"green tip" bullets - good idea?

I've been working a long time now to process some range brass. Now, I have a goodly supply of .223/5.56 cases all prepped and ready for powder and bullet.

I'm ready to buy some bullets in bulk and wondering what bullet to get. I usually use 50 gr. soft points in a very mild load but that was for hunting rounds in a coyote hunting rifle. I have plenty of those on hand and don't need any more. These new reloads will be for use in my Savage MSR (AR15 style). I will use them for target and shooting practice and for my "minuteman" rifle. Sometimes I use that ammo for informal high-power competition So, I'm thinking of using a heavier bullet and FMJ.

I found a good deal on some FMJ bullets, 69 grains, I think they were, but they are steel core - supposedly like the green tip NATO style bullet. I'm not sure I want to use a steel core core bullet instead of just the plain old copper jacketed lead bullet.

Does anyone know anything about the peculiarities of the steel core FMJ "green tip" bullets? Is there anything special about the way you load them or any drawbacks to shooting them? Any advantages to them?

I know some places restrict the use of steel core bullets (indoor ranges or areas prone to forest fires). I don't ever plan to shoot in those locations so I'm not too concerned about that. If I need ammo for those locations I have plenty of other lead, soft point ammo I can use.

Any intel or suggestions you can offer would be appreciated

A steel core 69 grain bullet is gonna be long. You are going to need a real fast twist to stabalize it.

SS109 green tips are light armor piercing rounds.

Not sure if that helps or hurts for your intended use.

That's a good point. My MSR is 1:9 twist I think. But my NEF Handi-Rifle is considerably slower than that, I believe. I'd hate to make a bunch of rounds that would be useless in one of my two guns, even if I don't ever plan to use these in my hunting rifle.

because you have a light tip compared to lead and not completely concentric they tend not to be as accurate.

the concept is similar to the Brit 303 MK4 ammo it put an aluminum tip inside the FMJ copper jacket then used a lead base fill of the bullet a heavy tail , light nose as soon as it hits meat it turns end for end and rides through tail first.

the green tip does the same thing but because it is given a good spin from the fast twist barrel it stays going strait long enough that the green steel tip would have a chance to penetrate light armor before turning 180 and plowing through the target backwards and separating.

if you need to punch holes in light armor knock your self out

if nothing you shoot is armored soft points are my preference on anything that is living that I want to be not living.

my choice since Soft points for reloading add about a penny maybe 2 to the cost over FMJ one load , one bullet , to feed the 223 rifles.

Steel core of the penitrator type are seldom as accurate as solid core ones simply because it’s almost impossible to get the steel penitrator perfectly centered so throwing it off, now copper jacketed steel core ones can be just as accurate as their lead core brothers

I shoot a lot of copper jacketed steel core bulk bullets as range and practice rounds and mostly they work just fine, some are ever very accurate, but if I am working up a high accuracy round I am going to pick a well made premium one no matter if it is steel or lead core, now a hunting round might not get a high cost premium Bullet but it’s going to most likely be of better quality then those that come in a bulk pack

Not 100% sure on this but I think a 69 grain lead bullet is the heaviest that you can shoot out of a 1:9 twist. Those steel core bullets are going to be longer.

Are you sure they are 69 grains?

the bulk ammo green tip steel tip ammo is typically 62gr

Don't like the idea of putting steel down a rifle barrel even copper coated battle rifles generally have oversize bores placing function over everything else I've read that when Ruger came out with the mini-14 it hat a slightly oversize bore believing folks would be shooting 5.56 nato rounds thru it Google the mini-14 history

Black tips are armor piercing. Green tips are "penetator" steel core. Difference is the hardness of the steel.

The only problem I see with steel core is you can't shoot steel targets with them.

Ruger came out and said the Mini-14 was 5.56 safe as they had made the chamber more generous than a standard 223

You can if you want to put holes in them, lol