The ColdBore Applied Ballistics Research Division today released the findings of its unprecedented, multi-month investigation into the M24 Sniper Weapon System’s performance when fed standard issue M80 147gr FMJ ammunition. Despite widespread anecdotal evidence and basic ballistic principles, our team embarked on a rigorous scientific quest to quantify what happens when a precision platform, designed for M118LR, is tasked with projectiles typically reserved for suppressing large areas.
The test platform, a venerable M24 with a 24-inch, 1:11.25 twist Remington barrel, bedded into its HS Precision PST-026 stock, was meticulously cleaned after each group to ensure maximum scientific purity. Velocity data, captured via a MagnetoSpeed V3, consistently showed standard deviations (SD) in the high double digits, with extreme spreads (ES) regularly exceeding 100 feet per second. This variability proved challenging for our advanced DOPE card algorithms, which repeatedly attempted to correlate projectile flight with lunar cycles and the emotional state of the shooter.
At 100 yards, the M24, a system renowned for its sub-MOA capabilities, produced five-shot groups that consistently pushed the boundaries of conventional target paper, frequently challenging the integrity of the staple points. Average group sizes ranged from an "optimistic" 2.5 MOA to a "philosophical" 4 MOA, with individual rounds often exploring independent trajectories. Our ballistic software, normally adept at predicting spin drift and Coriolis, merely presented a shrug emoji.
The definitive conclusion: M80 ball ammunition exhibits a robust indifference to precision, achieving a fascinating level of ballistic unpredictability. While the M24 proved capable of chambering, firing, and ejecting the M80, its innate desire for accuracy was clearly at odds with the ammunition’s inherent desire to merely *exist* downrange. ColdBore's Division Chief, Dr. Aris T. Oxus, stated, "We can now definitively confirm that M80 ball projects bullets with a certain velocity. Further funding requests will seek to determine if this phenomenon is consistent across different atmospheric pressures." The precision shooting community, armed with this invaluable data, can now confidently continue using match-grade ammunition.
