Bullet grain

Question
I have an AR-15 and was wondering which round would be better.  A 55-grain, or should I go with a higher grain?

Answer
Hi Christopher,

Your question is rather general in nature and I'm not sure what your intended use is. However I'll respond with a general overview of the possibilitites.

Generally speaking, the heavier bullets offer better performance but do so at an increased cost.  After all is said and done, bullet construction is more important than bullet weight.

If you are looking to do any varmit hunting you would want to use very light ( 40 - 50 grain) rounds of high velocity (3200 + fps). If you are looking to do nothing but target/match shooting, bullet weight recommendations would vary based upon what distances you may be shooting at.

Special forces units are using heavier rounds (69grn. and over) for better terminal ballistic performance.  In recent years the Marines did testing of 77grn. bullets.  They concluded the 77 grn. offered great terminal performance out to about 300 yards.

If you are looking for a round that expands and not fragment for instance, Winchester 64grn. Power Point ammo fits the bill. It was designed for hunting medium size game. Heavier JHP and JSP have more controled expansion at slower velocitites.

There are a few other varibles such as rate of twist, barrel length etc. that muddy the water a bit. However in general the info provided here should get you started in the right direction.

Thank you for the question.

Sid Lark