AAC 5.56 NATO 77 Grain OTM Ammo | Review

I should have fired a three-round group or maybe a five-round group. It would have made me feel better, and my half a dozen groups would all be sub-MOA if I had restrained them to three rounds. Or, well, at least some of them would be. I recently shot through 250 rounds of AAC’s 5.56 NATO 77-grain OTM cartridges through a PSA Sabre rifle. PSA purchased AAC after Remington went bankrupt, and their various brands hit the auction block. PSA also provided this ammo for transparency.

AAC now occupies the ammo wing of the steadily growing PSA empire. Plenty of ‘new’ ammo companies come and go, but this isn’t a small batch of overpriced relabeled Winchester ammo. This is a major gun manufacturer that produces ammo at competitive price points. The AAC 77 grain OTM (OTM stands for Open Tip Match) is only .55 cents per round.

AAC 5.56 NATO 77 Grain OTM

Live Inventory Price Checker

	AAC 5.56 NATO Ammo 77 Grain OTM 20rds	Palmetto State Armory	$ 11.99 $ 9.99
	AAC 5.56 NATO Ammo 77 Grain OTM 20rds	Palmetto State Armory	$ 12.49 $ 10.99
	AAC 5.56 NATO 77 Grain OTM Ammo 250rd With AAC Blue 30 Cal Ammo Can	Palmetto State Armory	$ 169.99
	AAC 5.56 NATO 77 Grain OTM Ammo 250rd With AAC Blue 30 Cal Ammo Can	Palmetto State Armory	$ 169.99
	US Cartridge 5.56 77 Gr Sierra MatchKing OTM (200 Round Bulk)	Ammunition Depot	$ 157.99

I searched worldwide, and the next cheapest comparable cartridge costs 10 cents more per round, with 20 cents more per round being the average. PSA is bringing their direct-to-seller expertise to the market and lowering the price of match-grade AR food. It’s going to work perfectly with their various military clones, like the Mk 12 they’re now producing.

How’s It Shoot?

I’m always suspicious when someone screams off the rooftops that their rifle is 1 MOA all day after they shoot a single three-shot 1 MOA group. There is a difference between a rifle and ammo type that occasionally shoots 1 MOA and one that can consistently shoot 1 MOA. For that reason, I went with six five-shot groups.

Why six? Well, because thirty rounds fit in a magazine. The time between shots is however long it took to walk 100 yards downrange, document the group, and return to the gun. I fired from a supported position with the gun resting on a table. Not in a vise but with a sandbag to support the barrel and stabilize the gun.

I fired six groups, one of which was truly sub-MOA. Another is almost 1 MOA, depending on how you measure groups. The other four were pretty close, hovering around 1.3 to 1.4 inches. I used a 4X prism optic from a company called Cosmic Tactical. It’s a fun little ACOG-wannabe that brings me back to the days of the M16A4. As mentioned, the rifle is a PSA Sabre with a twist rate of 1:7, which seems well suited for 77-grain ammo.

The Sabre series is designed to be the higher-end PSA rifles, but they aren’t DMRs, so overall, I think the AAC 5.56 NATO 77 Grain OTM rounds performed pretty well for 100 yards. I’m not a precision shooter, but I was stoked to see those tiny groups from my own shooting skills. It’s clear PSA seems to be taking the ammo business seriously and producing some accurate ammo for a little less than everyone else.

Beyond the Rested Position

After shooting my tiny groups and making myself feel good, I loaded another magazine and set up an A Zone-sized target at 100 yards. The 11×6-inch rectangle is a fairly large target; I feel I need a large target for my skills. I broke down my wonderful rested position and just tried a standing off-hand position.

Me and the Sabre fired ten rounds in the standing and walked back downrange once more. I was getting my steps in this range trip. At 100 yards, I kept all ten in the rectangle, with three breaking the line, but dang it, it counts! I felt good about hitting that rectangle consistently and accurately.

The AAC 77 grain OTM stuff is made for accuracy and copies the original military loads designed for DMR-type rifles. It’s also found its way into SBRs. According to guys who know more than me, this heavier-duty stuff is supposed to work well in guns like the 10.3-inch barreled MK-18. It makes sense. It’s heavier and hits hard, even from a short barrel.

I tried the AAC 77 grain in the same Sabre at 50, 25, and 10 yards. The recoil impulse was nice and what you’d expect from a 5.56 rifle. It doesn’t seem like the heavier projectile imparts more recoil on the user. The reticle doesn’t jump between shots, and I can do quick doubles, triples, and fast reloads. Up close, making little groups quickly was easy.

The AAC Solution

The AAC 5.56 NATO 77 grain OTM cartridges are solid performers up close and far away. I went through all 250 rounds without a problem. It’s not a ton, but accuracy and reliability proved consistent over the 250 rounds. I’m not a precision shooter by any means, but even I was a little suspect at 55 cents 77 grain OTM ammo.

Yet, here we are, with consistent, reliable, and seemingly very accurate 5.56 77 grain loads that don’t cost a whole lot more than standard AR food. I’m surprised, pleased, and impressed.

About Travis Pike

Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.