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500 Round Case Black Hills 5.56 NATO 50gr Barnes TSX Optimized Triple-Shock X - D556N1 - Best Barrier Round - FREE SHIPPING AND INSURANCE!

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$861.88
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D556N1

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500 round Case Black Hills Ammunition Factory New D556N1: 5.56mm NATO 50 Grain Barnes TSX Triple-Shock X. This is the Optimized version of the bullet. Water Resistant.

The Black Hills Ammunition 5.56mm 50 grain Barnes TSX round is the first purpose-built police patrol rifle load. Knowing police agencies frequently have a mix of 5.56mm weapons, including M16A1 rifles on loan from the LESO program, BH chose a 50-grain bullet which will work effectively in all weapons from 1/12 to 1/7-inch twist rates. Why Black Hills Barnes TSX is the first purpose-built police patrol rifle load

The 5.56 mm BH 50 gr TSX is optimized for ideal penetration and intermediate barrier effects at distances under 250 that are typical for CONUS LE and personal defense use. Loaded with Triple-Shocks, these revolutionary bullets from Barnes are made of 100% copper and contain no lead. When the bullet expands, four razor-sharp cutting petals are created, allowing the bullet to penetrate farther through tough bone and tissue. Triple-Shock bullets usually retain 100% of their original weight, making them a superb choice for hunting. This ammunition is new production, non-corrosive, in boxer primed, reloadable brass cases. This is an outstanding cartridge for short-barreled AR15s and for barrier penetration.

Here is an excellent review of this cartridge by Molon: Sniper's Hide

If 500 rounds are too many, we may also offer 50 round boxes of D556N1

In the past we have also offered two other outstanding duty cartridges in 5.56 NATO that are very effective against barriers as well as good for short barreled rifles. However, the Federal Tactical XM556SBCT3 is no longer produced and the Winchester Ranger 556B has been impossible to source:
Federal Tactical Bonded XM556SBCT3 62 grain JSP

Winchester Ranger 556B 64 grain JSP


"For LE and CONUS defensive use, the 50 gr TSX is hard to beat." Dr. Gary Roberts


"The BH 5.56 mm 50 gr TSX generally penetrates in the 12-18" range." Dr. Gary Roberts

5 shot averages fired at 3 meters from 14.5" M4 w/ave MV of 3012 fps:
BG: pen=14.7" RD=0.47" RW=49.9gr
Steel: pen=19.4" RD=0.22" RW=49.6gr
Wall: pen=16.7" RD=0.46" RW=49.9gr
Auto Glass: pen=17.0" RD=0.36" RW=43.4gr

"...the Black Hills 5.56mm 50 grain TSX load fired from a 10.5"€ barrel produces nearly the same results in bare ballistic gelatin as the load does when fired from a 20"€ barrel." Molon posting on Lightfighter

"One of the nice things about this load is that it works very well in barrels from 8-20 inches long and works in twists from 1/12 to 1/7." Dr. Gary Roberts

(Regarding Duty ammunition for Colt M4A1 with 11.5" barrel) "Your best bet is a 5.56 mm (not .223) loading of a barrier blind projectile. The 5.56 mm Federal 62 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (TBBC) bonded JSP (XM556FBIT3) and 5.56 mm Winchester 64 gr solid base bonded JSP (Q3313/RA556B) developed for the FBI are optimal solutions, the Black Hills 5.56 mm 50 gr TSX loading and Hornady 5.56 mm 55 gr GMX are also acceptable options. Speer Gold Dot 62/64 gr 5.56 mm loadings would also work well." Dr. Gary Roberts

We also offer several other outstanding duty cartridges in 5.56 NATO that are effective against barriers and good for short barreled rifles, including:
Federal Tactical Bonded XM556SBCT3
(XM556FBIT3) 62 grain JSP
Winchester Ranger 556B 64 grain JSP


Muzzle Velocity from various barrel lengths:
8" = 2634 fps
10.5" = 2749 fps
14.5" = 3105 fps
20" = 3205 fps


This load performs particularly well in shorter barreled carbines, because it is designed to expand, not fragment.

