I have an LWRC UCIW with an 8" barrel. It is difficult to find load that will perform in terms of terminal effectiveness from such a short barrel.
I have read a post on another forum where Jeff from Black Hills says the 5.56 50gr TSX will expand out to 75 yards with an 8" barrel. Which is great, but it is impossible to find this ammo currently.
I know the 50gr TSX BH uses is proprietary and therefore different from the 50gr TSX they offer as a commercial bullet. It is harder to make it barrier blind.
I’m not concerned about barriers. So I am wondering how the 55gr TSX in a 223 loading from BH will perform from my 8" barrel. Basically, assuming no barriers, how far out can I expect this load to perform from my 8" AR.
Also, are there any other loads one might suggest that will perform well from my 8" SBR AR? And Yes, I have read the “Duty Load” post in this forum, but did not come up with a definitive answer. Any help would be appreciated!
You can expect 100% reliable expansion from 50gr TSX to about 75 yards. Most other loads leave the muzzle from barrel that short already under the fragmentation/expansion threshold.
The 50gr Black Hills TSX performs better than 55gr TSX. It’s probably your best choice for that barrel length. Just so you know, the expansion threshold is 2,300fps.
All of this comes from Jeff at Black Hills like you said.
The 55gr TSX has an expansion threshold of 1,900fps, so you still have good distance from an 8" barrel. The 70gr TSX has an expansion threshold of 1,800fps, but I have no clue what the muzzle velocity is of any of them from an 8" barrel.
Something like a 55gr Gold Dot might work well too. I’d be happy with any bullet that gives me reliable expansion/fragmentation out to 50 yards from that short of a barrel.
If you can find a TBBC 55gr in 5.56 instead of 223, you’d have another good option.
Yes, but the lead is hardly exposed unlike many others, so there’s little build up, if any. If there is any build up from Gold Dot, it would be hundreds of rounds before any issue.
My local shop has them quite often in the Barnes Vor-TX. I’ve killed a lot of hogs with it as well as a few with the 50gr Black Hills. it’s good stuff.
Honestly, I’d be content with the 55gr TSX, 62gr TSX, TBBC and either Gold Dot load.
My local shop is Modern Pawn and Gun. You might try giving them a call at 361-993-9390.
Edit - I’m not sure if they’ll ship it or not though.
BHA 50gr TSX is outstanding. Barrel, barrier, twist blind. A great one-round solution for an armory with many configurations.
That issue is overstated, and dependent on more variables than simple bullet type. Shot and seen shot several cases of the 55 and 64gr GDSP in Colt (and other) carbines without issue.
It was a 10.4" barrel with a SF suppressor attached so that may/may not have accounted for 30 FPS or so. I’ll chrono the load without the suppressor this week. The load was also optimized for short barrel length so I’m sure that plays a role. The 2375FPS out of the 8.9" was the shocker to me.
Now that I think about it, I’m actually not that shocked. Anytime I have shot 5.56 Black Hills loadings from my 8" SBR, I don’t really see any muzzle flash or blast. Especially compared to any of the plinking 223 rounds I shoot. I suspect this is because Black Hills uses faster burning powders in these loads and much of the powder actually burns up before the bullet leaves the muzzle even on an 8" barrel.
The way that Doc explained it to me, the BH 50gr TSX is the best for CONUS LE/CIV use due to the penetration numbers. 55gr is a good option if you reload. The higher grain stuff (62/70gr) is better for longer range engagements vs short range, typical LE/CIV engagements due to the deeper penetration numbers.
Being that you’re using this in a barrel that short, I would hazzard a guess that this will not be used in a LR precision role, so I would suggest the lighter weight stuff.
The 50gr TSX is pretty much the ideal choice for defensive or duty use from any barrel length. Penetration is good and it’s very capable of defeating auto glass and other intermediate barriers.
The 70gr is also a great choice and has done very is short barrel rifles overseas as the Brown Tip.
The difference being that hunting and mil applications, that extra penetration is a good thing. For CONUS use, slightly less penetration is ideal. A the same time, the 50gr TSX Black Hills load has more robust petals than the rest of the TSX line and is more capable of staying intact after penetrating auto glass.
Keep in mind, the expansion threshold for Black Hilss 50gr TSX is 2,300fps, while it’s 1,800 for 70gr and 1,900 for the rest of the TSX line.
I’m happy with either. I prefer 70gr for hunting and 50gr fo everything else. I’d be content to switch between roles though. I’ve used both on hogs as well as the 55gr and similar bullets, and they have all done very well, considerably better than FMJ or OTM.
