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Posted: 9/27/2015 5:22:38 PM EDT
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I bought some of this ammo after seeing it's performance in gel, and after Midway started selling it cheap. I still haven't wrung it out accuracy wise, but it shoots well enough, a little better than M193 for me. I didn't chrono it, but judging by my come ups, it is significantly slower than M193. I've been carrying a mag full of it for a couple of weeks, hoping to get on some hogs or dogs. I got my chance last week.
My first shot on flesh was on a 150ish pound boar. I found him with a spotlight at 75ish yards. He was quartering away, and I started to take the headshot, but I wanted to see what the bullet would do, and I assumed I would get at least 12 inches penetration, so I shot him directly in the center of the body. The bullet should have passed through his lungs into his left shoulder, but it didn't make it that far. It was a chip shot, and I put it right where I wanted it, but he squeeled and ran off. He was in some brush, so by the time the smoke cleared the spotlight, he was gone. I found him the second day about 75 yards from where I shot him. Though the coyotes had cleaned out his guts, I could tell that the bullet didn't hit a rib on entry, and didn't make it the 12 inches to his off shoulder. He ran 75 yards, but I could tell he floundered around a while before dying, so the bullet either deflected badly or didn't do much damage to the lungs that should have been reached within 4-6 inches of penetration. My second shot was on a half grown coyote at 200 yards. He was a tiny fellow, under 15 pounds. He was slightly quartering to me, looking over a knoll, so his body was running down away from me. The bullet entered on his left shoulder, cut straight through his chest cavity, and stopped near his spine on the right. It didn't hit a bone on entry, but broke 3 ribs on the off side. He was dead instantly, didn't even flop. Again, this was a very slight coyote, and coyotes are pretty slight. The bullet totally failed. Not only did it only give around 7 inches of penetration, it fragmented, and the biggest fragment I could find was about half of the jacket around the bottom, which was flattened out. No fragments penetrated past (or into, as far as I could tell) the diaphragm. I would have thought that at 200 yards, out of a 16" bbl, the bullet would be going slow enough that it could have held together. This is not a tough bullet. In my limited experience, it does not hold together or penetrate adequately. It performs more like a varmint bullet than a medium game bullet or a defense load. It's fairly accurate, and cheap, so I WILL buy more, but I won't use it for deer, and might only use it on hogs to see if I can get a better result. I wouldn't consider using it for defense. Has anyone else put any of these on flesh? If so, how did it work for you? |
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First thank you for this excellent first hand, in field report on the .223 Fiocchi 55 g SP terminal effectiveness. Much Needed info, and this is not my choice for SD.
I just picked up a small load of this cheapie SP and it feels "soft' out of my 16", and certainly does not Group as well as the AE 50 g VT does out of either my 16" fast twist 1:7 or my Wylde 20" 1:8. We / I need something with more terminal stability than this or the excellent accuracy-wise AE 50 g V Tip for bigger "pests" for a humane stop. PSA has a sale on Fusion 62 grain @ $11.99/20 so GTG there, but will look for opportunity to really test this Fiocchi and pass on like you have. After all, I have a load of it. Thanks for the write up. |
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Thanks for the kind words. Please do get back to us if you get to use it, as two rounds is hardly scientific, I'm wondering if someone else has had better luck.
I haven't flesh tested the Fusion, but the Gold Dot is supposed to be the same bullet, and it is my go to round for 223/556. My sons have killed over 10 deer and at least that many hogs with it and we haven't had anything but bang flops. All complete pass throughs, one went over 18" through a hog at 150 yards (give or take, I'd have to look at my notes). |
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