I bought a few boxes of this stuff 3 or 4 years ago and I now can't find any information on it.  There was some story about it, that it was a contract for some foreign military that wanted Gold Medal Match 69smk but needed it to be in Nato head stamped brass, or something vaguely along those lines.  Does anybody know anything about this stuff?

Is it the same as this?  Do you know what config the bullet is?


https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/ammunition-ammo-for-hunting-shooting-sports/rifle-ammo-hunting-shooting-sports/federal-premium-gold-medal-223-remington-69gr-sierra-matchking-bthp-rifle-ammo-20-rounds/p/306992

That's a 223 Remington load. It's been available for decades.

....

I found my order confirmation, the description says it's 69 Sierra Matchkings.  The item number is not listed on DSA's site anymore.  I sent them an email asking for any info on the ammo.  I guess what I want to know is if it's exactly the same load as 69 Gold Medal Match, or if it's a hotter 556 load that just uses the 69smk?  More of a curiosity that anything else, they're all going to meet the same fate...

I opened up a box.  Definitely OTMs, looks like no cannelure.    







I also happen to have some Gold Medal Match 69gr to compare.  Both have "FC" head stamps, but the ZPH ones don't say "223 Rem" while the FGMM ones do.  The primers are different color, the ZPH primers have obvious sealant, and the ZPH brass still shows annealing discoloration where the FGMM brass has been polished.





Oh well, I had forgotten about these until I came across them cleaning off my bench.  I thought maybe they were something kind of special, but on second thought I guess they'll make the same sound hitting the steel as anything else...

And?

Do you reload?  If you have a bullet puller & a scale that will weigh accurately in grains you can dump them & weigh each charge & look to see if its the same powder.  Other than possibly a couple grains of powder, I'd wager they're the same.

And it has fuck-all to do with the load that the OP is talking about.  But hey, regale us with your amazing and in-depth first-hand experience with these loads.

..

You seriously have no clue what you're talking about.  But again, here's your chance to impress everyone here with your vast experience on the subject matter.  Tell us which powders in the pictures below were pulled from the 233 Remington Gold Medal load and what powder it is and which powders came from 5.56 loads and what powders they are.



Powder 1



Powder 2




Powder 3



Powder 4

Triggered much?  Those all look like ball powders & guess what?  Powders that are loaded in 223 can be loaded & 5.56 & vice versa.  I'll let you in on another little secret that I'm sure you'll say isn't true, but I could line a bunch of 223 & 5.56 cases in the same picture even, but without seeing a head stamp you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Wanna know why?  Cause they are the exact same dimensions!  I know that will probably trigger you too, bit its the truth.  The difference is what chambers they are fired in, so 5.56 can fire a round with a bit more oomph than a 223.  Also just because someone slapped a A"5.56" label on box or even the head stamp, that doesn't mean its loaded to what would be considered 5.56 power.  You always seem to get triggered when someone asks for help & people try to get more information from the person & in the absence of much try to take an educated guess what something might be.   I get it your mad that all the evidence is pointing that it is either nearly the same load as the one I posted if not identical, but lashing out just makes you look like the petty person you always seem to be in so many threads I've seen.  Since you are the all knowing Molon, why didn't you just tell him right away EXACTLY what the load was?  Cause you couldn't.

Just a visual of OP’s photos shows different primers in different brass,  it’s not the same load.

That’s not going to tell you anything. Trying to visually determine powder is a recipe for unpleasantness.

Looks like there was a thread for this ammo back when it was being sold.  Not a ton of info but might as well link it here.  No reply from DSA to my email ( @DSARep @M2010 @DSArms_FAL ).

https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/Federal-5-56x45-69gr-SMK-in-stock/5-2417162/

My dumbass assumption would be a department/agency wanted a 69gr SMK load for their 1/9 semi-auto rifles.

Probably had a contract to buy from Federal.
Federal did not offer what they required.

Wanted sealed ammo, with a harder primer for floating firing pin, and why not 5.56 since its likely being used in AR platform.

I would assume its faster than FGMM since it is clearly marked 5.56.

But, on the other hand, I eat paint.

IMI used to make a 69gr SMK load at 5.56 pressure that was sealed at both ends. Haven't seen it in a while though

Yup, and black hills does too.
Doesnt mean some agency with a contract with Federal doesnt want the same thing.

That’s a pretty good reason.