can be stored for many years

AR Woman is dead on. I doubt anyone here other than some AM or LEO's will use this ammo for what it is designed for. This was not designed to punch nice, tight groups in paper. It was designed to hault personel. The shinny brass thing....... this is millitary ammo, why would you want bright things on your person? That's why we wear camo. The discoloration on the brass at the neck is due to an annealing process (a good thing). This ammo is perfect for its "designed" purpose. If you want sub-MOA groups.... spend the money to get it. If you want reliable ammo to serve a defence need.... buy this ammo.

Haven't fired it yet, but boxes looked clean and new, rounds looked clean and new, a few little surface blemishes that let you know it's real military ammo, but no corrosion or signs of poor manufacture or excessive age. I'd buy it again.

I should hope that people that write these reviews would know the products that they are reviewing, but hence, that is not the case in a few of these reviews. Jarhead has it more right than anyone. This is not "Shiny new brass"... It is not intended to be. It is intended to be shot at enemies, not national matches at Camp Perry. There is a distinction in brass and it's purpose. I shoot many types of ammo for many reasons, matches and what not. This is great for the AR and for the purpose therein. My weapon is designed to destroy, this ammo does just that. When I want pretty ammo for show, I buy that. When I want to shoot something that I intend to destroy, I will buy this every time. I have had no problem shooting off 30 rounds in a bumpfire without a single jam or misfire. I see no issues with this ammo other than I go through it entirely too fast because it is so smooth and fun to shoot. Add a few rounds of tracers and wow... what a beautiful time for a girl on a Saturday night!!

I bought 5 boxes of this ammo, all the boxes were marked M855. The ammo is stamped LC 06, so it's not that old. All of the rounds are in good shape. There is very little discoloration, and no dents. I haven't shot any of it, but I'm sure it's fine. My rifle is chambered for 5.56 mm rather than .223, so I don't anticipate any problems.

As others have stated, this is old stuff and not in very good shape. Mine is marked '05 and not mislabeled as advertised. I'm not buying this again from CTD, that's for sure.

I purchased a few hundred rds of this ammo and I am very pleased. I put 200 rds thru my ruger mini-14 and I didn't get a single misfire or jam. The brass is a little tarnished but that is irrelevent. This is good stuff. Better buy it before supplies run out!

I just got 600 rounds of this. I have spotted a few dents and scrathes, but nothing major. The description doesn't appear to be very accurate anymore judging by the most recent reviews. My package was properly marked. I haven't shot a round from this batch yet, but I'll write another review if it shoots like crap.

Something is strange. Just received the ammo and I never expected SURPLUS ammo to be nice and shiny, but I do expect the brass not to have dents and scrapes. It looks like the kind of brass you find on the ground at the range after it has been exposed to the elements for a couple of months. I wonder if the brass has been reloaded. I have not fired it yet so I can't comment on that aspect.

I have ordered this ammo in varying quantities several times from CTD over the last year or so and every time it has been different. It is advertised as being mislabeled, and in all but one case it was, but the lots are of varying dates and quality. I have received lots dated 1999, 2001, and 2005. Of course military rounds are not gonna be all shiny and polished like commercial ammo, and that is fine, but some of the lots are just downright corroded like previous reviewers have stated. What I dont understand is how all of these different lots over so many years are "mislabeled." It doesnt make sense. I could understand if it was a one time misprint. What you must understand when buying this ammo is it is surplus. For whatever reason the military didnt want it and sold it at a discount to the civilian market. As far as the ammo in general, it does what it is supposed to do. This is the ammo M-16's/AR-15's are designed to shoot, regardless of barrel twist rate. Just dont expect it to be shiny, new, or non corroded. I remember about 6 months ago this stuff was $6.99 a box. It was definately worth that price...

Unlike the ad, the 4 boxes I received are correctly marked M855, not M885 as pictured. Given the condition of what I received compared to the listing, I suspect that I received old surplus from a damp warehouse instead of the shiny new mislabled stuff listed on the site. Most cases show some corrosion and gunk. Some look battered like they are reloads. Overall, very disappointed

This is the same ammo we used on the qualification courses in the Marine Corps and for what I do now privately. In the Corps we'd shoot iron sights at the 200, 300, and 500. In the sitting at the 200 I was able to put rounds within a 1" grouping constantly, and I consistently scored 58-59ish out of 65 on the course of fire each year for qual. I was also a Marksmanship Instructor.....this leads me to the next bit of info.... The claim below of a 0.5" group with an ACOG at 200 is completely possible. If you're not getting good groups with this ammo, don't be so quick to blame the weapon or the munitions. 99% of the time I found it was the shooter causing the inaccuracies. Nothing wrong with this ammo.

