X-TREME 223 55gr FMJ. Anyone tried these?

Has anyone tried these?
X-TREME 223 55gr FMJ /1000

I have got a small sample (250) so will try them out this weekend. Will let you know how they go.

My go to bullets (Plinking, 3 Gun & service rifle) currently are 55g grain CMJ Frontier projectiles @ $135 / 1000 delivered so the X-treme's need to be at least as good as they are more expensive.
The CMJ's shoot accurately in all my AR15's however I have noticed with my 14.5" shorty, a vapour cloud appears often about 25m down range as the copper coating parts company (guess this is what happens). Bullets still hits the target accurately 98% of the time. Through my 18" and 20" uppers no worries at all and reasonably accurate to boot. 1.5" to 2" groups at 100m.

The X-TREME 223 55gr FMJ's are a proper jacketed projectile (Open bottom) and look great compared to the CMJ's so first impressions are good.

Interested in your results, I might get some if they check out. Hey, I'm also after a cheaper supply of 1000 cases as well, any pointers?

Cheers

Results.
26.5gn of CFE 223 returned just over 3100fps out of my 18" Remington R15.
Out of my 14.5" no brand AR15 they produced around 2650fps. The down side of short barrels.
Very consistent velocity using the CFE223. Usually only varying around +- 10 fps or less out of the 18" barrel. It varied more out of the 14.5" however.
Both guns were running 4X scopes, shot from a bench rest.
5 shots groups at 50 meters (not able to shoot 100 at the pistol club yet) ranged from 15mm to 25mm across. I did notice that often 3 shots would be touching then the next two would be separate from the main group but touching. My favourite 55rn hornady SP projectiles shoot a bit tighter, 12mm to 15mm across but I think with a little more load development the groups would come down for the X-treme's.
The CMJ's I normally run, run anywhere from 15mm to 30mm 5 shot groups. They too are not as consistent as the hornady with fliers common.

Will continue to shoot the CMJ's (great plinking bullet) but when my Hornady supply runs out, I will swap to the X-treme's if the next 200 I just loaded go ok next weekend. Will try them through my 20" windham with a 3-9x scope.

I buy my brass off trademe normally. Some good deals come up now and then. I have all the gear to process it though and are not after the most accurate ammo possible. I want cheap functional ammo as a lot of my shooting is under 200 meters so gilt edge accuracy is not needed.
5Kg .223 or 5.56 fired BRITISH RG brass reloading | Trade Me
This will need the primer pockets swaged. Case Capacity is down on the factory stuff so care needs to be taken when reloading.
Get yourself a case gauge to check the resulting ammo. This will save you a lot of swearing and from wearing out your bullet puller.
You may be best to buy the hornady training ammo if you can get it and save the cases as the brass is good stuff.

Ive been using them since i got my ar earlier in the year and in my 18 inch nea dmr with 24.5 gr of bm2 i get touching at 100 i get somewhere in the 2900 fps from memory really consistant but quite a flat nose on them

Just grabbed a box. Hey I also grabbed 5Kg of the British RG's

Cheers for the info...what powder are you using for these?

A new gun site no less., added to my list. Bugger they have Stag model 1 or 4 in stock....and the price isnt bad at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simon

Case Capacity is down on the factory stuff so care needs to be taken when reloading.
Get yourself a case gauge to check the resulting ammo. This will save you a lot of swearing and from wearing out your bullet puller.
You may be best to buy the hornady training ammo if you can get it and save the cases as the brass is good stuff.

---

Sorry forgot to quote this in my above post. Way cheaper just to fix this stuff up that by training ammo..really interested in powder load etc though.'

Cheers for this stuff Simon

Hi Greenie.
With the RG brass I have been loading 26gn of CFE 223 with 55gn Hornady #2266 loaded to 56.8mm OAL using CCI small rifle primers.
I have also been loading 24.6gn of H335 with 55gn Hornady #2266 loaded to 56.8mm OAL using CCI small rifle primers.
Both of these loads are reasonably mild in my rifles but start 10% lower and work your way up.

