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Posted: 2/12/2006 4:55:47 AM EDT
It seems to me that that the primary advantage of the .223 is its ability to fragment at high speed. I just ran across this:
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Another site:
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I don't see what your concern is. The test you originally put up there was twofold, to show the difference between bare naked and going through wall board. And also that many .223 round are not any more dangerous as far as "overpenetration" as the handgun shown. The cops are always talking about stray rounds and overpenetration and hitting innocent bystanders. What is your question? |
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From everything I have read, it appears that fragmentation is what makes the .223 so effective. A round can break in half and that is fragmentation. It seems that the .223 is so effective because of the "explosive" fragmentation. From what I have seen this occurs generally over 2900 fps. There have been some attempts to quantify it by % fragmentation. I am not sure how this is defined. Other than the report above, I have seen only one other attempt to quantify the amount of fragmentation: www.bushmaster.com/le/tests/hornady_tactical_ammunition.htm I find this interesting. The 40-60 gr rounds are plastic tip "Nosler style" rounds. The % fragmentation decreases with increasing weight and decreasing speed. 2910 fps was required for 75% fragmentation. The 75 gr round is a JHP-BT "Match style" and fragments much better - 72% at only 2616 fps. This seems important. How is fragmentation % defined? Is the data available for various ammo at different velocities? |
Because this quote:
leads me to believe that you haven't. It is discussed in tha ammo oracle at length and should not come as a surprise. |
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That means 44% of that particular bullet fragmented. That's not enough for you? 100% would be like if it all turned into more than 100 pieces. At least this is how I've come to understand it. 10% fragmentation would still be more than a bullet that just yawed and didn't come apart. From what I understand, the 75's have a threshold of 2200 fps or somewhere therein. It's in the tacked thread and in the ammo oracle. It is considered to be much more effective than M193 or M855 by any standard. Does this answer your question? |
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I do not know what the ideal fragmentation % is. It seems that 75% would be ideal giving more fragmentation than 50% but still leaving 25% of the bullet for penetration. I still do not know how it is defined. If the bullet breaks in half is this 50% fragmentation? My guess is that the fragments are weighed and compared to what is left of the main portion of the bullet. I will read the ammo oracle yet once again as well as try to find the point in a tacked thread. Thanks! |
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Generally, I don't think you'd consider the bullet breaking in half to be 50% fragmentation. I think the reason no one has defined it better is because when a bullet fragments, it does violently. If you look at the pic of M193 a slower and slower velocities, it still breaks apart below 2700fps. That's not considered fragmentation though. Like I said - the % fragmentation doesn't look as good on paper, but it's hard to come to a definitive conclusion merely based on the fragmentation percentage without also seeing what it did in a tissue simulant. |
The Nosler Partition has long been recognized as an excellent hunting bullet. I myself have used it for years. The Nosler Partition is reported to usually retain approximately 60% of its original weight. I am unable to substantiate this from my own data because every Partition I have ever fired at game has had complete penetration on everything from 180 pound deer to 600+ elk. Does 60% retained weight equal 40% fragmentation? If so, it appears to be a proven approach. viator |
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Fragmentation % is not solely what you judge ammo by. Judge the permanant wound cavity size and location above all else. look at performance across a variety of velocities. I would certainly appreciate it if you just asked questions instead of tossing out misinformed ideas untill you get a grasp on the fundamentals. Fighting your misconceptions in other threads is tiresome. 69 grain ammo has a late yaw cycle and is far from ideal due to reduced effectiveness at reduced velocities and extended ranges. Please quit trying to justify its superiority when it is inferior. |
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