"X" prefix on M series ammo

[Bourneshooter]

I'm no SME on this stuff and others can elaborate more, but:

"While you're out panic buying ammo this week (always be panic buying ammo and mags), remember that the "X" prefix on the M193 and M855 ammo (XM193 or XM855) means this was a reject on a government contract.

Its been the cause of several gun "kabooms" or other fight stopping malfunctions before. Don't put reject ammo in a gun your life could depend on."

 

[AresGear_Jake]

...I don't think that's correct, and every ammo company I've asked about it has said that's untrue. Do you have a source?


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[Bourneshooter]

I remember reading that several years back in various places so thanks to your question Jake, I re googled it and found a post on M4C saying it is just a commercial sales designation. News to me.

 

[Matt Landfair]

I have heard that too, but I don't remember the source. DocGKR is here on occasion...

 

[Bourneshooter]

It was something I read a few years back in many places and based on the info I was reading believed it to be fact. Now I'm not finding anything to back that up online.

 

[SgtRed]

ATKs official stance on their Federal Premium site (now gone) was that the XM was overrun OR rejects that met "standards" for commercial sales.


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[Bourneshooter]

So still no hard evidence either way for us. Bummer.

It's training ammo nothing more of its cheap.


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[Bourneshooter]

Got some feedback from a contacts friend who works for ATK. Will post it later. Basically the 2008 info I'm remembering is a myth.


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[Presscheck Consulting]

"Xray" ammo means many different things. You guys are talking about nomenclature. M855 is the nomenclature. Ammo people speak DODICs. The DODIC for green tip is Alpha something something. If a DODIC is Xray that means something different.

 

[SgtRed]

The Internet is forever

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[Bourneshooter]

Thanks for that. Here is more info from a 3rd hand source who works for ATK/Federal:

"X on ATK produced ammunition is the designation given to ammo that was produced for commercial sales on the equipment at Lake City's plant and is new and fully QC'ed. The post-script is to designated the quantities it was packaged in. Some of the "x" marked label may or may not have milspec sealer applied. Other than that, same load, same components.

He just chimed in that it is a military requirement that it be marketed as "x" as part of their contract to designate it from accepted ammunition to the government because once the government accepts it, it cannot be sold as loaded ammunition."


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[AT Armor]

My first hand is a bit dated from 2010, but when we had a 3 man tour of LCAAP (my brother in law went to the advanced course with the facility commander at the time) he said the same thing about it being first run. The govt allows the current contract holder (ATK) to use the gov equipment to produce ammo for commercial sale if the production quotas are met for that time period.

Wheel barrows (no kidding... wheel barrows) full of 193 being carted around the facility. The "X" is indeed an admin requirement for the most part. 193 is was no longer a US contract production item when we did the walk through, would assume this is still true.

Tangent - The crazy thing about the whole setup is the equipment. Some of the machines dated back to WWII. For example the 7.62 "test" for cartridge weight consisted of a Wile E Coyote looking contraption that carried individual rounds on a spring loaded carousel arm. If too heavy they would hit a lower placed bar and get kicked off into a bucket. If too light they would hit the upper stop bar and get kicked off the ride.