Possible Government Ban on Popular AR-15 M855 Ammo

One of the most popular loads for the AR-15 platform may be a thing of the past as the ATF looks to reclassify the extremely popular M855 projectile as “armor piercing”. The M855 round has become very popular with shooters because of its widespread availability, and many look to it as a high quality / low cost way to reliably practice with AR-15 rifles.

The M855 is a 62 grain copper jacketed bullet with a steel core that replaces roughly half the lead found in a typical bullet. It’s exactly the same ammunition the military uses in their AR variant rifles and has become very popular with the civilian market because of its typical flawless operation in AR-15 sporting rifles and its availability as low-cost military surplus stock.

The ATF’s reason for banning this ammunition has to do with its “armor piercing” capability and a perceived threat to law enforcement. This statement has many experts confused, as nearly all rifle ammunition has the potential to defeat the soft body armor typically worn by police officers.

The exact language from the law used to describe “armor piercing” is as follows:

a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper or depleted uranium; or

(ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.

While the M855 contains some steel, the current law describes bullets “constructed entirely” of a hardened metal, which the M855 is not. While the loss of a single type of ammunition may not be that disruptive to the market, the trend to ban projectiles made of multiple metals could be very troubling, as many new bullet designs use additional metals like copper and steel.

Many other mixed metal projectiles, and some truly armor piercing ammo, is legal under the law's “sporting purposes” exemption, which allows manufacturers to submit their products for exemption from the law if they can show there is a legitimate market for the product.

The ATF is currently taking comments from the public before they announce their final decision on the M855 projectile in March.