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Restricted Ammo

19K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  devildoc 
#1 ·
Can some one explain to me why the SS190, L191, SB193 and SS192 ammo are restricted now? I got the Armor Piercing piece but which round is which? I saw some ammo on Gunbroker for like $500.00. I think it was the SS190 but I cannot remember.
 
#2 ·
Here is some basic info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.7x28mm

SS90 ball
An early prototype round. It used a lightweight 1.5 g (23-grain) full metal jacket bullet with a polymer core. It was abandoned in 1994 in favor of the heavier SS190 projectile, which has greater potential for accuracy and penetration, as well as being shorter and thus easier to fit in FN's then-upcoming Five-seven pistol.


[edit] SS190 Duty Round
The SS190 AP ball FMJ is designated as armor piercing (AP) ammunition, designed to penetrate body armor. Its sale to civilians is restricted. The SS190 bullet has a steel penetrator and an aluminium core[citation needed]. It is interesting to note that the SS109 FMJ bullet is essentially of the same design, except it uses a lead core with a steel penetrator. The SS109 is frequently found in civilian-legal M855 loads sold as surplus or contract-overrun ammunition.[citation needed]

FN Herstal has stated that the SS190 round will easily penetrate protections that stop normal pistol rounds, but will not penetrate protections that stop the 5.56x45 mm NATO round such as Level III armor.[citation needed] The SS190 has demonstrated varying penetration depths of about 250 mm to 330 mm (10 to 13 inches) in gelatin testing by various agencies[dubious – discuss]. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy forensics laboratory tested SS190 fired out of a P90 into 10% ordnance gelatin, 10% gelatin covered with heavy clothing, and 10% gelatin covered with Level II soft armor[citation needed]. The average penetration depth in all test events was approximately 264 mm (10.4 inches)[citation needed]; the temporal wound cavity did not exceed 91 mm (3.75 inches)[citation needed]. Testing of the P90 done by Dr. Gary K. Roberts DDS showed an average of 300 mm (12 inches) penetration in 10% ballistic gelatin[citation needed]. Houston, TX SWAT has also done testing with similar results. Many have asserted that these figures are not deep enough[dubious – discuss], as the current FBI minimum penetration depth is 300 mm (12 inches) in 10% ballistic gelatin[citation needed].


[edit] L191 Tracer
Combustible chemicals packed in the rear of the projectile create a contrail visible up to 200 meters. The L191's ballistics are almost identical to those of the SS190. L191 tracer ammunition has a red tip. Its sale to civilians is restricted by FN.


[edit] SS192 Hollow Point
Features a hollow point bullet. SS192 ammunition uses a 1.8 g (28 grains) unmarked hollow tip, with an aluminum core. SS192 can be differentiated from SS195LF (lead-free; see below) by the brass-colored primer. Production of this round has been discontinued, and it has been replaced by SS195LF.


[edit] SB193 Sub Sonic
The SB193 cartridge features a 3.6 g (55 grain) Sierra Game King FMJBT (Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail) projectile. The SB193's low muzzle velocity eliminates the distinctive "crack" created by supersonic rounds when used in conjunction with the P90 Gemtech sound suppressor. The SB193 suffers from greatly reduced penetration and range, but benefits from slightly lower recoil. The white colored bullet tip can identify SB193 subsonic ammunition. Its sale to civilians is restricted by FN.


[edit] T194 training/duty
The T194 training round is an early version of the SS192. Visually, it is the same as the SS192 but has a green tip and silver-colored primer. The bullet weight/velocity of the T194 are identical to the SS192 and the newer SS195. The T194 round was discontinued in 2002.


[edit] SS195LF Lead Free Round
The SS195LF cartridge features a lead-free primer and projectile with similar ballistics to the SS192 round. It features a 5.7 mm (.224 inch) 1.77 g (28 grains) copper-jacketed lead free metallic core bullet. The SS195LF cartridge can be identified by the unmarked, hollow void at the tip and the silver-colored lead-free primer. SS195LF is available to civilians and does not penetrate Level IIIa soft vests.[1] Note: Some PS90 owners may experience intermittent problems with SS195LF lot FNB06C971-016[2]


[edit] SS196SR Sporting Round
The discontinued SS196SR cartridge was replaced with SS197SR. Civilians can still purchase remaining lots of SS196SR. The SS196SR cartridge features a 2.6 g (40 grains), 5.7 mm (.224 inch) diameter Hornady V-Max bullet. The polycarbonate tip in the V-Max bullet enhances expansion of the bullet. The red colored tip differentiates the SS196SR from the blue colored tip of SS197SR.


