The 112 gr Atomic TCS is the heaviest 5.56 round by only a few grains of weight. But you can also look for a rifle designed to fire both. 223.īut a 5.56 designated rifle can comfortably fire the.

223 rifle, you could damage the firearm or injure yourself.ĥ.56 rifles are often designed for military operations and are packaged at higher pressures than the. As tempting as it may be to fire the heaviest 5.56 bullet in a. But if you have 1:10 and slower twists, the rifle may not effectively stabilize the bullet. 1:7 and 1:8 twists are ideal for heavier bullets. A1:7 twist means the bullet spins once every 7 inches. This is the rate at which a bullet spins in the barrel. When planning to increase the bullet grain, you also need to consider the twist rate. But all 5.56 bullets are famous for their excellent stopping power. The 112 gr may be suitable for tactical operations because subsonic ammo has a lower noise level. The 112 gr can’t travel a long distance, but it will cause more damage in short-range shots. The 50 gr has a 3275 muzzle velocity while the 112 gr has a 1050 muzzle velocity. These effects are evident in the 5.56 bullets. The higher recoil causes the muzzle to flip. It will take longer to reach the target and has a higher chance of falling due to gravity. The Effects Of A Higher Grain Weight With 5.56 AmmunitionĪ higher grain weight causes more recoil, lower muzzle velocity, and a lower point of impact. Imagine all the damage you’d cause with a 5.56 112 gr bullet at 1050 fps and 275 foot-pounds muzzle energy. Because of bullet tumble and the effects on precision, coupled with the low muzzle velocity, it’s for short range only.īut the rest of the ballistics performance is similar to the 9mm 115 gr FMJ bullet. It’s subsonic (less than sound’s speed) nature and high muzzle energy make it a perfect round for short-range tactical operations. The gun also has to have a 1:7 twist rate to stabilize this bullet effectively. It’s slightly longer than the regular 5.56 round, and the rifle has to be customized for it.

Currently, the heaviest round is the 112 gr Atomic Ammunition Tactical Cycling Subsonic Ammo. Several heavier bullets have been rolled out in the past two decades. Round Bullet Grain Muzzle Velocity Barnes Precision Match Afps Allegiance Ammunition – Silent Strike non-frangifps Allegiance Ammunition’s Hog Strike 100 1975 fps Allegiance Ammunition – Silent Strike 110 1050 fps Atomic Ammunition – Tactical Cycling Subsonic Ammo 112 1050 fps The Highest Grain 5.56 Roundsīelow are some of the heaviest 5.56 bullets. However, the most commonly used 5.56 bullets range from 55 gr to 69 gr. There are lighter ones, ranging from 40 gr to 50 gr with muzzle velocities of up to 4000 fps. This is also the highest muzzle velocity of all the rounds I’ve compiled. The lightest bullet that most people are familiar with is the 50 gr. Round Bullet Grain Muzzle Velocity Black Hills Afps Barnes Rangfps Winchester fps Hornady V-fps Hornady fps Elite Afps IMI ammo Razer Cfps Barnes VOR-TX 70 2850 fps Hornady BTHP Match Frontfps IMI Systems HPBT Mafps Allegiance Ammo – OneStrfps Barnes Precision Match Afps Allegiance Ammunition – Silent Strike non-frangifps Allegiance Ammunition’s Hog Strike 100 1975 fps Allegiance Ammunition – Silent Strike 110 1050 fps Atomic Ammunition – Tactical Cycling Subsonic Ammo 112 1050 fps But before we explain how that happens, let’s look at some of the commonly used 5.56 rounds, their bullet grain, and muzzle velocity. Bullet grain (gr) refers to the weight of the bullet and not the whole cartridge.īullet grain plays a significant role in the performance of a bullet. You may already know this by now, but it’s still important to point out. Those grains are where most shooters don’t stop in terms of bullet weight. There are some rumors about heavier bullets, but most people often stop at 77, 80, or 85 gr. There isn’t much hype around the heavier bullets that’s why you may not have heard of them.Īnd by the looks of things, we may even get a heavier one soon since manufacturers are always trying different reloading techniques. Most 5.56 bullet grains range from 40 gr to 112 gr. They have a slow muzzle velocity at 1050 fps. These rounds are designed to tumble in flight to cause a maximum wound channel. The heaviest grain of 5.56x45mm ammunition is the Atomic Tactical Cycling Subsonic in 112 grain. But what is the heaviest grain 556 bullet? With much talk of twist rates, and bullet grain talk may occasionally broach the subject of what may be the heaviest rounds they fire. Between these two they pretty much have the sporting rifle caliber contest sewn up. 223 Remington, the most popular chamber caliber for an AR 15 is the 5.56.

Silentstrike subsonic 223 ammo