While CTD provides us with this opportunity to help each other out by giving reviews of products sold, somehow it has turned into a discussion forum on ballistics, twist rates etc. While I enjoy reading all the threads, I cannot help but respond to all the misinformation that leads people in the wrong direction. This is a disservice to CTD (the fine folks doing this for us) and we the customers. No information beats bad information. If I was a first time customer of CTD and depending on some of the reviews, I would pass on this ammo after discovering my AR had a 1:9 twist rate. SFC M on 2/18/08, you are correct that the military uses a 1:7 twist rate. They use this twist rate for one reason only, the L-110/M856 tracer. The M856 is an extremely long bullet and for those of us who do understand ballistics its the length more than the weight that dictates the twist rate required. The optimal twist rate for the M856 is 1:6. The optimal twist rate for the M855 is 1:8. The military needed a twist rate that would best suit both bullets and they settled on the 1:7. Coyote hntr on 2/17/08, I don't know where you got your ballistic data at but according to the US military the SS109 M855 62g is best suited for a 1:8 twist and both 1:7 and 1:9 twist rates are well suited for this bullet. In addition, a 1:9 twist can shoot up to a 75g bullet accurately, although thats really pushing it. In closing I think you the reviewers should do some research as to what your rifle is best suited for and in the event you have purchased some of this LC M855 and you don't think it's the correct ammo, send it to me and I'll dispose of it accurately in my 1:9 Bushy.

I'm no expert but I had no problem with the ammo. I'm shooting an Olympic arms AR. I think it holds pretty good groups considering what it is designed for. No jams no problems. I will buy more.

Being in the Marine Corps for 13 years now and spending a few years in Iraq I can tell you that I've shot a few rounds of this ammo in my Time. It's the prefect round for the job. That is if the job involves fireing at lightly armored vehicles or body armor at 250yd to 300yd but accuracy becomes limited once the 300yd mark is reached. This isn't a round that you should be using for long range target practice beings the round isn't made for accuracy as much as it is made for penetration power. I've personally seen this round punch a hole clean through 1/2" steel at 100yd so It sure has penetration power behind it. If you plan on using this round for target practice it won't really do you any good unless you have the right weapon. This round is designed to be fired in rifle with a 1/7 twist such as my M16A2. Anything more than this just won't cut it as far as accuracy goes. Other than that it's top grade ammunition. A good buy. Feeds fine. Fires clean. The only bad thing is that the price of ammunition keeps going up so I suggest you stock up while you can.

-Do not buy this ammo if you intend to hit anything beyond 100m. I got a chance to test some of this M855 ammo along with 8 other types out of my 20" AR. I bought this ammo back in 2006, but it has been properly stored. I was able to shoot 1/2 in. groups with 75gr. and 60gr. TAP ammo and other groups with lower quality ammo were not too much worse. The M855 ammunition functioned flawlessly, but the grouping was completely out of control. I fired both with a cold and hot barrel and it grouped at something like 5"!!! I was so suprised I had to test it twice and the results were the same. I believe that the penatrator is not properly centered because this ammunition is totally messed up when it comes to accuracy, there was absoutly no consistancy. I bought the ammo at under $6 from here and it's not worth $4 today because the grouping is substancially worse than the Wolf 62gr. I tested. I hope the ammo they're selling now isn't the same stuff.

For those of you having some problems with getting a good group, here are the facts. First for the guy that was zeroing and fired this ammo with a 4" group then another ammo with a 3" group and so on down to 3/4" here are some things you may want to account for. First the ammo is made for the military that uses a 1/7 twist not your standard 1/9 or 1/8 civilian. This being said the difference between the 55g and the mil 62g will not be that big of a deal. Also as you shoot, if you are an experienced shooter your barrel will heat up and when it hits a consistent temperature you will see you tightest groups. Thats why everyone thinks we are just playing around when we take a range and shoot just fun tagets and burst for 20-30 minutes, its not play we are heating our barrels. Aslo keep in mind this bullet is made for combat not match shooting, this bullet is made for defeating armor at ranges out to about 250-300 at its max efficency. Its a good round to fight up close and personal with. Thats it dont expect military ammo to make you a military shooter, it takes years of training, practice and recording your dope. When you master that you can master any shot with any ammo by simply zeroing and constant practice.

