500rds – 5.56x45 Federal American Eagle 62gr. FMJBT XM855 Ammo

Federal Ammunition 62 Grain Penetrator Ammo Details

If you’ve got a 5.56x45 firearm, then you have every reason in the world to stock up on Federal Premium’s military grade 5.56 M855 ammunition. This stuff rocks at the range, and it might just bring back some memories if you’ve served in our Armed Forces!

There’s no shame in not knowing what M855 ammo is all about. This round’s 62 grain full metal jacket boat tail projectile has green paint on its tip because it is special. Its copper alloy jacket actually conceals a core that is made of two different metals. The rear is standard lead; the front is solid steel, which makes the projectile hard enough to penetrate sheet metal at ranges up to around 650 yards. That’s why the M855 round’s bullet is commonly referred to as a “penetrator.”

This cartridge’s bullet will obviously attract a magnet, so take care not to take it to ranges which prohibit “magnetic” bullets (bullets which contain steel pose a higher chance of damaging backdrops and creating sparks that could cause fires). You also don’t want to fire this ammo at steel targets. It’s not going to bore right through a slab of AR500 steel, but at close enough range it’s definitely going to put some permanent dents on it.

This round’s heavier bullet and boat tail both help it conserve more downrange momentum, which has the effect of flattening its overall trajectory. We recommend a 1:8” or 1:9” barrel twist if you want to give the M855 bullet its best stability and resultant accuracy, but don’t fret it if you’ve only got a 1:7” twist – it’ll still do fine over all but the farthest distances.

This ammo’s “XM855F” designation throws some people. X means it’s intended for sale to civilians; F means it’s packaged 20 rounds per box, 25 boxes per case. This is brand new and noncorrosive Boxer-primed brass-cased ammo. To be sure, the cases are not reloaded – military grade brass just isn’t polished following heat treatment because very reflective cases can alert the enemy to your position on a battlefield.