Ask for a 5.56 load by weight and 62 grains is the answer that comes back most often, the weight of the M855 pattern service bullet. Nine brands store 62 grain records in the library, 21 in total, but only eight of them print a complete table of velocity, energy and trajectory. Those eight loads make up the chart on this page. The remaining thirteen records, each missing at least one stat group downrange, are gathered in a short muzzle figures listing after the chart.
Figures on this page are factory figures, reproduced as published and never converted between unit systems. Speeds are feet per second, energies foot-pounds and path figures inches, at distances in yards. A hyphen shows where a maker prints nothing. Trajectory in the chart rows follows a 200 yard zero for the Hornady, Barnes and Winchester loads, while Magtech attaches no named zero to its path figures.
| Brand | Load | Product Line | SKU | Bullet Style | BC | Test Barrel | Trajectory Zero | Velocity Muzzle (fps) | Velocity 100 yd (fps) | Velocity 200 yd (fps) | Velocity 300 yd (fps) | Velocity 400 yd (fps) | Velocity 500 yd (fps) | Energy Muzzle (ft-lb) | Energy 100 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 200 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 300 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 400 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 500 yd (ft-lb) | Trajectory Muzzle (in) | Trajectory 100 yd (in) | Trajectory 200 yd (in) | Trajectory 300 yd (in) | Trajectory 400 yd (in) | Trajectory 500 yd (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 62 gr TSX BT | VOR-TX | 31190 | TSX BT | 0.296 | 20 in | 200 yd | 3000 | 2683 | 2388 | 2111 | 1854 | 1619 | 1239 | 991 | 785 | 614 | 473 | 361 | – | 1.7 | 0.0 | -7.8 | -23.5 | -45.3 |
| Hornady | 62 gr FMJ | Hornady BLACK | 81263 | FMJ | – | 20 in | 200 yd | 3060 | 2714 | 2394 | 2095 | 1820 | 1571 | 1289 | 1014 | 789 | 604 | 456 | 340 | -1.5 | 1.6 | 0 | -7.7 | -23.4 | -49.7 |
| Hornady | 62 gr FMJ | Frontier Cartridge | FR260 | FMJ | – | 20 in | 200 yd | 3060 | 2715 | 2395 | 2097 | 1822 | 1574 | 1289 | 1015 | 790 | 606 | 457 | 341 | -1.5 | 1.6 | 0 | -7.7 | -23.4 | -49.6 |
| Hornady | 62 gr Spire Point | Frontier Cartridge | FR280 | Spire Point | – | 20 in | 200 yd | 3060 | 2702 | 2372 | 2065 | 1783 | 1531 | 1289 | 1005 | 774 | 587 | 438 | 323 | -1.5 | 1.7 | 0 | -7.9 | -23.9 | -51.1 |
| Hornady | 62 gr BTHP Match | Frontier Cartridge | FR300 | BTHP Match | – | 20 in | 200 yd | 3060 | 2763 | 2485 | 2223 | 1978 | 1750 | 1289 | 1051 | 850 | 680 | 538 | 421 | -1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | -7.2 | -21.5 | -44.7 |
| Magtech | 62 gr FMJ | Tactical / Training | 556B | FMJ | 0.34 | 20 in | – | 3085 | 2803 | 2537 | 2286 | – | – | 1306 | 1082 | 886 | 720 | – | – | – | 0.001 | -4.4 | -14.3 | – | – |
| Magtech | 62 gr FMJ Linked | Tactical / Training | 556B-LK | FMJ (Ball) | 0.34 | 20 in | – | 3085 | 2803 | 2537 | 2286 | – | – | 1311 | 1082 | 886 | 720 | – | – | – | – | -4.4 | -14.3 | – | – |
| Winchester | 62 gr Full Metal Jacket Green Tip | USA | WM855200 | Full Metal Jacket Green Tip | – | – | 200 yd | 3060 | 2786 | 2529 | 2285 | 2055 | 1809 | 1289 | 1069 | 880 | 719 | 581 | 466 | – | 1.5 | 0 | -7 | -20.6 | -42.5 |
The six plotted loads come from the main chart and follow their printed tables. Magtech’s curves end at 300 yards because that is where its published grid ends, and its flight path is drawn on its own printed basis.
Table of Contents [Click to minimize]
Reading a Row From Left to Right
A row opens with the load’s identity: brand, bullet style, product line and stock number, plus a coefficient and test barrel where the maker prints them. The columns then move through three stat groups in order, velocity, energy and trajectory, each split by distance. Because every figure sits in its own cell, a gap is easy to spot, and a gap always means the maker simply does not publish that number.
The Muzzle Figures Shelf
Thirteen of the twenty-one records stop short of a full downrange table, and they are listed here with the two figures nearly all of them share, muzzle velocity and muzzle energy. The group is mixed: PMC and one Winchester load publish deep downrange data but leave out a stat group, while Aguila adds a single 100 yard step and Black Hills, HSM and Fort Scott Munitions print muzzle figures alone.