"The specific 5.56mm 50gr TSX bullet that we use is a tougher bullet originally designed for terminal performance parameters that included barrier performance for LE use. It is optimized for gunfight distances likely to be encountered by LE. From a 20" barrel you can expect good expansion to around 200 yards." Jeff Hoffman, Black Hills Ammunition

"With these bullets there is a 1000-1200 fps "window" for best performance. The "window" is to mushroom at low velocity and not lose petals at the higher velocity. The window can be adjusted to match the velocity range that is important for the intended purpose. That is what was done with this particular bullet (the 50 TSX we use in our 5.56mm load). It works great in short and long M4/AR15 barrels at very short range, and still performs well at the outside edge of most LE or civilian engagement distances, plus performs well through many barriers. The advantage to this "tougher" version is that it does not lose petals at the very close ranges. The "standard" bullet may perform better at somewhat longer ranges, but at the possible expense of performance at short ranges where the velocity is still high enough to cause petals to shear." Jeff Hoffman, Black Hills Ammunition

The TSX was introduced in 2003 and has become Barnes’ most popular hunting bullet. The TSX has gained worldwide recognition as one of the deadliest, most dependable bullets you can buy. Try these all-copper bullets and realize the added benefits of improved accuracy, reduced barrel fouling and increased velocity. Barnes TSX

This load features the solid copper 50 gr. Barnes TSX bullet as modified by BH. This bullet offers tremendous performance against barriers such as auto glass and sheet metal. As it is solid in construction, there is no jacket to separate from its core, as with traditional bullets. The bullet stays intact after passing through intermediate barriers.

The TSX bullet design as modified by BH has a more robust design, making it almost totally barrier blind. Its thicker petals makes it less likely to lose petals when penetrating auto glass or other intermediate barriers. And it gives excellent expansion and deep penetration from almost any barrel length from 20 inches down to eight inches. The only downside to the tougher design is expansion drops off dramatically past 75 yards from an eight inch barrel out to 200 yards from a 16 inch barrel.

"The best LE 5.56 mm/.223 loads for intermediate barrier penetration using 1/9 and faster twist barrels are the 5.56 mm Federal 62 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (TBBC) bonded JSP (XM556FBIT3) and 5.56 mm Winchester 64 gr solid base bonded JSP (Q3313/RA556B) developed for the FBI, along with the outstanding new Black Hills 5.56 mm 50 gr TSX loading." "5.56 mm Duty Loads" by Dr. Gary Roberts in pistol-forum.com

"The new design of the proprietary 50 grain TSX, combined with the increased velocity of the 5.56mm load (along with the relatively shorter length of the 50 grain projectile) allows this load to be adequately stabilized from a wide variety of barrel twist rates and produce extremely consistent terminal ballistic properties from a wide variety of barrel lengths. The pic below (from Black Hills Ammunition) shows that the Black Hills 5.56mm 50 grain TSX load fired from a 10.5” barrel produces nearly the same results in bare ballistic gelatin as the load does when fired from a 20” barrel." Molon posting on lightfighter.com

BOTTOM LINE: Simply adopting new 5.56 mm barrier blind combat loads that are optimized for shorter barrels, offer consistent early upset, along with adequate penetration, and minimal AOA/Fleet yaw issues may be the critical answer to many deficiencies noted with currently issued U.S. military 5.56 mm ammunition. Dr. Gary Roberts

This ammunition is loaded with Lake City brass that has undergone factory annealing which extends brass life. As a result of the annealing process the neck portion of the brass may be discolored until the case is cleaned.

Please Note: While the 5.56x45mm NATO will fit in a .223 Remington chamber, the 5.56 is a military round that runs at higher pressures than its .223 counterpart and is not recommended to be fired in a .223 Remington chamber.

Technical Information

  • Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
  • Bullet Weight: 50 Grain
  • Bullet Style: Barnes TSX Hollow Point Lead-Free
  • Case Type: Brass