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Posted: 1/10/2008 2:56:30 PM EDT
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The previous post has been archived - if you've already voted, please don't vote again! Results of previous poll: 152 responses 128 with no problems 13 with minor problems 11 with major problems Please add your personal experience with HSM ammo. When you do, please give information about: 1) Bullet type/weight/loading 2) Firearm used in 3) Approximate number of rounds fired. I am trying to solicit only information about your PERSONAL experience with this ammunition. If you haven't used it, then please don't clutter up the thread. Information about proper functioning (or lack thereof) is obviously the most important, but factors such as the accuracy or other peculiarities you've noticed are informative also. If you have had problems with this ammo which were severe enough to cause you to stop using this ammo, then please describe them. And one more minor request: keep your reviews objective. If you are voting that you had problems with this ammo, PLEASE give your feedback below and tell everyone what those problems were. If you don't, you're not being very helpful to those who are basing their purchasing decision on this thread. |
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Summary of previous responses: paulosantos I have shot: 1. 200 Rounds of 55 Gr. BTHP. No problems. Great accuracy. 2. 100 Rounds of 55 Gr. SP. No Problems. 3. 100 Rounds of 55 Gr. V-Max. No problems. Great accuracy. 4. 100 Rounds of 60 Gr. V-Max. No problems. Great accuracy. 5. 100 Rounds of 69 Gr. SMK. No problems. Great accuracy. 6. 1000+ Rounds of 77 Gr. SMK. No Problems. Great accuracy. 7. 500 Rounds of 556-17T. No Problems. Good accuracy. 8. 1000+ Rounds of 223-17T. No Problems. Good Accuracy. All of the above were fired from 16" 1x8 Wilson barrel. My Bushmaster 1x9 didn't like the heavier loads. CSW223 My friends and I (3 of us total) shoot a lot of HSM: We have shot the following: 52 grain Match HP approximately 1000 55 grain FMJ approximately 3000 The 52 gr MHP gives the best accuracy, we usually get < 1moa off sandbags @ 100 yards with 20 inch Bushmaters and Olympics. Never a failure to feed or eject. We have also shot both loads out of 16 inch barrels, usually for Coyotes. We like the price and the quality. Hard to beat that. RBS-reaper13 I have used a lot of different HSM ammo. I know we try to rate only .223/5.56 but I will rate all of the HSM I have used. AMMO: .223 52gr Match- 1000+ rds clean, very accurate, no failures .223 55gr RANGE- 1000+ rds a little dirty, decent accuracy, no failures 5.56 75gr AR15.com load- 500 or so rds, clean, accurate, no failures .308 168gr AMAX- around 600 rds, very clean, as accurate as FGMM for me, no fail FIREARMS: AR15: 20" Noveske 7.7 twist CMT Upper BM lower DD Lite 12" rail IOR 4x24 scope AR15: Vanilla Stag 16" Carbine with the ARMS 40 rear sight Rem700 .308 PacNor 24" SSSM barrel HS Precision Stock (The pistolgrip style this the adj cheek piece) Super Sniper Scope HSM has been my choice for ammo for about a year or so now. I have never had a faliure with any of thier ammo. For the price and performace I feel they cannot be beat at this time. Gargoyle I tried 2 types of HSM 223/556 ammo: Rifle: 16" RRA CAR A4 Scope: Eotech Conditions: 750 Ele. 85 F. 223-15/55gr Vmax: MV: 3130 ES: 150 fps 10 shot 100yd group: .81" Problems: Extreme spread was ridiculous. Split case necks on a few of the 50 fired. Velocity was low/slow. Accuracy was surprisingly stellar...funny. Shot from prone rest. 223-17T non-cannelure: MV: 2705 ES: Don't remember exactly, but it was very low/good 10 shot 100yd group: 1.7" with 2 shooter errors called. Shot from truck cab seat. Problems: None BRONZ About 200 rds. of some 5.56T. It worked very well. Accuracy was good also. tripletrpper Bushmaster M4A3 14.5 (1x9) Tested 50 rds of 5.56 17T very clean, no problems threefeathers I've fired 300 rounds without a hitch. The 223 ammo didn't cycle a gas trap carbine but worked well in my Colts. I chronoed the 75 grain 223 at 2560 fps which is very moderate. The 5.56 stuff cycles everything and is hot, at 2720 from a 16 in barrel. That should put it in the 2850 to 2900 range from a 20 inch barrel. Sinister The Navy issued HSM 77s (Sierra Match Kings) to us at the 1999 and 2000, and I think 2001 Atlantic Fleet and All-Navy Championships. We definitely shot Black Hills 77s in 2002. I bought 1,000 rounds of HSM (Orange Box) at Champion's on Commercial Row at Camp Perry at the 1999 National Matches and it shot very well, very accurate, no problems at all. HSM 77s came in Orange Box, virgin components, 20 per individual box, 500 per long cardboard box, two cardboard boxes per case. I shot them in a National Match M16A2, 1-8 stainless Douglas/Merchant barrel. At the LANTFLEET and All-Navy all shooters fire at 200, 300, and 500 yards. Got a Silver Excellence-in-Competition Medal at the 2000 All-Navy and a Bronze EIC Medal at the 2001 Atlantic Fleet. 1st Gold at the 2002 Atlantic Fleet and 3rd Gold in the 2002 All-Navy. kdmoore I got a couple of boxes for testing. 