If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole trying to figure out what ammunition elite units like SEAL Team 6 actually run, you know how much misinformation is out there. HOP Munitions recently tackled the question head-on, and the answer is more nuanced than any single YouTube video will tell you.
The short version: JSOC units often purchase ammunition off the shelf for non-attributable, mission-specific reasons — meaning there’s no single “SEAL load.” That said, two rounds dominate the conversation: the Black Hills Mk262 Mod 1 (77-grain OTM) and the Barnes 70-grain TSX solid copper. Each serves a different purpose, and understanding why these loads get selected tells you a lot about what actually matters in terminal performance.
HOP also makes the case for their own 62-grain REX — a solid copper expanding round that shares the same design philosophy as the TSX, offering higher velocity and a flatter trajectory out of the 14.5″–16″ carbines most of us are actually running.
Whether you’re shopping for a defensive load, hunting ammo, or just want to understand the ballistics behind what the professionals choose, this is a solid read.
Head over to HOP Munitions for the full breakdown
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