62 grain bullets are considerably heavier than most AR rifles are designed to properly stabalize based on typical 1:9 twist rates. (Long range barrels are 1:8) Bullet weight is critical when selecting ammo if you have expectations of accuracy. As a rule of thumb, 1:9 twist rates are designed to handle 42-57 gr., while 1:8 can handle 55-68 gr. Shooting heavier or lighter bullets than design will result in extremes in either direction that all result in headscratching.... All said, pay attention if you plan on paying attention.

I read these reviews about how bad the ammo is and I think 80% of the problem is the shooter.

Naturally, it's not as clean and shiny as commercial new. But this is good ammo. Shoots consistently and accurately offhand inside 100 yards from my M4-style carbine with non-magnification Eotech optic. That is what I need my AR to do. The green-tipped SS109 penetrator bullet is a plus. This Lake City M855 was an easy "five bullet" rating not long ago when CTD was selling it for around $7/box. Now it's a four-bullet deal. Worth it, but not a bargain. Buy some, test it in your rifle(s), and put aside for a rainy day.

To the reviewer Lake City XM855 on 1/27/08, I agree with you by giving this ammo 5 bullets but thats where it stops. There are four inacuracies in your review. 1) .5 inch groups @ 200 meters from an M4 using mil-surplus ammo? I could only imagine what you could do using Black Hills Red Box and a bolt action. 2) Don't recommend using this ammo for any .223 caliber firearm. The .223 is not designed to handle the chamber pressures from this cartidge and is deemed unsafe to use. 3) M865 ammo is 120mm tank cannon ammoand CTD does not sell it. I think you may have meant M856 tracer ammo and 4)The price of this ammo will only go up and in the event we end up with Hillary or Obama it will be outlawed so I would buy as much as soon as you can. I've shot over a thousand rounds of this stuff and have not had any problems with accuracy (2-3 inch groups @ 100 meters using an Eotech 553) or reliability.

Top quality ammunition, using a LE M4, consistent .5" groups at 200 meters using an ACOG. Superb function, no feed problems, rock solid ammo. Highly recommend for any .223 caliber firearm. Price is rather high on all M855/M865 ammo, we should see a drop in price here at some point. This is the real deal though, stock up and most importantly - Enjoy!

this is great stuff! it fed well through my mini 14 no miss fires out of 100 rds. decent accuracy not perfect but this ammo isnt match grade ammo its made for combat situations. if your looking for good 5.56 ammo to stock up on for plinking or god forbid if that shtf day i would recomend trying this stuff out. happy shooting!!

people talk about the accuracy of this bullet, i guess they need 1/2 moa @ 400 meters. if you are target shooting with this then you are wasteful. it's penetrator ammo, if you dont know what it is then look it up. save a few mags. you may need to defeat a vest one day.

I have been through 4 boxes of this ammo so far and not too impressed. The first box of 20 had 4 that the primers did not ignite. Each round had a clear deep indent in the primer. I fired three more boxes and got 2 more rounds that did not ignite. The ammo does O.K. groups at 100 yards but nothing special. Simply just a plinking round only.

I purchased 200 rounds, all were as advertised. I sighted in a new Trijicon ACOG TA31 and a Doctor Optics red dot sight with these. Grouping was tight and all rounds fired appeared to be very consistant. Some have reviewed that these rounds were not consistant and all I can say is the batch I purchased were excellent. I'm purchasing more.

I bought quite a few boxes of this surplus stuff, and I have had no problems whatsoever firing it out of my Colt HBar AR-15. It fed and functioned great, without a single jam or misfire. I consider myself to be fairly accurate; I shot around 2" groups at about 50 yards repeatedly. This stuff is definately not for plinking, but it sure is fun to do it anyway if you have the $$$.

