Effective range of .223?

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The velocity can hold up to above speed of sound out to 500 yards or so. I think it depends on the rifle for the accuracy part of the equation. My Mini-14 is only good for 6 inches at 100 yards with 55 gr FMJ and 3-4 inches for 75gr. That makes it only good for 100-200 yards depending on load.

There are High-Power match rifles used out to 500-600 yards in the AR-15 configuration. Never fired one of these, but it seems that it is more the limitations of the individual rifle than the round.
 
If you take a 55 gr Sierra HPBT and run it out at 3000'ps it has just about 1090lbs of energy. At 200 yds it has shed about 1000'ps and has about half of the energy. At 300 yds it is moving at 1650'ps prox and has energy around the 350 lbs mark. Depending on what you are shooting at determines if that is acceptable. For rabbits, 300 yds is acceptable. For deer size animals, I'd stay under 150 yds or expect to lose wounded deer. Putting the bullet on the target is one thing and the 223 is quite capable of doing that at yardage. Reliably killing an animal is a different thing.
 
That's a fairly complex issue. I'm assuming you are interested in the "break point" where the .223 really tears up people versus just makes a .22 cal hole in flesh. As the .223 needs velocity (approx. 2700 fps) to do the majority of it's damage, here is a table I stole from "The Ammo Oracle" which specializes in all things .223.

http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm#fragrange

Read the link if you are interested.

20" Barrel M193 (55 gr.) 200m M855 (62gr) 150m
16" Barrel M193 150m M855 95m
14.5" Barrel M193 100m M855 50m
11.5" Barrel M193 45m M855 15m
 
I think the military lists some were around 400 meters (from a M-16)... IMHO that's kind of a bit way out there?
 
If your just target shooting your Savage, you should have fun and then tell us. You should have good results at 300 and with the right conditions do OK to 600yds or so. But thats paper, the good thing is it's easy to clean.
 
Many of my army buddies say effective combat range for man size target is "no more" than 200 meters, meaning less. Don't know if that helps but my $0.02.
 
It'd be sorta helpful to have some idea of the usage and intended target...

SFAIK, a .223 ain't effective on whales, worth a darn...

:), Art
 
In my personal experience, with an M-16, I was able to put 10 rounds in the chest of a man size target at 500yds. Not sure exactly what my group was, just that I hit the black. But then again, that was a 5.56 (which I've read is dimensionally identical to a .223, but loaded for higher pressure), and I was having a good day. :)
 
Many of my army buddies say effective combat range for man size target is "no more" than 200 meters
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Wow - I retired from the Army and I never heard that...

Did they mean they couldn't hit a man-sized target at more than 200 meters?

Would I expect a 5.56 to "one-shot, dead-right-there" an enemy threat at 300 meters? No, but if I hit him center mass, I sure ruined his day to say the least.

And 300 meters with standard issue sights was do-able even with the M16A1 with the old style ammo. By do-able, I mean I was able to do it consistently even in Basic Training with no prior rifle shooting experience.
 
Admittedly, my memory on this is fuzzy, but isn't there a "NATO spec" on this very topic?

It's something about the ability to puncture a regulation helmet at 500 yards.

That assumes that not only does the round have to have a certain down-range power, but it also has to be able to hit a helmet.

You guys remember this?

Edit: This might help.

http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm#m193orm855
 
Many of my army buddies say effective combat range for man size target is "no more" than 200 meters, meaning less.
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Be serious. The effective range of a 5.56mm Nato round out of a M16A1 was 500 meters back in 1976, so it hasn't gotten shorter. If anything, with the new heavier bullets it has gotten longer. But for sake of argument, let's say 500 meters.

For varminting it's about 350 yds, for target work, about 600 yds. All depends on intended use.
 
There have been troops that have killed people out to around 800 meters shooting 5.56. Much of the problem of lack of "kill" had allot more to do with a lack of hitting. The standard issue M855 has QC issues and as Crane has shown at around 500 meters even a center hold on a target may not yield a hit under controlled conditions, let alone you through in the variables of shooting in combat. Mk262 has shown good effects on combat even in cases where the impact was well beyond where it fragments, so even a through and through 22 caliber hole in someones chest can be quite effective.
 
As I recall from my time in the Army, the maximum effective range of the M16A1 with the 55 grn M193 ball round was 460 meters.
 
500 meters at a point target and 850 meters at an area target. That is what the PMI's at Parris Island drilled into our heads.
 
There have been troops that have killed people out to around 800 meters shooting 5.56. Much of the problem of lack of "kill" had allot more to do with a lack of hitting.
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I think you hit this one center mass.
I've killed coyotes at 300+ yards with a .223. They weren't always a bang flop but some of them were.
 
tbtrout said:
500 meters at a point target and 850 meters at an area target. That is what the PMI's at Parris Island drilled into our heads.
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+1 with tbtrout, only mine were screaming it to us on Edson Range ... which was a meters course so they gave us extra points. I had expert in the bag and the bonus points weren't needed.



Kris
 
In the group we shoot with a guys son shoots out to 1000 with his Remington 700 in .223. Everyone shoots .308 except him, and the little rifle hangs with the everything else. I'll admit the kid shoots way better than I do from 100 to 1000 so .223 is definitely effective at punching paper. I'm pretty sure he's loading his own too!
 
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