| Brand | Load | SKU | Test Barrel | Muzzle Velocity (fps) | Muzzle Energy (ft-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aguila | 62 gr FMJ Boat Tail | 1E556110 | – | 3150 | 1366 |
| Aguila | 62 gr FMJ Boat Tail Green Tip M855 (Bulk Pack) | 1E556125 | – | 3260 | 1298 |
| Black Hills | 62 gr Barnes TSX | – | – | 3000 | 1239 |
| Black Hills | 62 gr Dual Performance™ | – | – | 3000 | 1239 |
| Fort Scott Munitions | 62 gr SCS TUI Solid Copper | 753677048263-0; 753677048263-1; 753677048263-3 | 24 in | 3200 | – |
| Fort Scott Munitions | 62 gr SBS TUI Solid Brass | 758381721167-0; 758381721167-1; 758381721167-3 | 24 in | 3200 | – |
| HSM | 62 gr Open Tip | HSM-556-10-N | – | 3110 | 1332 |
| HSM | 62 gr Full Metal Jacket | HSM-556-8-N | – | 3150 | 1366 |
| PMC | 62 gr LAP | 5.56K | 16 in | 2920 | 1174 |
| PMC | 62 gr LAP | 5.56K | 20 in | 3100 | 1323 |
| PMC | 62 gr LAP (Ammo Can) | 5.56K M/B | – | 3100 | 1323 |
| PMC | 62 gr LAP (Battle Pack) | 5.56K-BP | – | 3100 | 1323 |
| Winchester | 62 gr Full Metal Jacket | USA5562 | – | 3100 | 1323 |
Speed Now, Speed Later
At the muzzle the main chart belongs to Magtech, whose two loads leave at 3,085 fps. Hornady’s four loads and the Winchester green tip load all start at 3,060 fps, and the Barnes load at 3,000 fps. Five hundred yards later the green tip load has taken over, holding 1,809 fps while the Hornady match load keeps 1,750 fps and the two plain FMJ loads from Hornady slip to roughly 1,570 fps.
Energy: What Each Load Keeps
Muzzle energy in the chart clusters tightly, from 1,239 ft-lb for the Barnes load to 1,311 ft-lb for Magtech’s linked load. Distance spreads the field out. The Winchester green tip load still shows 466 ft-lb at 500 yards, the Frontier BTHP Match shows 421 ft-lb, and the Frontier Spire Point, built for expansion rather than reach, is down to 323 ft-lb at the same distance.
Flight Path and the Question of Zero
Drop figures only compare cleanly when the zeros match, and in this chart most rows share one: Hornady, Barnes and Winchester all print path against a 200 yard zero. There the green tip load runs flattest, 42.5 inches low at 500 yards, and the Spire Point runs deepest at 51.1 inches low. Magtech prints its path with no zero named and stops at 300 yards, so treat its -14.3 inches at that distance as its own basis.
Same Bullet Weight, Different Bullet Designs
The main chart holds four bullet designs at one weight. Three Hornady loads and the Magtech pair use full metal jacket bullets, the Frontier line adds a Spire Point and a boat tail hollow point match load, Barnes loads its all-copper TSX boat tail, and Winchester’s entry is the green tip penetrator style load. Their printed paths and speeds diverge mostly at long range, where the match and green tip bullets shed the least speed.
Loads the Chart Cannot Show
A load reaches this page only if it is stored as a 5.56 cartridge with a 62 grain bullet and imperial figures. That leaves out Federal, whose stored 5.56 range stops at 55 grains, and the makers whose 62 grain types are published in metric units only, among them MEN, Nammo, Igman and the Sellier & Bellot law enforcement line. A 62 grain Ammo Inc load held only as a retailer listing is likewise left out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest muzzle velocity in the main chart?
Magtech’s two 62 grain loads share it at 3,085 fps. The fastest figure anywhere on the page belongs to Aguila’s green tip load in the compact listing, at 3,260 fps.
Which load shoots flattest to 500 yards?
The Winchester green tip load (WM855200). On its 200 yard zero it prints 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and 42.5 inches low at 500 yards.
Why are there two tables on this page?
The main chart holds the eight loads that publish velocity, energy and trajectory downrange. The compact listing holds thirteen loads whose published data is partial, shown with muzzle velocity and muzzle energy so no column sits empty.
Does the PMC X-TAC 62 grain load publish downrange data?
It publishes velocity and bullet path figures to 500 yards on a 100 yard zero, from both 16 inch and 20 inch test barrels. Because its energy appears at the muzzle only, it sits in the compact listing.
How far do the Magtech tables run?
Both Magtech loads stop at 300 yards, where they print 2,286 fps and 720 ft-lb. Magtech publishes nothing for them at 400 or 500 yards.
Which 62 grain loads are green tip loads?
Winchester’s WM855200 in the main chart, plus Aguila’s 1E556125 and the PMC X-TAC with its LAP bullet in the compact listing. Their muzzle speeds run from 3,060 to 3,260 fps.
What does the Barnes TSX BT load publish?
A full table from a 20 inch barrel on a 200 yard zero, opening at 3,000 fps and 1,239 ft-lb. It also prints a ballistic coefficient of 0.296, which only it and the two Magtech loads do in the main chart.
Why does Aguila’s faster load show less energy?
As printed, the green tip load shows 3,260 fps with 1,298 ft-lb, while the slower standard load shows 3,150 fps with 1,366 ft-lb. The chart reproduces both rows exactly as Aguila publishes them.
Are any of these loads M855?
Aguila names its bulk pack load Green Tip M855, and Winchester’s green tip load follows the same pattern. The other loads share the 62 grain weight without the service load’s penetrator bullet, including the Hornady match load and the Barnes TSX.
Which brands publish a complete 62 grain table?
Four of them: Hornady with four loads, Magtech with two, and Barnes and Winchester with one each. Together they make the eight rows of the main chart.