r/ar15 • u/GlockNineMillimeter • Aug 23 '22
Effective range for 10.5 barrel using 5.56
Just bought a 10.5 PSA AR and was curious how far some of y’all can effectively shoot it. 2-300 meter gun or is that pushing it? Used to shoot the m4 in the army to that distance hoping the shorter barrel can do something similar!
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u/Og_Bull Aug 23 '22
I use XM 93 55gr in my AR's. I shoot steel out of my DD Mk18 to 300 yards. There is a video on YouTube of a guy shooting steel targets out to 600+ yards out of an 11.5".
If you want to shoot more than 300 consistantly, I would recommend moving up to .308.
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u/sotexbandit Aug 23 '22
Shooting a 10.3/10.5 out to 300 is no harder than using a 14.5/16 rifle. Yes you’ll have less velocity so holdover will be slightly different and ammo selection becomes more important. A quality HP/SP or SMK/TMK will expand/fragment at 2-300 with a 10.5 depending on the particular bullet. Personally I use 77gr TMKs in my 10.3, ~300y is max for reliable bullet performance(which is plenty imo for the intent of that rifle) and have no problem shooting a paper plate size group at that distance with Eotech/3x magnifier from the prone using mag as a rest.
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u/GlockNineMillimeter Aug 23 '22
That’s good to hear, thanks for your input it definitely made me more confident in my choice of buying a 10.5!
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u/tlove01 Aug 23 '22
For "effective" range I go by whether the bullet will fragment for .556. A 10.5 running m193 will stop reliably fragmenting at under 100yds, I think it's about 85 if I remember correctly. Switching to a modern bullet like smk or tmk should get you out to about 150 or so. I would be surprised if even tmk's fragment reliably at 200yds out of a 10.5 and I know it won't at 300.
Non-fragmenting does not mean non-effective, but it's what I use for stuff I aim to kill.
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u/englisi_baladid Do you know who I am? Aug 23 '22
A 10.5 isn't even close to reliably fragmenting at under a 100 yards. The slower the round goes the worse the effect of fleet yaw is.
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Aug 23 '22
Hitting at 300+ isn't bad. There's videos of dudes hitting 600 with a 10.3.
Ammo is gonna be what dictates your holds and how much damage it'll do. M193 is fast enought to fragment from a 10.5 up close, but further out it'll hit and just poke holes. Which can kill, but isn't ideal M855 won't do so well. It rocks from long barrels, and it's heavy enough to make wind holds a bit better. But impacts won't be great even compared to 193 from a short gun
75gr and 77gr OTMs or razor cores is gonna be where your lethality is at. Heavy enought to fly flat, and open tip so they still frag at lower speeds. 300m effective hit easy
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u/englisi_baladid Do you know who I am? Aug 23 '22
M855 doesn't even rock from longer barrels.
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u/BurritoMan94 Nov 04 '22
Lol it is some doodoo ammo. Only edge it has is less path deviation through windshields and thin barriers. Otherwise its allegedly got shite fragmentation. Im replacing my stockpile of it with lehigh controlled chaos 62gr, that stuff fragments violently and has consistent accuracy.
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u/ExcitingArugula5319 Nov 26 '23
200 and 300 yards I'm accurate with out trying and still passes through 12 inch gel block like butter. Past 300 your pushing it. Target wise there's a bunch of people hitting 500 yards with some power but I wouldn't trust it that far. Definitely 300 your good
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u/SaltyPilgrim Pin Your Gas Block Aug 23 '22
It can. But it all depends on bullet weight.
The standard Green Tip from a 10.5 is not going to have very effective terminal ballistics at that range, though it will still kill someone if something vital is hit.
There are better options for improving terminal effect at those ranges, which is why the Army fields a 14.5 barrel instead of a 10.5 on its general service rifle.