75gn worked fine, grouped about like my BH, but I am a very average shooter (1.5 in groups for both). I got some of the 55gn for blasting/close 3 gun stages. I've had numerous light strikes, but I have a JP trigger and the spring is a little light. Still, I'm not having the issue with other ammo. (wolf to bh, PMP to XM193, etc). Marker85 I bought a box of 50 of just about everything HSM listed to see if I could find good round/rifle matches for my Colt 6920 (1x7) and Oly Alphabet M4 (1x9). Basically it was what you'd expect: The Colt liked the heavier stuff and especially liked the 5.56 75gr Tactical. All rounds touching (using irons no less). This made me even happier since that was my intended fight combo going in. I'll be stocking up on these bad boys. The Colt sprayed the lighter stuff all over and you couldn't cover the "group" of 55gr FMJs with a tin pan at 50 yds. The Oly took those same rounds and with a little optical assistance proceeded to eat the little numbers out of a standard B5 target. No amount of armchairing trumps some disciplined testing at the range to see what really happens when the right (or wrong) cartridge and rifle hook up. A couple of rounds seemed great in either and would also be good defensive choices: 60gr V-Max and the 64gr PSP. Accurate, consistent, and reportedly both quite lethal. Best of luck to all. The only good thing about shooting vs driving is at least my money stays in America for the most part. jeager001 Thousands of rounds of .45 ACP and .223 Rem. Never a problem shot more than accurately enough for my purposes. Only thing I don't like, is the powder in their range ammo makes the weapon very dirty very fast. RyJones I've run about 3000 of the 55 grain through various Bushmasters (SEBR and Varminter) with no problems. I picked up 500 rounds of the 223 tracer (don't remember the weight, sorry; it isn't on the website, either) and didn't have any problems in the same guns. SOSNBA I had 3 FTF's with 75gr 5.56mm tactical version out of a 50 round box. This was from a freshly cleaned/lubed LE6920 with colt mag. This is the ONLY malfunctions that this weapon has ever had. It fed 75gr 5.56mm TAP and 75gr BH BB flawlessly during the same shooting session (same weapon and magazine). This weapon has had no issues with a variety of ammunition from various manufacturers ranging from 55-75gr. I called HSM today and gave them my lot number. After they looked into it, they agreed that I probably ran into a couple rounds that were too long to feed in my weapon. They agreed to exchange it with new stock and I'll return the original remaining ammo back at their expenxe. The only problem is the uncertain amount time that I have to wait for the replacement ammo given the availability of components. Reservoir_Dog I have fired about 300 rounds of HSM .223 soft points through a Colt M4. No problems at all. Sorry, but I can't remember the bullet weight. Not too much experience with HSM, but it seemed like decent ammo. INTrooper4255 I fired a total of 1350 rounds of HSM new manufacture .223 55 grain SP for a Pat Rogers class this month. I fired 150 rounds before the class to accuracy/function test and 1200 during the class without a single malfunction or problem using my LMT MRP and Magpul PMag30's. BrandonP I've personally had two split cases in a little over 500 rounds. The rounds split mid-way down the case, around the waist. Another poster here has had a similar experience. The first time I called HSM about this problem, I was told that "Well, at least you know that all the pressure is going out the barrel. It's impossible for this to explode. We reload millions of rounds per year. It wasn't overloaded ammo, and it wasn't a squib. We reload millions of rounds per year. If your rifle explodes, we're usually pretty good about that. This kind of problem is a coincidence, a million-to-one. And by the way, we reload millions of rounds per year." Oh yeah? A million to one my ass. The fact that their people don't even understand how "KABOOMS" work is pretty disturbing if they're reloading millions of rounds per year. You really want some asshat who doesn't understand ammunition reloading stuff you're putting through YOUR weapon? Hell no. Not only would HSM refuse to replace or refund my lot, they wouldn't even respond to E-mails. Fuck them. I wouldn't touch this shit with a 60 ft poll. It's one thing to sell DANGEROUS ammunition. It's quite another to tell customers to "fuck off and die". This was with 62 grain stuff. The other poster here had problems with the 55 grain stuff from Cabelas. Lots were purchased a few months apart. The rifle in which it was used has had thousands of rounds of Guat, LC M193, Israeli and US WWB, Adcom, and UMC down the tube with *not a single FTF or FTE*. |
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HSM 55gr. FMJ .223 Fired from an Armalite M15A4 with a USGI mag and a PMAG out of 30 rounds I had the following malfunctions: - 4 Failure to extract -4 Failure to feed -1 FTE was a combination with a Failure to Fire. -1 other Failure to Fire in a Bushmaster AR What seemed to be happening to me was that the cases would expand down at the bottom and this would lodge it into the chamber. There was a visible black ring on the case where it had been wedged against the chamber. Failures to feed were results of dented cases and out of spec (swollen lower half) cases. The FTE/FTF was a swollen case that actually did feed, but didn't fire due to a bad primer and wouldn't eject due to both the swollen case and the flange on the back of the case was broken. The fail to fire in the Bushmaster was also caused by a bad primer. I will never buy this ammo again as the swelling cases after firing show that they are weak and in my opinion vulnerable to exploding. Quality throughout the 100 rounds I bought was mediocre at best, we hand sorted all the rounds to find the "good" ones (no dents, swelling, broken extraction flanges) and still had malfunctions. The sorting was done after the first two malfunctions. probably half of the rounds were in "good" condition. ETA: Before this my Armalite has eaten multiple kinds of ammo and over 1000 rounds so far with not even a hiccup...even wolf ammo fed flawlessly. |
