One of my favorite loads to shoot out of my SPRs has been the Southwest Ammunition 5.56 69gr SMK. I recently ordered 300 rounds from them to resupply. Unfortunately it appears that SW Ammunition has self imploded. After more than a month, with no indication of the ammo shipping, I’ve received no response to multiple emails and voicemails on the business number as well as the cell numbers of the owners. A quick Google search confirmed my fears, with numerous complaints and extremely long wait times to fill “in stock” orders. And then yesterday, I see that their Facebook page says “permanently closed” under the store hours. FML. I’ll dispute the charges on my cc. A hassle for sure, but I’m not too concerned about getting my money back.
So here’s my conundrum. 69gr SMK shoots very consistently for me, much better than many popular 75 and 77gr loads. So, does anyone have a good suggestion for quality match grade 69gr SMK ammunition that’s available for $0.80 / round or less?
Wow. That sucks about SW ammo. I was thinking of trying to see if they were interested in hiring skilled labor. Have you googled Winchester RA223M?? You might be able to find that for a decent price. It’s 69 gr match.
Just to piggyback off of Markm’s offer, I know SG ammo had 200 round cases of 69gr Ranger for like $130 last time they had it. Think they are out of stock currently though after the run on 5.56 last month.
I haven’t tried that one. I’ll see if I can track some down. Have you shot it Mark?
ETA: concerning SW Ammunition, there’s a thread running on Snipershide about it. Some guys have received their ammo, after 6+ months. Screw that. The website said the ammo was in stock and may take 2-3 weeks to ship. I was OK with that. But at double that time, I became concerned and started emailing, then calling, personal cell phone numbers published by the owners. No response from anyone. Meanwhile, they chime in on the Hide occasionally, apologize, defer, make excuses and continue to string people along.
That’s the long term plan. But I’m not going to just start slapping components together before spending some time with an experienced handloader. In the interim, I need some good ammo.
I’ve got plenty of Mk262, but it isn’t the most accurate or consistent load I’ve ever shot. I’ve also got numerous “Match” loads in 75 & 77gr, but they usually shoot 0.75-1.0 MOA. The SW 69gr SMK shot better at 0.50-0.75 MOA.
While the heavier loads are fine for banging steel, I’m looking for something that will shoot as well as possible out of a new build with a Mk12 barrel. I ran the last 10 rounds of 69gr through it during my initial test firing. It printed a 5 shot group that I could cover edge to edge with a dime. I really want to see what this new barrel can do, so I’d like to put some more of the 69gr stuff through it.
Yeah, 75 & 77 grain hand loads will get you into the territory you want. Your options are going to be limited until you execute your long term plan. In addition, even match grade ammo pales in comparison to well constructed and consistent hand loads.
Can’t help you with your search as I buy 69gr SMK’s and roll my own as well. I will say from what I’ve seen, your options are pretty much limited. I don’t even see a ton of 69gr ammo for sale, but since I’m not looking it might just be me.
I ran across this outfit the other day and had a little Email exchange with them. Guy sounds like he knows what he’s about, I think they sound promising:
I have compared the 69gr Winchester and 69gr FGMM with two different barrels(BCM 16" ELW & Noveske 18" SS), and the Winchester shot better out of both barrels. I was somewhat surprised to see this, but the Winchester is cheaper. I can’t recall the last place I got a bunch of the Winchester, but I’m pretty sure that I searched Gunbot and it was around $0.65/round.
On a side note, 69gr Noslers shot the best out of the Noveske barrel. I also haven’t had very good luck out of factory 77gr or 75gr loads.