After reading some of the reviews I thought I needed to write one myself. This Ammo is exactly as advertised. It is Lake City, it is penetrator ss109, they are 62 grain bullets. It IS SURPLUS AMMO. It is going to be old and the brass is not going to be shinny. It's not supposed to be shinny, and since we are in the middle of a war, any surplus ammo is surplus because of the shelf date. This will not hurt the ammo!!! I am currently shooting Lake City Match 173 grn in my .308 that was manufactured in 1970-71. It shoots .6 inch groups at 100 yds "if I do my part". I wish I could find a few more cans of that. Also, would you want a bunch of shinny brass on you in a combat zone? It wasn't shiny when the military got it brand new. Also, just cause it's from "Lake City" doesn't mean it's gonna shoot 1 inch groups. You need "Lake City Match" or "Long Range" for that, and it doesn't have the steel core. Trust me, I'm also a competitive shooter. This ammo was ment to be sent down range in bursts of 3 out of an M16 or Car4 or other type of full auto rifle. Penetrator isn't armor piercing either. It is penetrator for penetrating vests and other soft targets. Not 1 inch steel plates. Also, shooting at steel plates at close range with steel core ammo is just down right dangerous. This is GREAT ammo. I've shot cans and cans of it. It does what it is supposed to do. It is as advertised. If your gun doesn't shoot it very well your twist rate is probably too slow and you need to go to a lighter bullet weight or a faster twist barrel. If your gun shoots it good then you've got a great deal on some great ammo right here. I only wish I had bought more cans of this stuff when I did, and the price was lower. If your rifle shoots this ammo accurately "less than 3MOA" then buy as much as you can afford, cause the price is only going to go up as long as we are at war and surpluss supply is low. This ammo is great for plinking with your AR or Mini14 or whatever burns up a lot of ammunition. It's not competition target ammunition. If that's what you want then look at some of the other types of ammo that CTD sells here. They have great prices on everything you might want.

The SS109 from Lake City Armory is the most accurate at close and medium ranges (50 - 200 meters) available. Feeds exceptionally well and recoil is very manageable.

Took an Ar-15 course recently with a brand new 1-in-9 AR, 16" barrel. Used only this ammo. No problems whatsoever. Pleased with purchase.

These are the same rounds that are using in Iraq as we speak. No more, no less. The packaging is different than what we got in the military, but the rounds seem to be the same. If you want military ammo, I'd suggest getting it now. These probably won't be around much longer.

Overall, not bad ammo. I shot a bunch of it and there was only one dud. The brass wasn't the best quality, and it was a bit old. I bet that for the same price you could get better, more powerful ammo. If you haven't tried it yet it's worth a try. I used an AR-15 with a 1:9 twist. It didn't penetrate as far as some other types of ammo, but fun to shoot. The steel core is a bonus, but look around for better ammo first.

this is the first review that ive written and i am going to tell it like it is. i bought an ar15 about a year ago.it is a bushmaster a4 with a removable carry handle and has a20" barrel.their lit says it should print about 1.1/2 group.ive been shooting almost every thing except wolf becauseit is russian and they are not our friends.i broke down and bought a 100 rds from cheaper than dirt and it showed up in 2 days.o yea it was lake city ammo with green tip dated 04.hurriedly i headed out to the range to check out these 1"groups that i was going to get .and what a big let down,i shot 3 3rd groupes and each groupe measured almost 6" ive never been dissapointed in my life with a bullett.i then shot a groupe with winchester5.56 55gr and it printed about 4".i waited a few min and shot a groupe with winchester45 gr hp and it measured 3/4".im sure there might be something that im overlooking.again my ar is a bushmaster 20"bbl with 1 in 9 twist .im using a simmons 3x9 scopeand i did install a r r arms 2 stage match trigger several mos ago .i am looking foe help and d or understanding respectfully

This is the real deal hammer time ammo man. Get this stuff while you can. Yeah, it's a little costly compared to 2 years ago but it's not going to go down. I will buy as much of this stuff as my wallet will allow. Plus, the brass is awesome for reloading. I have Lake city brass that I have reloaded 6 times that continues to shoot great.

Get it while you can.

Okay, I bought some awhile ago when it was still inexpensive. Bought a 1000 rounds and now wish I wasn't wasting it on soft targets. I have a 3/8" piece of steel at at 100 yards these bullets make a great and consistant pass every time through it. To compare, I've shot my 460magnum at 20yards and it barely leaves a mark in the steel. Further, I've also nailed it many times with regular .223 target loads, 62 grain hollow points and more, including basically everything in my mini arsenal including a 300 win mag and nothing even dents the steel plate, These bullets are kick ass AND no problems at all. Very good stuff!

