*** NOTE: Melisha's is no longer manufacturing ammunition. ***
If you haven't tried Melisha's Ammunition yet, and you
shoot 55gr .223, then you should.
I'm pretty particular about what I shoot through my AR's, and in the past this
has meant strictly Federal American Eagle for the "target" ammo. I have not
been happy with either the Winchester, UMC, or imported rounds, and especially
some of the 'remanufactured' ammo that exists. Federal is in my opinion, the
best commercial ammunition manufacturer, and in over 15,000 rounds, I have never
had a single problem.
With an open mind, I gave Melisha's Ammunition a try. Ordering ammunition through
the mail requires that you provide proof of age (over 21) as well as a signed
statement that you are not legally prohibited from buying ammunition. I quickly
faxed this and Melisha's conveniently keeps it on file so you only need to do it
once. Melisha's prefers to sell by the 1000rd case, but smaller quantities may
be available upon request.
Upon receipt of my first order, I was impressed with the professional appearance
of the package. Included was a ballistic data card, a letter, complete invoice,
and even a postage paid postcard to provide feedback about the quality of the product
and service; try getting that with one of the big manufacturers.
The brass was all Lake City boxer primed (military primer pocket crimp removed) with
Winchester Small Rifle primers and nicely polished. There were no blemishes, dents,
or other abnormalities with any of the rounds, and very tight tolerances as far as
weight and OAL. Melisha's uses new 55gr FMJBT bullets and mil spec. WC844 powder and
loads to a muzzle velocity of 2950 fps out of a 20" barrel. Shooting out of a 24"
Bushmaster V-MATCH barrel, I recorded velocities from 3142-3154 fps. All brass is
inspected, polished, deprimed, trimmed, and run through two separate sizing dies before
being loaded.
At the range, I found Melisha's to be more accurate than the Federal American
Eagle that I'm so fond of. This in turn means that it is significantly more
accurate than the Winchester white-box ammo, and PMC. Also fired against Melisha's
was some hot Malaysian surplus (~3300fps) that performed surprisingly well.
I managed a 1.2" 5-shot group with Melisha's, and the average being 1.8" at 200 yds.
Federal averages 1.9" (though my best is .8"), and the Malaysian gave me a 2.1"
group. In contrast, other rounds have produced an average group over 3.8".
Will I continue to buy Melisha's? You bet. At just $155 per 1000rd
case delivered, Melisha's can't be beat. To place your order check out
Melisha's Ammo.
*** NOTE: Melisha's is no longer manufacturing ammunition. ***