When you get the cases give them a good tumble to clean them up, decap them, swag them, trim them then load them.
Use a case gauge to ensure they are sized correctly.
Good luck

Those to prices are not bad per 1000, barnauls look a bit expensive by comparison. It would be interesting to shoot all 3 to see which ones does the best (or any other cheap projectiles)

I have shot both the 55gn and 62gn spbt Barnaul projectiles.
Both shot very poorly out of all of my AR15's. Others may have had better luck but I tried all sorts of load combinations but the groups were terrible regardless.
Both the CMJ's and the X-tremes out shot the Barnaul projectiles by some margin.

"hornady training ammo" this is obsolete? cannot see it on the Hornady web site.

Good to know, I wondered if it was the projectiles or the loading or both that makes them so poor. Think I'll avoid them, though the 303brit FMJs they do are not bad.

Hornady 223 Rem Training Ammo 55gr Soft Point Brass Case 500's - ammunition, that, brass, information, muzzle, ... - Serious Shooters

ouch, think I'll stay with Belmont 2nds, $27.50 for 50

What does it mean by "seconds"?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Greenie

What does it mean by "seconds"?

---

Belmont's retail/normal ammo is about $43 per 50 but they also have "seconds" which have minor scratches and tiny dings for way less. I just got some to try v their std retail ammo. So its cheaper than Barnaul/Tula steel and much of it looks re-loadable.

So I have,

20 x 69gr ADI Sierra matchking as my control/benchmark. (lre-loadable as its boxer primed)
20 x 62 grain barnaul FMJ
20 x 55gr tula FMJ
50 x 62 gr Speer Belmont (re-loadable as its boxer primed)
200 x 55gr FMJ Belmont seconds. [(looks re-loadable as its boxer primed)

I also have 150 new x 223 ADI cases so Im looking for some projectiles to try as well, but I aint buying 1000!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simon

When you get the cases give them a good tumble to clean them up, decap them, swag them, trim them then load them.
Use a case gauge to ensure they are sized correctly.
Good luck

---

Hi Simon..What dies are you using for decapping these? Are they real stiff or ok? I was hoping to put Lee die into the Hornady LNL AP press I have coming as I've read they do ok with Mil brass...any suggestions? I'll grab a Dillon 600 for swaging.

Hi Greenie.
I just use a standard Dillon 223 FL resizing die. Give them a light dusting with Dillon case lube then run them through.
Never had any issued. I have about 5k of brass on the go at the moment.
After resizing, I swag them using a Dillon 600 swagger (need to only do this once). This needs to be set up to the brass you are process as the web thickness of varies in thickness between different brands of brass.
I trim if needed then load, running them back through the FL resizing die again. Not ideal, but in my circumstance I am more likely to loose the case before its gets a chance to crack.
You can get a decapping die (does not resize, only pops out the primer) but for bulk 223 I think its an overkill.
Get yourself a stainless case gauge to check the case after resizing and the finished round.
Nothing worse than loading heaps of rounds to then find out the shoulder needs bumping back further. Ask me how I know this.

Cheers for that, gingo's 5000! now ya talkin :-)

Simon, have you tried the RG brass with H335 and the Extreme 55gr FMJ's yet? and I'm also wondering about case length you might have used.

Hi Greenie.
I have not had a chance to try H335 (still playing with CFE223) but I would imagine about 24.6 grains of H335 would do the trick. Start about 10% lower and work up.
I would loaded these too 56.6mm OAL.
Cases are trimmed if they protrude from my case gauge else they are loaded as is.
I have a couple of hundred loaded up ready to go but this time of year is not good, free time wise, to get out and have a blatt.

That charge will probably be anemic. H335=win 748, I've run it at 28grs with 55gr loads and federal brass no problem. Nick Harvey lists 28 gr as the max charge for 55gr in his book.

RG brass has a smaller capacity then FC brass. This cranks the pressure up a bit so it pays to take this into account.
For a 55gn projectile, max charge is 25.3 grains on the Hodgdon site. This is conservative, but in the right ball park.

Beavis, what powder would you recommend for these projectiles? I had a look around and some say they don't like going too fast and that 25gr of 335 was all they could stand before starting to spread out too much?

Cheers, noob here just trying to get some decent cheaper ammo.

