Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles FMJ Ammo

How many of you really shoot much FMJ ammo?

I usually buy ammo in bulk. 1000 rounds at a time in most cases. While doing some searches to explore what is avl. in 5.56/223, it was obvious that 9 of 10 offerings of such ammo is various configurations of FMJ.

Personally, I don't have much use for FMJ ammo. Especially in 5.56/223. If there ever was a caliber that needed expansion to make the most of what it has, 5.56/223 is it.

Evidently there's a large demand for FMJ though, or it wouldn't be so prevalent.

While I do some target shooting, I do that with the hunting ammo I have my rifles sighted in for. It just doesn't make much sense to me to shoot FMJ's at a target, and expanding bullets when hunting when the POI is different.

Granted, I have SOME FMJ stuff tucked away for a rainy day or trading, but not much.


Do you guys use FMJ ammo much? What do you use it for?

I know many people have an AR, and just want to hear it go bang. Probably not the case with most of you on here though.

I shoot a lot of it in my Garand, and have quite a bit loaded in 5.56.

In 5.56 I have two different rifles, a Daniel Defense V7 LW, and in that I'll blast the FMJs at the range, but I also have quite a bit loaded with Sierra Blitzkings. It does require a slight sight adjustment to re-zero.

I have another rifle built around the SPR principle, that'll get a steady diet of SMKs.

We have local, informal get-togethers that will involve a bunch of shooting that is totally unscored, so I burn up the 5.56, .30-06, and .45 ACP FMJs at these, and will occasionally make some trips to the range just to sit there and burn up ammo. Same thing.

Basically, I use the FMJs for a cost-effective means to blast away.

More serious work would get a better bullet.

I too shoot a lot of fmj for just plinking. I also actually hunt hogs with .45acp when we use dogs. The shots are 2-20 feet and the fmj holds together and penetrates the hogs scull better than a "hunting" bullet.

It depends. Yesterday I shot the challenge again with hand loaded 77 sierra's over rl15 and my gun is better than I am, next with a DD and a 1-4 I practiced firing from prone, sitting, kneeling and standing at different distances, I did not use hand loads or $1.50 a shot rounds for this.

I use more FMJ in my .45 1911's than any other caliber.

I do carry HyroShoks as defense rounds. But for pistol shooting, there's not much difference in POI and with the .45, there's not a terrible difference in hunting performance.

What I was mostly talking about was 5.56/223.

There are considerable differences in POI and definitely in hunting performance.

Fred Eichler found out what those differences were when he filmed a predator hunting show using FMJ's. He shot several coyotes, and none dropped. Kinda stirred an ethics debate that went on for months.

I shoot some now that it is available again, not as much as I did when it was $149/1000 shipped to my door but some.

I've bought several thousand rounds of IMI M193 this past year or so and it shoots point of aim same as. my 55 grain NBT reloads but I only shoot it in a couple of Colt chrome lined barrels and I don't shoot off a bench. Even my 77 gr SMK loads aren't far enough off to miss a coyote, about an inch high I think. Shooting off hand, standing, kneeling, prone and any other position I get caught in produces the same size groups regardless of ammo used.

When I'm hunting I use hunting ammo and more accurate guns but practice shouldn't waste money.

About the only time I use FMJ ammo in my AR's is when I'm teaching a class. Then it's for weapon familiarization and continuity of fire drills. Any other times it's a match HP or another hunting bullet.

Ed

I'm seeing the difference in price in bulk ammo that I shoot is about $60 per thousand between FMJ's and PSP's.

For what I do, I'll just stick with the PSP's.

I do buy my bulk ammo in .223 for predators with VMax bullets.

It's about all I buy. Just to shoot into a dirt burm with an AR or Mini. When we go for pigs, its hand loads with TSX or Power Points

I think lots of people do that.

Lots of them don't bother with a dirt berm though. Those FMJ's can have a safety factor as well. All bullets do, but FMJ's especially.

I shoot into a berm as well with xm193, but I do hunt with handloads.

Plinking, blasting and SHTF stock.

I use XM193 when I'm introducing either a new or experienced shooter to the world of AR's. Otherwise, I shoot my own handloads.

Shooting off hand, standing, kneeling, prone and any other position I get caught in produces the same size groups regardless of ammo used.

many do not get this, maybe not 1 in 5000 can shoot at 100 yards from the sitting position or kneeling position and produce 1MOA with even 5 shots regardless of the ammo or the rifle in use, prone may be a different story but we cannot always shoot thru the tall grass. Forget about standing! Loading $2.00 cartridges into your $5,000 sniper rifle with 50 cent skills is kind of a waste. Get off the bench once in a while and shoot.

My brother, bless his gun ignorant heart, went to gun shop in Austin and bought an AR.

He told the guy there that he needed some ammo that would be good on hogs, as in hunting and shooting hogs with the very AR he was holding.

The guy sold him a 420 round can of the green tip FMJ's.

I really had to restrain myself to not call the guy's boss and give him an ear full....

too funny!

I have thousands of rounds in storage, and I have shot many thousands of others at the range. Cheapest way to get a lot of range time. I hand load my hunting rounds, and practice some with those too.

I need to broaden my horizon beyond 855 stuff.

FMJ is a great round for pigs. Shoot them and they have time to run off and die on someone elses property.

If my Dillon was a 650 instead of a square deal, I'd buy the cheapest bullets I could and load up some practice ammo. But mine is a square deal for pistol ammo and my time is worth more to me so I buy m193.

My SHTF ammo is 77 gr reloaded stuff. If I outlast that, I'll be glad to get whatever I can.