Pine Valley Munitions (PVM) 62gr FMJ testing and review:
Couple disclaimers:
Testing:
I was given over 200 rounds of their factory ammunition to test. It was all 62gr FMJ brass cased ammo. I gathered up 6 different AR-15 types of rifle with the intent of giving the ammo a test drive in a 10” pistol all the way up to a 20” rifle full length gas with everything in between.
As part of my testing I put 5 rounds of Federal XM 193 55gr ammo through each gun on a target on the left side using a green colored pmag, then fired 5 rounds of PVM ammo on a target directly to the right of the group I’d just shot. I wanted to have another type of ammo to compare to for FPS & S.D. and the reason I chose Fed XM193 55gr is because it’s a quality surplus ammo that’s easy to get ahold of and I had some on hand. The only exception being I fired a 10rd group out of each in the scoped SPR, but by then my hands were about frozen.
After the test groups were shot, velocities measured and whatever information I could record was done. I had enough ammo left over to fill up two mags and give the ammo & rifle fun little fast shooting. I took the 20” A2, 10.5 pistol, and a 16” mid length so I’d have all ends of the spectrum covered. Each gun got a 2 mag dump through them and the ammo functioned as it should.
Every PVM piece of brass I looked at showed no signs of high pressure or anything that’d give me pause to shoot another round. I’ve been reloading my own ammo since 2002 so I’ve got a feel for what to look for there and I was happy with what I found.
Guns Used:
Equipment used:
Results:
MagnetoSpeed Results.
Fed XM193 55gr. PVM 62gr FMJ
Colt 6920 3,009 FPS / 15.2 S.D. 2,916 FPS / 18.6 S.D.
BCM 16” Mid 3,032 FPS / 15.4 S.D. 2,931 FPS / 17.2 S.D.
Bushmaster Rifle 3,245 FPS / 20.1 S.D. 3,100 FPS / 34.8 S.D.
Bottom Line:
I don’t know what else I could say about this ammunition other than it ran well in a big variety of guns. I would have zero hesitation recommending this ammunition to anyone looking to buy some. I don’t think you can go wrong here. I have to admit that being a Hoosier and shooting ammo made in my home state adds a bit of flavor that I really like. I love the idea that there’s going to be an ammunition manufacturer in my home town and I wish them all the success they can handle going forward.
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Couple disclaimers:
- I’m not associated with PVM in any way other than I knew one of the guys from years ago and he reached out to me on facebook because he saw pictures of me with guns.
- PVM owes me nothing, I owe them nothing.
- I’m not a professional reviewer, and the groups I shot were on a windy cold snowing day while getting over a cold where I was more interested in seeing how it functioned than trying to get perfect groups.
Testing:
I was given over 200 rounds of their factory ammunition to test. It was all 62gr FMJ brass cased ammo. I gathered up 6 different AR-15 types of rifle with the intent of giving the ammo a test drive in a 10” pistol all the way up to a 20” rifle full length gas with everything in between.
As part of my testing I put 5 rounds of Federal XM 193 55gr ammo through each gun on a target on the left side using a green colored pmag, then fired 5 rounds of PVM ammo on a target directly to the right of the group I’d just shot. I wanted to have another type of ammo to compare to for FPS & S.D. and the reason I chose Fed XM193 55gr is because it’s a quality surplus ammo that’s easy to get ahold of and I had some on hand. The only exception being I fired a 10rd group out of each in the scoped SPR, but by then my hands were about frozen.
After the test groups were shot, velocities measured and whatever information I could record was done. I had enough ammo left over to fill up two mags and give the ammo & rifle fun little fast shooting. I took the 20” A2, 10.5 pistol, and a 16” mid length so I’d have all ends of the spectrum covered. Each gun got a 2 mag dump through them and the ammo functioned as it should.
Every PVM piece of brass I looked at showed no signs of high pressure or anything that’d give me pause to shoot another round. I’ve been reloading my own ammo since 2002 so I’ve got a feel for what to look for there and I was happy with what I found.
Guns Used:
- PSA 10.5” pistol
- Colt 6920 16” carbine length gas
- BCM 16” mid length gas
- White Oak Armament 16” upper mid length gas
- White Oak Armament 18” SPR mid length gas
- Bushmaster A2 20” full rifle length gas
Equipment used:
- I used a kestrel to take a weather reading at the end of the session after the light dusting of snow was gone. It was 37 degrees out.
- I used a magneto speed on the rifles it’d fit on to get a measurement of both a 5 round average speed and a feel for the standard deviation.
Results:
- The ammo functioned and shot in all guns.
- There was not a single malfunction of any kind to report.
- No pressure signs of any kind were found.
- Group sizes were pretty comparable to XM193 55gr, but I would like to take my time on a better day to really see what the ammo can do for accuracy.
- I need to rezero more than one of these rifles on a good day.
MagnetoSpeed Results.
Fed XM193 55gr. PVM 62gr FMJ
Colt 6920 3,009 FPS / 15.2 S.D. 2,916 FPS / 18.6 S.D.
BCM 16” Mid 3,032 FPS / 15.4 S.D. 2,931 FPS / 17.2 S.D.
Bushmaster Rifle 3,245 FPS / 20.1 S.D. 3,100 FPS / 34.8 S.D.
Bottom Line:
I don’t know what else I could say about this ammunition other than it ran well in a big variety of guns. I would have zero hesitation recommending this ammunition to anyone looking to buy some. I don’t think you can go wrong here. I have to admit that being a Hoosier and shooting ammo made in my home state adds a bit of flavor that I really like. I love the idea that there’s going to be an ammunition manufacturer in my home town and I wish them all the success they can handle going forward.
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