Identifying M855 without the green tip!

[The War Wagon]

Soooooo... is M855 attracted to magnets (steel core), whether it has a green tip or not? IS M855 in fact, a "steel core" round?

I've just tried ye olde magnet trick on some rounds I KNOW are M855, and got nothing (green & NON-green tipped). And I have this old "NPA 99" headstamped stuff, that I THOUGHT was M855 (I got it loose back around '08 - '09), and the magnet don't stick to it, either.

Here's a look, for reference:




MOST have that green shellac around the primer. I'll let wiser heads than I weigh in, on what this stuff ACTUALLY is! Thanks!

[sirgrumps]

Pull one bullet and weight it?

[alpha_romeo_XV]

You need a strong magnet. The one in photo is out of an old hard drive - very strong magnet.



The steel core 62g is longer than a std FMJ 62g due to the lower density of the steel.
SS109 = 0.91 " long vs 0.79" for non steel core 62g

[The War Wagon]

You need a strong magnet. The one in photo is out of an old hard drive - very strong magnet.

STRONGER magnet did it!

I really didn't want to tear one apart (OK... I'm lazy ), but was ready to... until I found an old CB antenna magnet (MUCH stronger than my son's Thomas the Tank Engine magnet! ).

So all this time, I was under the impression, it was South African contract Taiwanese Police M855 (which is what I was told when I traded for it, during the early days of the Obamanation ammo crunch). Turns OUT... it WAS Taiwanese police contract... just S&B-made Olympic Arms M193 instead!

And of the TWO, I'd rather have M193!

[the86d]

SS109/M855 projectiles have a SMALL steel tip, not a steel core.
Lead does not encompass the steel tip, just the front part of the jacket.

Calling these steel core is a loony as calling projectiles that contain steel... "magnetic".

As I recall from ripping one apart, about 1/4+" steel pseudo pointed (mine had a flat tip at the very end, like a more gradual Truncated Cone) tip only. Not a steel CORE, but tipped.

Here is one ground down:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCfGKlArwZ8

[alpha_romeo_XV]

Paging YSR_Racer we're talking about tips now.

[steelholder]

Given the longer projectile OAL, how would one load this using 62gr recipes for COAL.

[the86d]

For loaded cartridges, brass (X)M855 brass necks are "generally" annealed(?), and usually looks like this:

Not shiny brass all the way up the the neck.

It usually takes a good polish/tumble to polish it off (or two).

I "think" 62gr lead and SS109 are about the same size, and I would seat to the cannelure, especially if crimping.

[BrassCase]

Paging YSR_Racer we're talking about tips now.

You know he doesn't have tips of any kind.

[the86d]

You know he doesn't have tips of any kind.

Bits, I got the whistle tip!

https://youtu.be/JZD-ADArwXo

I reload them myself...

Just the TIP, and only for a minute... Straight off the Vanilla Ice Tip, FAUX CHEESEY!

(Yeah, I've had a few...)

[the86d]

I busted one apart for y'all:


"JUST THE TIP", and ONLY FOR A MINUTE...

ONLY 10gr of the 62gr projectile...

[The War Wagon]

I busted one apart for y'all:


"JUST THE TIP", and ONLY FOR A MINUTE...

NYIIIIIICE... I'm a cheapskate, so thanks for the sacrifice!

[alpha_romeo_XV]

So the SS109 projectile has only 10 grains of steel that is just a pinch compared to a 50BMG MK263
I picked up the projectiles in the photo from the ground after a wild fire ran through a popular BLM shooting spot. The fire's heat melted the lead out and left the steel or steel and copper.
MK263 projectile = 750 grains
just Copper + Steel = 600 grains
just Steel core = 390 grains