le.atk.com/223data/223rifle.asp?pgtocall=1Federal did some testing on several of their .223/5.56 rounds, and published the results on the link above. The tests were performed using a Colt M4 with a 14.5" barrel with a 1/7 twist rate at 10 yards.
What caught my eye was that the way that the American Eagle .223 55 gr. performed:
- Against Bare Gel it achieved 14.5" of penetration, velocity was 2869 fps and it only retained 36% of it's weight (fragmented)
- Against heavy clothing it achieve 12.25" of penetration, velocity was 2869 fps and it retained 80% of it's weight (fragmented, but not a whole lot)
- Against steel it penetrated 16" with almost no fragmentation, and against glass it only penetrated 3.25" (not bad compared to what some of the other rounds penetrated).
The reason I bring it up, is because I am looking for widely available alternatives to XM193 which seems to be almost impossible to find anymore. So what do you think? Might this be a viable alternative for use as a defensive round?