This is the only ammunition that I've used in my new AR15. I've put about 400 rds thru it so far and nothing out of the ordinary except perfect firing. The year manufacture on the rounds have been either '04 or '06. Both have worked great. All around, awesome product and I'll keep buying it so long as it's still around.

received my order today,four days flat and the usual outstanding customer service.The ammo is as advertised and should perform to specs.

Ok guys, Nova shooter has it right. The green tip stuff (usually) denotes the heavier bullets (62 grains). This isn't intended to be AP stuff, but yeah it will penetrate mild steel plate. The longer the bullet the faster the twist of your barrel has to be to stabalize it. If your rifle is one with a 1:9 or 1:7 twist you need the heavier ammo to maximize accuracy. If you have the 1:11 or 1:14 (really old) you'll do better with the 55 grain stuff. This is pretty good stuff for plinking or games of chase the golf ball. But just because its heavier doesn't mean your bushmaster is going to become a 400 meter tackdriver. Enjoy keep shootin.....

Let’s get the story strait. Use the green tip ammo because that’s what your AR-15 is meant to fire. If you are in love with punching holes in steel buy an M-44 for $70, and a 440 round spam can of 7.62x54 for $50. It will smoke a steel I-beam at 100 yds and kick up a huge dust cloud. Oh one other thing the green tip is in no way armor piercing, or was it meant to be. It was designed to penetrate Kevlar flak jacket and helmet at 400 yds. That’s it.

Regarding the guy who complained about the condition of his ammo and the other guy who said his ammo was made in 2001; As I am told, Lake City ammo always has a headstamp of LC and a year designator and the newer stuff has the nato circle with a cross in it. I just goy my ammo today and the year designator says LC 06. My ammo was in fine condition with no problems. It arrived timely and was very neatly packaged. Also has the NATO Cross stamped on it. The ammo with the X prefix i.e. XM196 is ammo that was issued and then repacked and sold on the civilian market. It is not contract overrun but rather prior issue ammo. The Government accepts all ammunition that properly passes acceptance tests. The ammunition that the Government rejects, they have have to "eat" contract-wise. This REJECTED ammuniton is what some refer to as "surplus" (XMxxx and XMxxxPD). Call it what you will; however, it is ammo the Government rejected due to poor quality control, failure to pass lot acceptance tests, etc. This ammo will not always be perfect cosmetically. Contract overrun will not have the X prefix and is also sold domestically. Also Military ammo does not look "pretty" like commercial brass ammo as Lake City omits the step of "cleaning up" the ammo before packaging (saves $$). I bought mine via telephone from a representative named Tim who gave me great price. I havent fired it yet but will let you know.

Not sure where uwnsf purchase his ammo, but apparently not a Marine or a soldier. DO NOT buy wolf ammo. It is in steel casings and will ruin yur barrel. I have no investment in cheaperthandirt, just an expert level marksman in oistol/rifle and I know my ammo. PLEASE only use brass casings! Yes I have fired several brands of some excellent .223 match grade but I am not competing. I am either "plinking" or self defense if God forbid need be. In 45acp, I strongly suggest 230grRemington golden saber or Winchester SXT. SXT though not s=as formidable as the infamous Black Talons (still have 100rnds) it is the second best thin and an excellent round. And if in L/E, buy the bonded golden sabers. They will maintain shape through clothing, glass, etc until intented target is hit. Then they have pretty much unparaled expansion and internal damage to surrounding vital organs if center mass is hit

After having srved 4 tours,a total of six years in the mid-east when I was with the 1st division, Lake city saved my life and several others that served under me. The penetrator arms are not armor piercing(black tip) and are not advirtised as such. I can consistantly shoot golf balls and toy army men @ 300m with my bushmaster. Off the subject a little, I would really like to see a switch to the 6.8spc. a much more flatter shooting round plisa 110 gr round, closer to a 7.62.( We always kept an AK 47 carbine strapped under uniform for reasons that if not obvious, I will not explain.) mine has an Eotech 552 ( m-4 has an aimpoint ML3 and the eotech's target aquisition is much faster. Pardon me for drifting off subjuect. Yes, I highly recommend the Lake City ammo. As I said; buy soething like Remington match quality with 20 rounds a box for over $20 and see how much more accurate you asre @ 100m. 200m, 300m etc. not sure hoew far the other branches of the military train just their grunts to fire..LOL! Just messing around! Pleas do give lake city a chance. and pleas take my knowledgeble word for it, .223 ammo is going to get more and more scarce. Buy as much as you can. split a bosx with a buddy or something. PLEASE keep at least 200 rounds of lake city in your ammo stash. I have more .223, M107, 45 acp than I want to discuss on an open forum. no, not peranoid, but beinga an LTC for several years, if you think Iraq is a mess, you aint seen nothing yet. It is very possible our children/grandchildren will be fighting global terrorism in some capacity. and if they break our borders and get by homeland Security and othe agencies protecting us...don't tread on me.

