Mixing Ammo?

[turnerdye1]

as some of you know i recently got a stockpile of ammo started. but i came up with a question i havent seen answered or talked about often from what ive seen. as you can tell its about mixing ammo. my setup is as follows

50 cal can : loose FMJ steel cased rounds
30 cal can : loose HP steel cased rounds

i dont plan on mixing my FMJ and HP rounds together...thatd be stupid. but since i bought some of this ammo of course i had to go out and shoot some of it. the ammo is all brown bear. i love this stuff when i can get it. but i went out and shot 100 rounds. i went to keep my supply up where it is so i plan on buying more then i shoot so it starts to grow. but heres my problem. i like to keep my ammo loose in the cans...but i cant find brown bear anywhere around me and i dont buy online that often. so would it be alright to mix lets say wolf fmj with my brown bear fmj? i know both wolf and brown bear work fine in my AR. so would it be alright to mix the rounds together?

 

[GhostofWinter]

I personally don't see any reason why you couldn't. HOWEVER I myself would keep tehm separate for no other reason than they in all likelyhood will shoot different from each other. By this I mean the wolf might shoot a bit high than the brown bear, or the brown bear may shoot at a flatter tragectory than the wolf. By mixing them you have added a new variable to your shooting. Unless you plan on digging through the ammo can and pick out the particular brand you are shooting.

That being said, the ONLY ammo that I store loose like that in an ammo can right now is my .22LR bulk packs. I do this because this is my plinking ammo and not for serious target shooting. Any variation that I have from batch to batch of ammo is negligible. Hope this helps ya out.

 

[turnerdye1]

true...i never did think about the accuracy issue..i guess ill just buy another ammo can and start filling it with a certain brand per can

 

[Leo]

I did see a case where a man had mixed two no name brands and bullet weights of 9mm ammo in the same magazine, and the gun would jam up. Both of the ammo would feed fine on their own, but could not be mixed. I cannot explain it, but he had two malfunctions in an action pistol match with mixed magazines. After correcting, he finished the course without a problem. Weird, but it happened.

 

[turnerdye1]

looks like i wont be mixing my ammo then lol. i guess ill make another 8 dollar investmant and get another can. thanks for the help guys​

 

[1911Shooter]

I hate to post another question in someone elses post but it seems the answer is clear on this one. I was wondering if you can use .223 and 5.56 in the same AR clip. I know accuracy will be affected but I am more curious if it can just be done. My AR can shoot both, but can it do it out of the same clip?

 

[HighStrung]

Though I try to support the local merchants when possible, money is also just as valuable in my pocket as it is in theirs. I've found that most bulk ammo can be found cheaper (and almost always available) online. I recently purchased 1000 rds of .223 from LuckyGunner and it arrived the next day, yes, the next day. If you've use to (and you gun likes) shooting brown bear, no good reason to shy away from it just because you can't find it local. Another option would be to ask a local shop to get some for you, can't hurt to ask if they would be willing to order the ammo for you, especially if you're a loyal customer. Just a couple different options, ymmv.

 

[Andre46996]

If all you are concerned with is SHTF ammo storage go ahead and mix it, If your AR can't hold MOBG (Minute Of Bad Guy) with a variety of ammo I would be looking for a different rifle.

If you are shooting steels same thing.

If your punching paper I would not mix them as there may be a variation in POI vs POA between different rounds.

As long as it is loaded to NATO standards it should still be MOBG though.

 

[turnerdye1]

well i went to big r and found they had brown bear today...but it was 9 bucks a box. i was like no way...i did end up buying 100 rounds of american eagle tracers though. why? i have no idea. most of my ammo is MOBG for SHTF but ill try not to mix it i dont think.

 

[GetA2J]

I opened this thread curious about mixing ammo. (45gr, 50gr, 55gr, and 62gr) but it wasn't discussed.
Does anyone have any input to that aspect of mixing ammo.
I've heard that certain barrel twist rates have issues with certain bullet sizes.

 

[HighStrung]

I opened this thread curious about mixing ammo. (45gr, 50gr, 55gr, and 62gr) but it wasn't discussed.
Does anyone have any input to that aspect of mixing ammo.
I've heard that certain barrel twist rates have issues with certain bullet sizes.

In regards to this specific question, I've done some research into twist rate. Everything I've read says that barrels with a twist rate of less than 1:9 will have a hard time stabilizing bullets over 62gr (though I have heard from a few individuals whom I trust that a 1:9 will stabilize a 72gr round), I just havn't been able to test the theory yet. That is why it's recommended to have a barrel of 1:9 (1:7 is preferred according to many sources still) if you plan on shooting these heavier weight rounds. Now, that being said, I've also heard that it's possible to over-rev some lighter weight bullets. Either, over-reving the lighter ones, or under-reving the heavier ones will cause inaccuracy in the round. The super fast spinning light rounds will sometimes come apart largely due to the very thin jacket, and the heavy rounds that aren't spinning fast enough will actually tumble on the way to target.

Most of what I've read pointed to this general guideline
1:12 (or 1:14) 35-55grain (though some say if you gun really likes it it's possible to get this to stabilize a 62gr)
1:9 45-62grain (though some may work for 75gr if you particular gun seems to like them)
1:7 62-90grain (and even some brands down to 55gr depending on brand)

Hopefully someone with more knowledge (and first-hand experience) than I will be along shortly and be able to answer your question with more evidence to support the theory. I've also heard that barrel lenght and velosity actually play into this equation as well, though I haven't dug deep enough to further support this theory.

I've noticed that my 10/22 (1:16 twist) is drastically different between the 36gr (very inaccurate) and the 40gr rounds (much more accurate even though my 10/22 still likes certain brands of 40gr over other of the same weight). With the exception of the 10/22 ammo testing I've done, the twist rate vs bullet weight is just what I've read, ymmv, though I believe it to be true. I havn't got the chance to test this with my M&P15 yet, I've only shot two brands thru it and only had it a month or so. Good luck.

 

[GetA2J]

Thank you HighStrung:

I think the O.P. might call this a

My apologies to him.

 

[turnerdye1]

i dont mind at all haha. i was actually thinking about the same thing