FRONTIER 556NATO 75GR BTHP MTCH 20/5

Description

Hornady’s Frontier line was developed in partnership with the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, and that origin matters: Lake City is a U.S. military contractor, so the brass cases, boxer primers, and propellants used in Frontier loads are built to the same basic standards applied to service ammunition. What you get in practical terms is a round that feeds and ignites with the consistency a match-grade projectile demands, without the price premium of Hornady’s higher-tier offerings.

The bullet here is a 75-grain boat tail hollow point in Hornady’s Match configuration. At this weight, the projectile carries a high ballistic coefficient relative to lighter 5.56 loads, which helps it retain velocity and resist wind deflection at extended ranges. The tradeoff is that a 75-grain .224-caliber bullet is near the upper end of what common twist rates will stabilize — it performs best through barrels with a 1:8 or faster twist. Slower twists, including 1:9 and 1:12, may not impart enough spin to keep this bullet stable, particularly beyond 200 yards.

Muzzle velocity from a 20-inch test barrel is 2,860 fps, with energy dropping from 1,362 ft-lbs at the muzzle to 1,128 ft-lbs at 100 yards and 756 ft-lbs at 300 yards. That energy curve makes it a practical choice for target shooting and varmint work out to moderate distances. The brass cases are reloadable, so handloaders can treat each box as a source of once-fired brass rather than a one-time expenditure. Rounds are packaged 20 per box, with 25 boxes per case.