LTC AllenIIIMEF/HRT Camp Courtney. Okinawa, Japan BE safe, remain always vigilante. no lead is a stupid lead. Please report anything at all you find suspicios. Unfortunately many local PD'sdo not take thes serious so report to FBI or local Homeland Security. WE follow EVERY lead and some of the ...dumbest ones have resulted in serious threat arrests

They will not post my honest reveiw.Sensorship-sound familar.There is alot better ammo and the same ammo out there at a better price.Just look for it.I purchased some of this stuff 2 months ago.Was not happy at all.I do not say this unless its true.For the price of this ammo,it should have been in pristeen condition.O.K CTD,I've purchased alot of your products.This is the only one I'm not happy with.Suck it up and post this reveiw or I'll take my business elsewere.

Note: CTD post reviews good and bad as long as the review is helpful to others

This is the best ammo I've fired from my AR-15 and mini-14. I have 55 grain Lake city and American Eagle but the 62 grain wins hands down. I hope it stays in stock long enough for me to get more.

...OOH-RAH!!! …‘Back for more! ‘Just love these rounds... ‘Same ones I consistently used to shoot expert with in the Corps. ‘Still no sign of SAW AP black tipped babies (Nammo M995 5.56mm x 45) for sale on CTD, huh? Bummer… Oh well, 5 or 6 yr old Lake City M855s @ $0.48 a round will do just fine. LOL! Semper Fi, BoBBy

The ammo was made for one purpose, to penetrate ballistic helmets, hence the mild steel core. I see alot of jarheads in here, semper fi.

Don't shoot at hard targets or animals with this round... The M855 5.56 x 45 cartridge is simply a ball projectile. Yes, it is the current military issue and it does work well enough with the correct shot placement but it is not ideal for personal defense, hunting or serious target shooting. [1] The steel core insert is sometimes not perfectly centered in the mass of the bullet which degrades accuracy with unbalanced rotation. [2] 5.56 x 45 FMJ (ball) ammo works the best at peak velocity. If you are lucky enough and the bullet collides with enough mass at close range it will tumble and fragment - usually breaks in half at the case crimp. However, this same lack of sectional density can be a negative in terms of deep penetration or shooting through an obstruction. Once the 5.56 projectile begins to slow down (2000 FPS) it becomes effective as an ice pick. Hunting coyotes and similar small animals at longer ranges may produce many inhumane, slow kills. It is however, all about shot placement. [3] Don't shoot at hard targets. This can prove to be very dangerous. The 5.56 is the wrong gun to use as an anti-materiel weapon. Yes, you can shoot through 3/8" mild steel plate, but take a close look at what comes out the other side...nothing more than a spray of metal particles as the bullet basically vaporizes. Also, concrete cinder blocks - Yes, you can punch a hole in one side of the block and that is all, not even a scratch on the opposite side. Every commercial .223 round will do the same. [4] If you need to hit a target through a steel plate or cinder block start with a 7.62 x 51 or wait for the target to come out of cover. If you are using your 5.56 rifle for hunting or self-defense try Hornady's TAP ammunition. TAP offers immediate and complete energy transfer to the target with supreme accuracy. The TAP bullets have a polymer tip for reliable function. If you are using the AR-15 rifle, remember, it is about speed and accuracy, not penetration or massive knockdown power.

shot some of my friends stockpile through my bushmaster predator @ 100yds. rig is set up for prarie dog huntin with big magnification scope, but we were routinely hitting plastic army men @ that range. also shot golfballs off the frames and continued to drill them out to 200yds. Picked the balls up and they looked like swiss cheese. will also go through the 3/8 plate steel @ 100yds easily. love this ammo. Price is now too high, but thats happening to ammo across the board. gonna have to start reloading.

