Description
Buying 5.56 by the can is how you stop worrying about ammunition supply for a couple of years. The PMC X-TAC 5.56 NATO 62gr Green Tip is the version worth storing: military-specification green tip, sealed in metal, already on stripper clips.
- What Green Tip Actually Is
- PMC X-TAC 5.56 NATO 62gr Green Tip Specifications
- Honest Notes on Storing and Shooting It
What Green Tip Actually Is
M855 is the 62 grain cartridge the US military adopted in the early 1980s to replace the 55 grain M193. The green paint on the tip is an identification mark, nothing more; what actually distinguishes the bullet is a hardened steel penetrator seated in the nose ahead of a lead core. That construction is why the load is designated light armor piercing rather than plain ball.
The practical effect is better performance against intermediate barriers such as sheet steel, car doors and light cover, and better retained velocity than the lighter M193. The PMC X-TAC 5.56 NATO 62gr Green Tip leaves a 20 inch barrel at 3100 feet per second with 1323 foot-pounds and still carries 2157 feet per second at 300 yards.
PMC manufactures this in Korea to military specification and packs it the way the military does: on ten-round stripper clips, loaded into cloth bandoleers with a magazine loading spoon, sealed inside a metal can. That packaging is a real part of the value, because clipped ammunition loads magazines several times faster than loose rounds.
PMC X-TAC 5.56 NATO 62gr Green Tip Specifications
Two things about the steel penetrator are worth knowing before you buy. First, most public and commercial ranges prohibit steel-core ammunition on their steel targets, because it damages the plates and increases ricochet risk. Check the rules where you shoot. Second, M855 is a conventional service bullet and not a precision load; expect roughly 2 to 4 MOA from a typical AR-15, which is fine for its purpose and not competitive with match ammunition.
The 1:9 twist found on older AR barrels will stabilize the PMC X-TAC 5.56 NATO 62gr Green Tip adequately. A 1:7 or 1:8 twist is better and is what most modern rifles wear. A 1:12 twist barrel, which turns up on early AR-15s and some varmint uppers, will not stabilize a 62 grain bullet reliably.
A case of this load stores better than any cardboard-packed alternative. Sealed metal cans are the right storage format. Kept dry and at reasonable temperature, this ammunition will still be good decades from now, and the can protects it from the humidity that ruins loose cardboard-boxed ammunition in a garage.
- Cartridge: 5.56mm NATO
- Bullet weight: 62 grain
- Bullet type: M855 green tip, light armor piercing with steel penetrator
- Muzzle velocity: 3100 feet per second from a 20 inch barrel
- Muzzle energy: 1323 foot-pounds
- Ballistic coefficient: 0.304
- Sectional density: 0.177
- Packaging: stripper clips in bandoleers, sealed metal can
- Rounds per can: 840
- Total rounds: 1680, two metal cans
- Manufacturer item: 5.56K M/B
- UPC: 020741569010638
Honest Notes on Storing and Shooting It
Buy the PMC X-TAC 5.56 NATO 62gr Green Tip if you are stocking up for an AR-15 and want ammunition that stores well and loads fast. Bulk green tip on clips in a sealed can is the most practical form factor for volume 5.56 there is.
Skip it if your range bans steel core, which many indoor and commercial ranges do. Buy the 55 grain FMJ version of the same can instead; it is cheaper, shoots the same, and nobody objects to it.
Skip it for precision work or varmint hunting. M855 is service ammunition, not match ammunition, and the steel penetrator makes terminal performance on game erratic. A 68 or 77 grain match load serves those jobs properly.
Same packaging without the steel core: the PMC 5.56 55gr FMJBT 1680 round can pack. For a smaller quantity of green tip, see the 5.56 M855 green tip 1000 round case. PMC publishes complete X-TAC ballistic data on its own site.
MAG5 Firearms sells 5.56 by the box and by the pallet. If you are buying in volume, ask about freight before you order rather than after.
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