considered a “barrier blind” round? I see that the 62 gr. TAP 5.56 round specifically speaks to its ability to pass through barriers, but is this the case with the 75 gr 5.56 TAP as well?
I would guess that the Federal Tactical Bonded 62gr .223 Bonded SP ( LE223T3 ) is not the same as the 5.56 mm Federal 62 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (TBBC) bonded JSP (XM556FBIT3), but is the latter available at all? I have never seen it listed anywhere. Is it a special order item anywhere? I see it listed as a recommended round in the 5.56 mm Duty Loads sticky, but does it actually exist?
It would seem that at this time the only 5.56 (not .223) barrier blind round which is readily available - to the civilian market - and at semi-reasonable prices - would be the Mk318.
In the past it wasn’t (more like M855), but they have re-designed it to be a barrier blind round.
Regular TAP (55gr or 75gr) is going to fragment and not work well with certain barriers.
I would guess that the Federal Tactical Bonded 62gr .223 Bonded SP ( LE223T3 ) is not the same as the 5.56 mm Federal 62 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (TBBC) bonded JSP (XM556FBIT3), but is the latter available at all? I have never seen it listed anywhere. Is it a special order item anywhere? I see it listed as a recommended round in the 5.56 mm Duty Loads sticky, but does it actually exist?
I have never been able to track down the TBBC or XM556FBIT3) and don’t know if they are still produced. So IMHO, it would be hard to get on the Civy side.
It would seem that at this time the only 5.56 (not .223) barrier blind round which is readily available - to the civilian market - and at semi-reasonable prices - would be the Mk318.
The SPEER 24455 is a 5.56 and is pretty well priced and will perform better in accuracy tests than the MK318 (IMHO).
All their Speer GDSP 223/556 loads are under 20/box. Usually closer 15 IIRC.
FWIW worth relating to this thread I had rather large groups with Mk318 I tested in a couple different guns that are capable of much better accuracy. 3-4" at 100 was what I was getting with many other loads in the >1"-2" range.
Thanks for the reply Grant…definitely lays out some options.
Can you comment on the accuracy of the various loads and which you would use in a precision application for 4-500m and in?
Also, I guess I just need to boil the question about fragmenting vs barrier blind down to this: If I had an AR loaded up for home defense where I am 99% sure that I wouldn’t have to shoot through a barrier any harder than a wall, what would I want it loaded with? Does the answer differ if in an apt vs a house? I guess I’m still not understanding the penetration/lethality capability of one round over the other in a circumstance such as a miss where there may be family in the room behind the bad guy…
I have a 50 cal. can with brown boxes of mk318. I have never been able to get a definitive answer as to the difference, if any, between the white box and brown box mk318. Some have guessed that the brown box is what the military gets and the white box is what the law enforcement community gets. Some have said that all mk318 on the market, regardless of box color, has been rejected by the military. Mine has no sticker on it, such as “not for duty use”. I have never seen loose mk318 offered. I wonder if anyone actually knows for certain what the difference is between the box colors, if any, and whether or not any/all mk318 has been rejected by the military.
btw: I have done a number of searches and can only locate guesses and speculations. That is why I ask if anyone can provide a genuine answer to the above questions and have some foundation for their opinions.
A question–if you use the Gold Dots or any of the other jacketed soft point rounds don’t you have to worry about lead build up on the feed ramp after 200-300 rounds as DocGKR has previously mentioned?
FWIW Molon also got about the same accuracy maybe a little better. This was either very early this year or late last year. One of the first batches to come out if not the first. Its quite possible the stuff they have sold in the last 6 mos + is better.
How do you think the SPEER would perform out to 4-500 yds? (being that its .223 pressure)
Basically I’m in a situation where I have more TAP T2 on hand than I really need, so I will either sell off some to fund a good barrier blind round for my longer range accuracy needs OR sell off all my TAP T2 and standardize (I do like consistency) with one barrier blind round for close in work or LR.
The only question that remains to be answered, and will make my decision, is whether a barrier blind round is more optimal than TAP T2 for HD/CQB? Is there more risk with a barrier blind round going through walls than there is with TAP T2? (simple yes or no from anyone who truly knows would suffice :D)
The potential risk of a typical barrier blind 5.56 mm/.223 load after going through an internal wall is somewhat greater than that for a fragmenting 5.56 mm/.223 bullet, but quite similar to that posed by most duty handgun projectiles. If you don’t mind the risk of shooting a handgun or SMG indoors, then you shouldn’t worry about using a barrier blind 5.56 mm/.223 load…
The 5.56 mm 70 gr TSX loadings are generally accurate at long range and relatively barrier blind. But for most uses out to 300 or even 500, any of the recommended barrier blind loadings that prove sufficiently accurate in your specific rifle should work fine…if not, one can always switch to a 6.8 mm upper or even a 16" .308 semi-auto.
