Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ – Great 500 Round Bulk

Description

Bulk 5.56 is usually a compromise between price and quality, and the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ lands in a better spot than most. Atomic loads Hornady projectiles in American made ammunition and packs it five hundred rounds to the case in ten trays of fifty, which is both cheaper per round and considerably tidier than a loose bucket.

• A known bullet in a bulk pack
• Full specifications
• Training volume is the whole point
• Honest notes before you buy
• 5.56 NATO, not 223, and what that means
• The bottom line

A known bullet in a bulk pack

Most bulk 5.56 comes with an unnamed projectile from whoever was cheapest that month. The Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ uses Hornady bullets, which tells you something real about consistency. A 62 grain FMJ is not a precision bullet by design, but a known maker means the weight and jacket concentricity are held to a standard.

Velocity is listed at 2750 feet per second, which works out to roughly 1041 foot pounds at the muzzle. That is a touch below the hottest 62 grain loads on the market, and that is fine. Slightly moderate pressure means less wear on the gas system and longer brass life, and the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ still cycles any standard AR without argument.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
• Bullet weight: 62 grain
• Bullet: Hornady full metal jacket
• Muzzle velocity: 2750 fps
• Muzzle energy: approximately 1041, calculated from the published velocity ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published for this load
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 500 rounds bulk packed in ten trays of fifty, made in the USA

The packaging is worth mentioning because it is unusually sensible. Ten trays of fifty rounds means you can grab one tray for a range trip instead of digging through a loose bucket, and the rounds are protected rather than rattling against each other. It also makes counting what you have left trivial with the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ.

Training volume is the whole point

Getting good with a rifle takes rounds, and rounds cost money. Buying the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ five hundred at a time is how you make a real training year affordable. Carbine classes, three gun practice, working positional drills, teaching someone new to shoot. All of it needs volume and none of it needs premium ammunition.

Buying deep also means one lot number across a lot of shooting. Your zero stays put and your groups stay comparable from session to session, which is harder than it sounds when you are buying a box at a time from whatever is on the shelf. The Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ removes that variable.

Honest notes before you buy

This is not the green tip M855. It is a plain lead core full metal jacket without the steel penetrator, which means it is non magnetic and accepted at ranges that ban steel core ammunition. For a lot of indoor and commercial ranges the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ is allowed where M855 is not.

Set expectations honestly. This is training ammunition and two to three minutes at a hundred yards is what to expect from a typical AR, which is entirely fine for its purpose. It is also not a hunting or defensive load, since a full metal jacket does not expand. Keep the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ for practice and buy something purpose built for anything else.

5.56 NATO, not 223, and what that means

This is loaded to 5.56 NATO specification, which runs at higher pressure than 223 Remington. Fire the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ in a rifle chambered for 5.56 NATO or in a 223 Wylde chamber and everything is fine. Do not fire it in a rifle marked 223 Remington only, because the shorter throat can raise pressure beyond what that chamber was designed for.

Twist rate is not a concern. A 62 grain bullet stabilizes in anything from 1 in 12 to 1 in 7, so the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ will shoot in every AR barrel made in the last forty years. It is only the heavy 75 and 77 grain match bullets that need a fast twist.

The bottom line

For anyone putting real volume through an AR, the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ is well packaged American made bulk ammunition with a known projectile behind it. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Atomic 5.56×45 62gr Hornady FMJ is a sensible place to start.