62 Grain 5.56 Ammo for Short Barrel Rifle and AR Pistol Firearms

Today’s short barrel rifles excel in close-quarter encounters but sometimes lack the velocities and terminal ballistics that longer barrels have.

To address these concerns, Maxim Defense partnered with Fort Scott Munitions to optimize ammunition loads specifically for SBRs.

The most common 5.56 NATO rounds are 55 grain and 62 grain, with some heavier bullets like the 77-grain BTHP. The heavier bullets are fantastic for longer-range shooting. However, the 62 grain 5.56 is perfectly suited for self-defense, home defense, and engaging threats out to 300 yards.

Ideal for law enforcement as well, the Maxim Defense 5.56  with its patented design to Tumble Upon Impact (TUI), ensures maximum tissue damage from a single round.

62 Grain 5.56 Ballistics

The following table is for the Maxim Defense TUI 5.56 62 grain ballistics at the muzzle. Remember that this specific ammo is optimized for short barrel rifles with an average engagement distance of 100 yards.

What is Tumble Upon Impact?

This 5.56×45 cartridge is excellent for self-defense and home defense, but most flavors do not expand during penetration when fired from SBRs at a self-defense distance. Maxim Defense worked with Fort Scott Munitions to come up with a secret sauce to mitigate this issue. Fort Scott Munitions calls it Tumble Upon Impact.

The 62 grain 5.56 TUI bullet is made of pure, solid spun copper. The Tumble Upon Impact ensures greater soft tissue trauma and hydrostatic shock than you would think possible from a small projectile.

Because of the solid copper spun construction, these bullets can be used wherever lead projectiles are prohibited for target shooting. You can hunt game ranging from woodchucks to coyotes and hogs with confidence, thanks to the powerful terminal performance of the 5.56 TUI bullet. These bullets provide a definite ballistic advantage to ensure you get the most from every round fired.

By making minor adjustments, as well as including Tumble Upon Impact technology, the Maxim Defense Ammunition ballistic wound cavities exceed the standards of both expansion and fragmentation. The TUI design of the projectiles tumbles all the way down to 500 fps.

What is the 62 Grain M855?

This blog post wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention M855 green tip ammo. Those are the rounds that have been issued to the US Military and a few ammunition manufacturers such as Winchester produce them commercially as well.

62 grain M855 has a green tip that signifies that the round has a steel core and is for use against light armor.

They are not "armor piercing" as some would claim, but they perform better against light armor and other barriers than the standard M193 ball ammo does.

For more information on the 62 grain M855 round, check out our article on M855 vs M193.

Best 5.56 Suppressor for 62 Grain 5.56

The Maxim Defense DSX-D 5.56 suppressor is specifically designed to minimize the violent cyclic rate and gas blowback of a suppressed weapon system such as the AR-15.

The DSX-D suppressor consists of a three-piece MonoKore design that adds 7.25" to the muzzle of your rifle. The DSX-D is also rated for full auto for 62 grain 5.56. There is, however, an 8.5" barrel restriction.

Built for the world’s most rigorous demands, this 5.56 suppressor is designed to be the most robust and strongest suppressor in its category. It has been repeatably tested with SOCOM tables across a variety of calibers and barrel lengths, down to 8.5" 5.56 NATO with 62 grain M855 ball ammunition, and has survived with no damage or significant changes in sound reduction.

What is the SOCOM Firing Table?

The SOCOM Firing Table test consists of eight (8), thirty (30) round magazines, fired sequentially at different rates, from 1 round per second up to a full auto mag dump.

Conclusion

The primary use for the 5.56 NATO cartridge is as a self-defense round. Yes, you can hunt with them and shoot matches with them, but the 62 grain 5.56 round was bred to be used for self-defense.

When coupled with a quality AR build such as the Maxim Defense PDX, they excel in this role and serve as excellent self-defense tools.

Stay Tuned to the RE Factor Tactical Blog and be part of this all VETERAN-run website. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for exclusive content and deals.

Check out our DAILY DEALS page for industry deals and discounts.

Visit our Amazon Influencer Page for more products we recommend: https://www.amazon.com/shop/refactortactical