PPU RangeMaster 5.56×45 55gr FMJBT – Reliable 1000 Round Metal Can

Description

Prvi Partizan built the RangeMaster line for exactly one job: volume practice at a price that lets you actually practice. The PPU RangeMaster 5.56×45 55gr FMJBT is the 5.56 version, packed a thousand at a time in a metal can.

• What the RangeMaster Line Is For
• PPU RangeMaster 5.56×45 55gr FMJBT Specifications
• Honest Notes on Buying by the Can

What the RangeMaster Line Is For

Prvi Partizan has been making ammunition in Uzice, Serbia since 1928, and its reputation rests on doing ordinary things carefully rather than on innovation. The RangeMaster Line is the company practice-grade family: brass cases, non-corrosive boxer primers, conventional bullets, and consistent enough loading that your zero does not wander from box to box.

That last point is the one that matters. Cheap bulk ammunition varies enough between production lots that a rifle zeroed on one case can be off on the next, which quietly defeats the purpose of practicing. The PPU RangeMaster 5.56×45 55gr FMJBT is held to tighter tolerances than the very cheapest imported ball, and the difference shows up on paper rather than in marketing.

Velocity is 3240 feet per second for 1282 foot-pounds at the muzzle, with a ballistic coefficient of 0.248. Those are standard numbers for a 55 grain boat tail and they mean the load shoots to the same place as most other 55 grain 5.56 you have used.

PPU RangeMaster 5.56×45 55gr FMJBT Specifications

The metal can is doing real work here. A thousand rounds of loose ammunition in cardboard cartons will absorb humidity in a garage or basement and, given enough years, produce corroded cases and misfires. Sealed in metal, the same ammunition stays serviceable indefinitely, which is why military ammunition has been packed this way for a century.

Inside the can are 50 boxes of 20 rather than loose or clipped rounds. That is less convenient than stripper clips for fast magazine loading, but easier to handle in smaller quantities: take two boxes to the range rather than opening the whole can.

Cases are boxer-primed reloadable brass. For a load at this price that is genuinely worth something, because a thousand once-fired 5.56 cases are the foundation of a reloading habit. Note the California Proposition 65 lead warning, which applies to any conventional lead-core ammunition.

• Cartridge: 5.56x45mm NATO
• Bullet weight: 55 grain
• Bullet type: full metal jacket boat tail
• Muzzle velocity: 3240 feet per second
• Muzzle energy: 1282 foot-pounds
• G1 ballistic coefficient: 0.248
• Case: brass, boxer primed, reloadable
• Primer: non-corrosive boxer
• Packaging: metal can, 50 boxes of 20
• Rounds per can: 1000
• Manufacturer item: PPRM5561M
• Country of origin: Serbia

Honest Notes on Buying by the Can

Buy the PPU RangeMaster 5.56×45 55gr FMJBT if you train with an AR-15 and want the lowest sensible cost per round from a maker with a real quality record. It is welcome at every range, since there is no steel core to object to.

Skip it if you need barrier performance or want the heavier bullet the military uses. A 62 grain load is the answer there, though many indoor ranges restrict it.

Skip it for precision or hunting. Fifty-five grain ball is practice ammunition and nothing more. A 68 or 77 grain match bullet handles accuracy work, and an expanding bullet handles game.

Comparing bulk 5.56? The PMC X-TAC 55gr FMJBT can pack ships on stripper clips, and the PMC X-TAC M855 62gr 1000 round case is the heavier military load. Prvi Partizan publishes its full RangeMaster Line catalogue on its own site.

MAG5 Firearms sells 5.56 by the box, the can and the pallet. If you are buying a can or more, ask about freight before you order rather than after.