What is Steel Core Ammo?

[Podmonkey]

IMO the value and effectiveness of the M995 is questionable as there are other superior surplus API rounds perfectly legal to buy.
The only problem is people are taking advantage and charging too much for them...
500 RDS 30 06 ARMOR PIERCING TUNGSTEN STEEL CORE : Rifle Ammunition at GunBroker.com
you also find 308 online and in Gun shows under the M61 surplus denomination either surplus ammo or loose bullets to reload also overpriced.
100 RDS FN AP AMMO 1976 M60 M14 HK91 m61 M 61 : Rifle Ammunition at GunBroker.com

A total waste IMO given the amazing performance of the old M855 penetrating steel same as the affordable 147gr fmj M80 and alike.

I mean, both go through 1/2 of steel where the 7.62x39, blackout and other "defensive" calibers will fail.

IMO if one is going to pay those parasites who take advantage selling ap ammo then one might just as well go and get premium
bullets ordering the steel tip vs. the aluminum one like alco. These high precission bullets are used by operators to provide tactical
advantage specially by the long range capabilities but also by the amazing performance in hard targets.

I think official API makes no sense for the average guy that might be spending more and getting less in the end.

The only advantage of M995 is that it fires out of an AR/M16 and if that is all you have then maybe the AP might be useful? In miltary service it's is seldom seen for use outside of linked belts for M249s, that is the M995s main purpose in life. I agree that if one is anticipating a need for hard barrier penetration than 5.56 is really not the best cartridge for that.

 

[meketrefe]

@Podmonkey
I think the regular M855 surplus does most of what people would ever need and it is well priced.
They say the M855A1 penetrates even better but is it really needed when the M855 and M80 in 308 do so well with
pretty thick steel? I mean, they both penetrate where slower cartriges like the 7.62x30, blackout and 30 carbine will fail.

For quickly stopping cars the 308 or 30/06 are the real deal. In the service we had hard targets that looked like gruyere
cheese after shooting them all day with the 30 cal even as far as 500 meters and 300 on heavy and thick steel.
Surprisingly the modern 5.56 performs better than many might think but one needs to stay away from the vientnam
era 55gr fmjs for that kind of objective.

 

[Podmonkey]

You seem to be pretty hot on M855, but everything I've ever read, or heard from buddies whi went over is that the M855 has a serious problem with consistent performance, specifically that it frequently fails to fragment and passes through the target doing minimal damage. M193 is supposed fragment more reliably but has limited range potential. I plan on stocking some M855 as a fall back for when I will need more penetration that my 77gr OTM stock would provide. Honestly if I could get my hands on some M995 legally I would use it in place of the M855. I wouldn't mind stocking the newer mk318 but it seems to be scarce. I would like to know if the improved M855A1 has actually rectified its predecessors faults. If so, and if it became available I would happily standardize on it as an all purpose load.
But back to swilliams orignal post, any of the current 5.56 is plenty good for plinking and most sights/scope BDCs are calibrated for the 62gr M855 load.

 

[meketrefe]

It is not my favorite bullet but for the surplus deals seems to be the best one. For home defense the 55gr will do fine.
I think for patrol cars the 64gr power point is a good one that is also good for hunting. But the barnes solid in 62gr
is perhaps the best of both worlds being solid. Just too expensive to practice a lot with it. Same thing with the Sirocco
that is another pretty stout but prices are ridiculous. OTM is good on soft targets and also for all purpose including
home defense. In this category the black hills 77gr TMK is possibly the best performer right now, even from short barrels.
Another good one for all sort of barriers is the GSC 60gr hv but those also expensive given the barnes is there.
One might find suitable the 75gr hpbt found in the tap ammunition that is decently priced but again this is not good
for hard barriers if one is on patrol car and such.