by John Boch, president of Guns Save Life
Low muzzle flash is one of the non-negotiable requirements of any good self-defense load. In October, at the GSL Defense Training Urban Rifle 101 course, one of our students was shooting PMC X-TAC 5.56 XP-193 ammo in his stock Ruger SR-556 rifle. We noticed some muzzle-flash during the day. But during the night-time segment of the course, the pyrotechnics were downright obnoxious . . .
We looked over his rifle to see if the problem was there. He had a standard Ruger SR-556 rifle with a standard military-style flash suppressor integrated into the barrel. So we swapped him out some Israeli M193 ammo and saw only a tiny bit of flash — nothing like the ball o’ fire produced by the PMC X-TAC.
So the incident provided a valuable lesson to our students on the importance of test-firing their personal defense ammunition in low-light conditions to make sure there’s little or no muzzle flash. You don’t want to mark your position for return fire from bad guys. Not to mention blowing out your night vision any more than necessary.
In this particular case, the PMC X-TAC XP-193 ammo was double trouble. Not only did it illuminate our shooter, but it also lit up the other good-guys around him, too.
Bottom line: we can enthusiastically recommend this ammo if you want to display an impressive fireball from your muzzle and wow your friends or novice shooters. But only a fool would use this ammo for self-defense purposes, despite the high-speed, low-drag tactical graphic on the box. Remember, as the late, great Paul Vallandigham used to say,
“incoming rounds have the right of way.”
Let us know how the ammo performs. I’ve read mixed reviews.
This is a great article.
Living in CT and they cancelled all the gun shows this year.
Will have to wait to use this info.
I found a good price on this ammo so I came here to get some info./review. I’m more confused now than I was before I started. I’m starting to think that I need to put my blinders on on just stop listening to everyone else.
Buy it. It is good ammo. I love the PMC .223 and this X-Tac 5.56 is great too. Thousands of rounds downrange. No problems. Very accurate and functions great. Great range ammo.
Does it foul your weapon more than other brand’s ammo?
“Low muzzle flash is one of the non-negotiable requirements of any good self-defense load”
This is hysterical. You’re telling me that in this hypothetical self defense situation, you give up your advantage with muzzle flash. How are you defending yourself if your adversary does not know where you are until you start pulling the trigger? How can you say you are under attack if your enemy doesn’t yet know where you are?
I can also see that the rifles pictured are using relatively short barrels. In a 20″ barrel like this caliber was designed to be used in I would expect much less or even no flash.
You are ready to write this ammunition off just based on that nonsense? Do you have any actual data on how it performs? Did you measure it on a chronograph? What groups did you achieve? Do you simply have an aversion to Korean products because this whole article is nonsense.
What a great thread … thank you all!
Yeah, this seems like internet expert advice. I have heard nothing but good about this ammo. In a gun fight the dead last think I am worried about is someone returning fire to my muzzle blast. I am worried about putting rounds on target them moving.