We shot only green tip bullets in infantry school and in basic training. I'm sure they didnt let us waste ap bullets on papper targets. Good bullets though no problem at 350meters dropping a pop up or holding a group.

Good ammo.....outstanding penetration. A little pricey right at the moment, but with all that's needed for our brothers and sisters overseas, production can barely keep up....bear with it for now. Fired mine at 3/8" steel plate at 235 yds....was in awe to find perfect holes...punched right through. Fired from Colt Match Target Competition HBAR 2 (MT6731) and M4 clone (custom-built). Never had a misfire (yet) with this ammo. If you can afford it....definitely buy it !!

I recall buying 40 round boxes of this stuff a few years ago, split cement blocks and stuff with it .But at 50 cents a round Naaaa! .. Im ok with Wolf 55gr in my Lite 20in barrel A3, just bought a Bushmaster Carbon 15 pistol, Ide guess the 62gr is better in it.. Happy shootin..

Used to be great ammo for the price. Why the price increase. I'm getting 1 to1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards out of my m4. I did want to buy more but I think I'm going to quit shooting for a while and see what happens with the prices. And could somebody please decide if green tip or black tips are armor piercing. I know an Iraq vet (mechanized infantry) who says all he was ever given to use was green tipped ammo, and I would like to think that the marine corps. supplied AP ammo to their troops! Which is it? I would like an answer from someone who knows for certain!

First of all, these are not armor piercing rounds, they are standard issue 5.56mm ball military rounds with a steel tip, that do penetrate much more than a standard lead round, but as another guy already said, the black tip rounds are designated armor piercing, orange tracer, green tip are standard ball M855 or SS109 as civilians call them. The black tip rounds are not available(legally) on the civilian market. As far as these particular rounds are concerned, they are 6 years old(Manufactured in 2001) show much corrosion on the brass, and at $7.99 a box, way overpriced. They were worth it when they were $5.97 a box last month.

If you cut off the top of a M-855 or SS-109 round you will see why they have such great penetrating power, an extremely hard alloy steel cone shaped piece that you can remove. Armor piercing ammo for the US in the 5,56-45 is designated M-995. There is a difference between .223 commercial ammo and 5,56-45 military ammo. Using Mil.Spec ammo in say a .223 commercial hunting rifle will produce more wear and stress on the gun and I would not do it. That's why I will not use Mil.Spec 7,62-51 FMJ hardball ammo out of my Remington .308 LTR. rifle. Only match or sniper designated ammo. Also using commercial ammo in a 5,56-45 rifle such as the M16, AR15, or even a Sturm-Ruger Mini-14, which is made to shoot military spec 5,56-45 ammo, something many people don't realize will reduce accuracy due to the excessive leade that is used in Mil.Spec 5,56-45 ammo (M-855 SS-109 M-193). And please folks don’t shoot up all the military grade ammo you have if you own an AR15 or such type weapon. Supplies are very limited now and prices are and will more than likely keep going up. Maybe many have noticed the huge increases in prices on military ammo lately. I went to four ammo dealers and saw only 6 box’s of M-193 55grain Mil.Spec. ammo this week, at $9 a box. Were only a few months ago I could have bought M-855, SS-109, or M-193 from any one of them by the case or box, all sold out.

Bought some of this ammo and compared it to Federal American Eagle, Remington Express (both around the same price but slightly cheaper than this LC stuff). Performance was not too bad @ 100yds, capable of 1MOA but @ 100yds MOST ammo is... I think I'll stick with the commerical ammo. If you have the $$, paying a few $$ extra for Black Hills is worth it too. BTW, the person who asked about the 1.7twist, 68gr - 77gr is OPTIMAL but 62gr will work too, especially if plinking at or around 100yds. Good luck!

WOW, I just bought some (2000) of this stuff before Christmas and it was $5.67 and now it is $7.59 or $96.oo per thousand more? This is a 7 1/2% increase in two months. I should have sold all my stock and bought ammunition. What an investment that would have been. Should I buy more? Is it going up again?

