Ammunition Review: Fiocchi .223

As most of you know, from time to time we are asked to review various tactical items, from boots to optics, and as of recent also ammunition.

Most recently we were asked by bulkammo.com, an online retailer, to provide our opinion of the Fiocchi .223 (55gr. Soft Point):  http://www.bulkammo.com/rifle/bulk-.223-ammo.

Mr. Steven Otterbacher with BulkAmmo.com was kind enough to send us a few boxes of this ammunition which we gladly took to the range to see what it did.

We chose to test the ammunition on actual trajectory and grouping instead of ballistic impact.  So instead of shooting these rounds into ballistic gels to see how far they penetrate, or how they affect various objects, we just shot all the rounds into targets at various distances.

First thing that was obvious was the flat trajectory.  What that meant is that between 50 meters and up to 200 meters we had to make no adjustments to our sights.  The groups did shift slightly, but were all within the "X" ring.  For tactical application, or hunting for that matter, this means that this round will maintain a flat trajectory regardless of distance and therefore no sophisticated calculations or adjustments to sights and optics are required.

Second thing we noticed was that the groups were small, making the rounds consistent on impact.  The rifle was shot from a prone position, no bench rest was used, which means, that even accounting for human error and movement of the shooter, the rounds were still within a one inch group.  As aspect often overlooked when choosing ammunition is the consistency.  It is one thing to hit a solid group, it is completely different for the shooter to be able to reproduce those hits.  There are multiple variables that can account for inconsistent groups, and if we can eliminate one such variable by choosing a reliable ammunition we are increasing our chances of staying on target.

When shooting this rounds I ran two "tests".  Since I was limited in the amount of rounds I was given, I shot a few out a cold barrel to increase reliability and check performance through a "pure" pipe.  Results were good, but then again they were expected to be.  The second test however was shooting the remaining of the rounds following about 200 rounds of more corrosive ammunition.  The corrosion affects the trajectory due to particles inside the barrel that affect the rifling and the spiral movement of the bullet.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that no significant issues came up.  Not only that, but no miss-feeds or duds occurred either.

After the shooting was done, the rifle was cleaned.  The rounds were fairly clean (excluding corrosion by the previous load), and no residue was left on the action.

I would greatly recommend these rounds for your tactical and/or hunting needs.  These rounds can be purchased at:  http://www.bulkammo.com/rifle/bulk-.223-ammo.

Stay safe!

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein

Masada Tactical