[edit] SS197SR Sporting Round
Fiocchi currently manufactures SS197SR under contract for FN Herstal. The SS197SR cartridge uses the same 2.6 g (40 grain) 5.7 mm (.224 inch) Hornady V-Max projectile as the SS196SR, but it is loaded for a slightly higher muzzle velocity. The bullets have a blue-colored polycarbonate tip. The first SS197SR boxes exhibit the modern FN blue and black colored packaging as shown in the photographs. Newer SS197SR boxes have a similar exterior appearance to the SS196SR and SS195LF boxes. These white cardboard boxes have an adhesive label, marked "Made in Italy”, which helps prevent cartridges from falling out of the box during shipment. The colored boxes rely solely on the flaps and do not use an adhesive label. SS197SR is available to civilians.


[edit] SS198
A new cartridge that is being planned for release. Current information indicates the SS198 will be identical to SS195LF but loaded for a higher muzzle velocity to boost the penetration in soft tissue. It will be restricted by FN Herstal (not by the BATFE) for sale/distribution to law enforcement and military customers as a duty cartridge.
 
#3 ·
Great post TA.

The part I still can't my head wrapped around is that the 5.56 SS109 FMJ bullet that can be fired from several pistols is legal, but 5.7 SS190 are not.

Makes no sence, then again we are talking about BATF, so there ya go.
 
#5 ·
Well, that pretty much summed it all up for me. I have not bought any rounds for mine yet. So you cleared up to my why when I see some of these rounds for sale they are astronomical in price. I was reading on another thread about a FiveseveN pistol that came apart becasue the guy was shooting reloads. The sum of the thread from FN was to not shoot reloads. Does the same hold true for the PS90 or is the pistol just more tempramental than the rifle? It seems that Baca is the most knowledgeable and experienced reloader on the 5.7 round so I understand that his stuff is good for the PS90 but does the same hold true for the pistol? I am currently in the market for an IOM model and would like to stock one round to use in each.
 
#6 ·
tqtran said:
devildoc said:
The part I still can't my head wrapped around is that the 5.56 SS109 FMJ bullet that can be fired from several pistols is legal, but 5.7 SS190 are not.
SS190 is legal. Just sales restricted by FNH.
You can buy it all day long if you want to (Your State's own laws depending) but it will cost you $$$$$$$$
Well, it's very restricted by FN.

I can not purchase it on my own like SS198LF (I'm an LEO). It would have to be purchased by my Agency.


I would have purchased some along with my SS198 but it comes from a Customs warehouse and comes direct from there. I was told it was an Agency purchase item, so no deal on the SS190.
 
#7 ·
Is it just a import issue? In other words, if it were made by a US maker(in the US), would that change anything? It just doesn't make any sence to give up that market to reloaders.

I guess I'm just missing the reasoning behind FN's choice not to sell legal ammo to Legal law abiding Americans.
 
#9 ·
tqtran said:
BPx69 said:
Well, it's very restricted by FN.

I can not purchase it on my own like SS198LF (I'm an LEO). It would have to be purchased by my Agency.
OK, let me rephrase, you can purchase it all day long for BIG $$$ from a third party but not directly from FNH.
No, he is saying that FN will only sell that other ammo to Military and Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement should respect FNs decision and NOT resell the ammo to a person for civilian use. I doubt you would ever get a law enforcement agency to resell ammo to an outsider, which is fine.

It is not available in the USA for ANY price.

Some guys will reload simiar rounds, but it is NOT FN..... it is a RELOAD.
 
#11 ·
FN ammo

Sorry if I left some confusion.

I can purchase SS198LF on my own, (Federal LEO), but I cannot buy the SS190 as an individual since it is restricted.

It is only sold to Police as an Agency purchase not the individual officer. The same goes for the Military Unit but an individual soldier cannot purchase it on his own.
 
#12 ·
An individual soldier can't buy SS198LF either. Aint that a kick in the ass.
Oh ya, military personnel are trustworthy enough to defend the country with their lives but not as trustworthy as cops it seems (At least in the eyes of FN).
 
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