From what I can tell, this ammo is identical in looks and pergormance to what I have been issued at qual range. Zeroed my bushmaster the same way as M16, grouped and zeroed just like I do on qual range. In ref. to earlier post, there is no black tip 5.56 that I've ever seen. I haven't tried shooting at plate steel, but these rounds do go through kevlar, if a straight shot. Good ammo for price.

This ammo is definately a hard core penetrator. No problems with it at all. I even put my target on the other side of a couple trees and my shot group was still tight. It went clean through some pretty thick trees. It's the same ammo I used in Iraq and it is very reliable.

I've been buying this stuff strictly from CTD for almost 2 years now and it has been an excellent product. I shoot it through my M-4 Bushmaster, 1:9 twist. Feeds excellent, very accurate and powerful. It isn't the cheapest stuff around for plinkin, but lots of fun and heaven forbid, but it will knock the socks off any intruders if need be.

Bought 5 boxes for my buddy's Stag M-4. Got 3 steel bar ends out of the scrap barrel @ work. Type of metal: unknown. Our penetration tests took place at about 10 yards: 1st Plate about .205 thick: Like a hot knife through butter. Left a hole like a drill bit 2nd Plate about .300 thick: Same result as the .205 plate 3rd Plate about .440 thick: Huge crater, steel core impression evident, Big Dimple & Crack on backside. ALMOST made it through. A strong buy!

By looking at the ammo it looks like the green tip that military developed for the M16A2 when it was first fielded. The green tip ball was a whole lot better than the standard ball. I use this in my Ar15A2 with great accuracy.

Outstanding performance and value. Accuracy in my Armalite M15 1-in-8" twist barrel virtually identical with premium match ammo.

Picked up a few boxes just to see how they compare to the normal rounds you buy. At 75 ft we were shooting at a 3/8 piece of steel. The normal rounds did well, no quite penetrating the steel. The SS109 did so with no problem. We also compared to a 7.62 x39 fired from an AK-47 at the same distance. It only entered about and 1/8 of and inch. Conclusion normal is okay but SS109 is better.

I love this ammo. Another reviewer said it went through 3/8 inch plate steel no problem, but i fired a few rounds at 1/4" plate steel and it only removed a chunk of the metal before bouncing off. Overall great ammo though.

Best ammo i have used in a long time. It will do the job.......

This ammo is good enough for government work and pretty much anything. At first I was skeptical about the penetration, yet I was proven wrong and will live to tell about.

This is great ammo, it isnt the best for Knock Down Power because of the steel penetrator core, causes the round to zip right through whatever you shoot with it, however for accuracy its great. This is the ammunition you need if you are planning on purchasing one of the ACOG scopes from Trijicon as this was the ammo it was designed for. you can use the bullet drop compensator and range finder with this bullet and weight and be very accurate, at the range the other day i was shooting some and was routinely getting keyhole shots (thats where bullet holes touch each other) dead on in the X ring of the bullseye. if you are using hunting ammo with an ACOG, shoot this ammo for target practice but use 62 grain hunting rounds and you will get the same point of impact, etc. Great plinking ammo.

what can I say about this bullet?... actually it sucks... dont buy'em.. the bullets went straight down after it comes out of barrell. (shocked) so I can get all the bullets for myself.... (chuckle) serious note... it is probably real good bullets u can get for the fun of it!. I went thru a friend's 4 cans of XM855 it only jammed 2 times out of 2880 bullets... also about CTD.. their shipping is A Plus!. packaging is excellent!.... they will be my customer for loonngg time!.... do not heisiate... buy it from them....

Just like I used in the military! Went through a peice of 3/8" plate steel no problem!

I ran about 100 rounds through my US M15A3 Sniper rifle, I shot consistant 1.25" to 1.5" groups at 100 yards. Then had the opportunity to try it out on a coyote at 75 yards since I live in the country. The Coyote.. well lets just say; he has gone to see his terrorist brothers in the big field in the sky. Outstanding Ammo! Hooyah!!

This is some quality steel core ammo. "Armor Piercing" is slightly misleading; the Army uses M855 (correct name of the ammo, note the box typo) as standard ball ammunition. It does punch through metal sheeting a little better than lead core only ammo. If you've never shot any before, it's worth a few boxes to see what's the thickest metal you can shoot through. USE SAFETY and beware of ricochets when doing this. Overall, this is great ammo, and is not much more expensive than other brass case ammo on this site.

This ammo has been great so far- no jams, accurate- everything I need.