"A fear of weapons is a sign of sexual and emotional immaturity." - Sigmud Freud
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5.56-17T (07 headstamp - purchased mid/late 2007) Lot: 1600 7 This is the new production, 5.56, 75gr TAP clone w/ the T1C bullet. M4gery: crappy trigger; 14.5”, CMMG, 1-7 twist barrel; Aimpoint M3 (4moa dot) => 160rd Bushmaster A2: crappy trigger; 20”, 1-9 twist HBAR; A2 sights => 25rd Shots fired from a make-shift rest. The important data to take from the rounds fired through the Bushmaster is that there was no key-holing evident at 100m & accuracy was minute-of-BG. In short, I am very happy with this ammo. I feel confident using it for SHTF in both the tested AR’s. ETA Further testing indicates I am capable of 3 - 4moa through my test gun @ 100m. The 2moa report was based on too few rounds. The accuracy I am capable of with my M4gery is probably not indicative of the accuracy potential of the ammo. I am going to continue testing this stuff and will keep my post updated. BTW I have run ~3k of the '07 production reloaded .45acp 230gr fmj w/ zero problems. ETA Updated after running more through my M4gery. I am completely satisfied w/ using this lot for SHTF and wish I had bought more of this lot @ $390/k shipped. Update 06-14-08 In the last week I ran ~530rd of the '07 produciton reloaded 55gr. FMJ (223-1R) through my M4gery during a carbine class and some post class review. It ran just fine. I cannot comment on accuracy as all shooting was done inside of 25m. This ammo was manufactured mid-late ’07. |
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.223-17T I've fired several hundred rounds of it from various match grade AR's in both the US and the UK with ammo that I brought back. I have found it capable of sub-MOA at 300yds and managed a 200-9x sitting at 200yds with it. I am very happy with it and will gladly buy again Mark |
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I used to live just down the road from these guys, and several years ago bought a few boxes of their 223 ammo. 55gr FMJ. It was junk.. Multiple malfunctions from the first magazine. Other ammunition using the same magazine worked flawlessly. I didn't think much of it, just chocked it up to a cheap local reloader and put the ammo into storage, where it sits to this day. WARNING: Recently there has been some reports of AR15 KABOOMS using this ammo. See www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=354740. |
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Seems like good stuff to me. Shot maybe 6 or 700 rnds of 55 grn and 62 grn FMJ. Got it because it was cheap, and is readily available at all our shows. No problems whatsoever, never a FTF, FTE, nothin'. Runnin' it through an older SGW XM-15, 16" carbine. Sufficiently accurate. Seems like great stuff, great value. I tend to stock up on it. |
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Ordered 1k of the 55gr SP .223 once fired brass, every one of them went bang and extracted. Shot from a 16 inch Bushmaster with M4 profile. I would buy from them again in a heartbeat. Only negative is they require you to provide an FFL form to them, and they will only ship it to the FFL (regardless of state laws) |
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I just got back from the range and I'm all pissed off. I had a box of 50 and the second round was stuck half way in the chamber lodged with the first primer. It was my fault for not having anything on me to get it out so I went to my second gun. After two rounds in that one same problem but not stuck too hard. I was able to shake it out and shot about twenty more with no more problems. That was close to a 10% failure rate for me today and it's unacceptable. I've shot thousands of rounds in my lifetime and today was the first time ever that this problem occurred.
ETA: First rifle was a DPMS AP4, second was an M&P15A. Rounds used were 55 grain FMJ. There's no way to blame a problem on both rifles. |
Semper Fi
| I never had any problems with the rounds I ordered from them 3-4 years ago, but I placed an order with them back in February and they have yet to ship. 6-8 week processing time my ass. |
Why do you own a black rifle?
Do you know how hard it is to beat someone to death?
I can't wait until the only economy is Darwinism, bullets will be the currency and survival will be your only 401k plan.
Do you know how hard it is to beat someone to death?
I can't wait until the only economy is Darwinism, bullets will be the currency and survival will be your only 401k plan.
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