Don’t assume this is specialty 5.56×45 ammunition because of its M193 designation. That simply indicates that it is the U.S. Armed Forces’ standard issue cartridge for field use in the M16A1 rifle. In other words, if you’re looking for “vanilla” range loads for your AR-15-style rifle, you’ve just discovered the opportunity to order it by the case.

This round’s 55 grain bullet is a full metal jacket. It’s the most popular option for range training thanks to its simple design and flat trajectory. Once the FMJ achieves a muzzle velocity of 3,180 fps, its 0.250 G1 ballistic coefficient means that the streamlined projectile’s trajectory will rise by approximately 2.26” before reaching a 200-yard target – or 0.49”, if you’re dialing it back to 100 yards. The bullet’s copper-alloy jacket features a cannelure to prevent setback in the magazine. Alongside its solid lead core, the FMJ contains no steel and can’t attract a magnet.

Winchester’s military grade brass cases often make people wonder if this ammo is reloaded. It is not, as the brass cases are only gray around their necks because they were annealed in the typical fashion without getting polished up afterward. The annealing discoloration is only cosmetic and will not impact performance at the range or at the reloading press.