Last month I held our club's first Short Range Tactical match, and was introduced to a local bulk .223 bullet manufacturer: Bobs' Bullets (as in two guys name Bob, of B&B Metal Fab). I received a sample packet of 55-grain .223 Rem bullets, which are virtually identical to the M193 bullet I used at the match. When I got home I spent some time comparing their bullet to several others of the same design, loaded them, and tested performance. Here's my review:
Bobs' Bulk 223 Bullets is located in Carson City NV, and produces lead cast pistol bullets as well as their namesake .223 Remington bullets. I have not fired their lead pistol bullets, but since they offer all the calibers I shoot (9mm, .40, .45, and .38 cals) so it won't be long before that review gets posted. They ship at-cost, and try to accommodate local pick-up when possible. If ever there was a grass-roots marketing campaign, it's theirs, and it consists of showing they're making a better bullet by putting a few in your hand. At first glance, I can see why: they're consistently formed, the base wraps around the edges uniformly, and the points are sharp.
With the next SRT around the corner, I needed to build more ammo and decided this was a perfect time to test the Bobs' bulk .223 bullets I was given. I began by weight sorting 25 bullets, and found that twenty-four weighed 55.4 grains with only one bullet weighing 55.3 grains... rather impressive consistency! Next, I loaded half with 26.0 grains AR-Comp (3228 FPS) to replicate M193 ammo, and the other half with 25.0 grains AR-Comp (3110 FPS) for a less aggressive round that would cause less damage to the 100-yard steel and produce a bit less recoil. The polished copper jackets allowed for silky smooth seating into sized Lake City brass, which I'm mentioning because the other two brands I shoot feel a bit gritty while seating. This allowed me to produce a supremely consistent cartridge with the micrometer seating die.
Once loaded, I took them out for testing. The velocity was exactly as predicted, and the neck tension helped produce a SD of only 6, which was a welcome relief. Ballistics for the 26gn AR-Comp round seem to be virtually identical to the M193 cartridge, matching all my DOPE for that cartridge. Five shot groups with my 20" AR-15 using bi-pod and rear bag were all half-MOA at 100 yards on average with Bobs' Bulk 223 Bullets, and 300-yard groups produced a combination of 1-2" groups (still sub-MOA). I took a short break to check for copper fouling, but nothing was detected. So far so good, and the barrel was barely warm thanks to AR-Comp's low heat output.
These test results certainly were enough to convince me of their product, but I wanted to go one step further and compare them to a few groups fired using factory M193 ammo. The best group I could produce with my three lots of M193 ammo was 1" at 100-yards (1-MOA), and 4-5" at 300-yards (1.5 MOA). The average SD was over 30 in most lots, which is normal for factory ammo like this. My stainless steel heavy bull barrel seldom ever fouls with copper, but when it does, it's usually from the bulk factory manufacturers (not going to mention names, but they're a very popular brand and use Lake City brass). I'll admit the barrel got much warmer after firing factory ammo, so it didn't surprise me to find streaks of copper evident from the muzzle.
In the end, I was very pleased with the performance of Bobs' Bullets. The points are sharp and bases are uniform, easily making them as consistent as the match bullets I use in other rifles. Building my own ammo allowed me to use less aggressive powder, which prolongs barrel life and reduces felt recoil. In my case, it also alleviated copper fouling compared to using factory ammo that uses hotter powder. I'm looking forward to the next match, and these bulk .223 bullets have built up my confidence.
Full disclosure: I received these bullets at an event I hosted, along with a dozen other competitors who were given samples. I am not connected to this company, or have financial interest in this business. I'm merely trying to spread the word about a small local business that make a great product that exceeded my expectations.
