Attack of the (M193) Clones, Part Two: M855 Comparison
In the first installment of Attack of the (M193) Clones, we examined the velocity and accuracy (technically precision) of four different M193 clones currently available on the commercial market. In part two, we’ll be examining the velocity and accuracy of four different M855 clones currently available on the commercial market. The M855 clones examined for this article are shown below.
IMI M855
Winchester Ranger M855
Prvi Partizan M855
American Eagle XM855
The obvious difference between the projectiles used in M855 and M193 clones is the weight difference of 7 grains, 62 grains versus 55 grains. The M855 projectile has a FMJ construction but also has a steel “penetrator” in the ogive section of the bullet. This makes the projectile unusually long for its weight, as well as giving it a lower specific gravity. Most, but not all, of the M855 clones have the tip of the bullet painted green.
M855 versus M193 projectiles.
The 62 grain M855 projectile is actually longer than the heavier 69 grain Sierra MatchKing.
Note the steel penetrator in the sectioned projectile below.
Chronographing of the M855 clones was conducted as described in part one, using the same 20” M16A2 barrel. The results are shown in the table below.
Accuracy testing of the M855 clones was also conducted exactly as described in part one, using the same free-floated 16” Colt HBAR fired from my bench-rest set-up at 100 yards. As previously stated, I chose a chrome lined, NATO chambered barrel as the accuracy test vehicle as this is the type of barrel that these clone loads are most likely to be fired from. It is possible to obtain better accuracy from mil-spec/NATO pressure loads by firing them from an AR-15 that has a stainless steel match-grade barrel with a hybrid chamber such as the Noveske NMmod0 chamber or the Wylde chamber for examples. You’re not going to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear doing this, but I’ve previously experienced up to a 20% improvement in accuracy by doing so.
Three 10-shot groups of each load were fired in a row with the results shown in the table below.
Here are the previous accuracy results of the M193 clones along with the M855 clone results for comparison.
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I greatly appreciate your attention to detail, the fantastic data dump, and especially you sharing your hard work. Thank you.