You're probably right. I was referring to 55gr in general. Most of the book max loads for 55gr .223 are on the pussy end of the spectrum. Especially when fired from a NATO chamber.

I grabbed a couple containers of CFE223 for this stuff...will grab some ADI AR2206H when I can get some too.

Good info btw Simon

I ran another couple of hundred X-tream 55 grainers through my Windom Weaponry AR15 over the weekend with very good results. They actually shot better than the 55 grain Hornady which is my accuracy load normally.
Shooting prone in a paddock, I was getting 1" 5 shot groups regularly at 100m.

I am liking what you're saying..I have 1000 rounds of this stuff sitting here, so you have made my day.

Merry friggin Christmas!

Hi Greenie.
Make sure you do work your loads up with the RG brass as the capacity of this brass does make a big difference to pressures.
How much you ask.

Today I shot some 55g X-treme's from some FC brass with 26.5 g of CFE 223 powder. Velocity was 2850 fps from a 14.5" barrel.
I shot some 55g Hornady's that I loaded some time back in RG brass with a load of 26g of CFE 223 powder. From a 14.5" barrel they were going 3050 fps. This is a HOT load.
Even though it was 0.5g less powder, velocity was 200fps faster and pressure was a lot higher.
Primers had a little flow around the hit so they were warm.
With a muzzle brake on my 14.5" upper, it was very loud and the muzzle blast was impressive.

Hey there Simon, Off topic, but do you think the RG brass will have enough room to power a 77gr HPBT Sierra/Nosler with enough velocity to something like a Black hills MK262 or will I need another case?

Cheers

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simon

Hi Greenie.
Make sure you do work your loads up with the RG brass as the capacity of this brass does make a big difference to pressures.
How much you ask.

Today I shot some 55g X-treme's from some FC brass with 26.5 g of CFE 223 powder. Velocity was 2850 fps from a 14.5" barrel.
I shot some 55g Hornady's that I loaded some time back in RG brass with a load of 26g of CFE 223 powder. From a 14.5" barrel they were going 3050 fps. This is a HOT load.
Even though it was 0.5g less powder, velocity was 200fps faster and pressure was a lot higher.
Primers had a little flow around the hit so they were warm.
With a muzzle brake on my 14.5" upper, it was very loud and the muzzle blast was impressive.

---

I have just grabbed some of the 55g X-treme projectiles and want to load them into RG brass firing from a 16" 1:7 barrel...go for 25.5g of CFE223 do you think?

Also, I nee to find a cheap (NEW) cronograph..any recommendations?

Cheers

Hey Greenie, with the RG brass just make sure you start a bit lower as it definitely has reduced capacity. I did some starting loads from the ADI manual using AR2206H with a 65gr Gameking think it was 23.0gr and I got instant cratered primers. Never used CFE223 but make sure you are about 5% below book min to start.

K

Cheers

Hi Greenie.
I have used not loaded CFE223 in RG brass as yet but have loaded it using FNB which is similar.
55 X-treme
26.5gn CFE223
56.6mm Over All Length
CCI 400 Small rifle Primers.

Out of a 14.5" barrel got the following velocities
2773, 2824, 2802, 2800, 2780, 2825, 2798, 2801, 2821.

A load of 25.5gn should be ok but check the primers.
You need to get a chrony.
I use one of these.
Gunsmithing &Reloading Tools - Shooting Chrony - Beta, Chronographs

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simon

Hi Greenie.
I have used not loaded CFE223 in RG brass as yet but have loaded it using FNB which is similar.
55 X-treme
26.5gn CFE223
56.6mm Over All Length
CCI 400 Small rifle Primers.

Out of a 14.5" barrel got the following velocities
2773, 2824, 2802, 2800, 2780, 2825, 2798, 2801, 2821.

A load of 25.5gn should be ok but check the primers.
You need to get a chrony.
I use one of these.
Gunsmithing &Reloading Tools - Shooting Chrony - Beta, Chronographs

---

Cheers...Yeah, just grabbed one off of Julian today funnily enough. Re the load, that sounds ok..doesn't sound hot, I'll be using Remmington 7 1/2 primers which should work well.

I'll let you know.


Cheers