Federal 62gr 223 Fusion JSP for Barrier Penetration?

[kerplode]

So...I was going over my ammo inventory the other day and I realized that I don't have any decent barrier penetration loads in 223/5.56. I'd like to rectify this if possible, as I feel it would be prudent to have a couple mags worth to augment the 75gr TAPs for my HD carbine.

Ideally, I'd like to get my hands on a couple hundred rounds of Federal TBBCs, but they seem impossible to find. I think I could get a hold of a reasonable number of 62gr Fusion JSPs, though (F223FS1).

I realize the Fusion is primarily a hunting bullet, but do any of y'all know if this load would provide adequate performance against barriers (especially auto bodies and glass)?

[tpd223]

"I realize the Fusion is primarily a hunting bullet,"

Not to be a smart ass, but where do you think all of the really good rifle bullets have come from?

[wake.joe]

Deleted

[tpd223]

Depends.

M193 will punch most steel armor (vest) plates, but it has horrible performance against cars, especially windshields, and marginal terminal ballistic performance.

The various bonded .223 rounds, or bullets such as the DPX, mimic premium big game hunting ammo in that they perform very well in the area of terminal ballistics, and they also work very well even when running into barriers such as car doors, glass, etc.

[DocGKR]

Higher velocity projectiles tend to punch through steel better than slower ones; other intermediate barriers, such as glass, tend to be defeated less by speed, but rather by projectiles that retain a greater mass--it all depends on what your target is...

We have not yet shot the Fusion loads, but look forward to that opportunity.

[kerplode]

Thanks for the input! Guess I'll just keep looking for some LE223T3...

[jesse1192]

Higher velocity rounds do penetrate steel better. On tissue it is not always the case. A 454 with a well constructed 300 gr bullet will always out-penetrate say a 308 with a good 180 gr bullet, even though it is moving 1k less fps and has 6-800#'s less energy. On the velocity side it is interesting to note some of my following test conclusions. On 2" bridge steel, a 55gr 223 leaves a deeper crater than a 30-06. The weird thing is that my .50 hardly goes any deeper than the 223. Of course the crater is wider. Another thing, this is m193 vs. M33 steel core. The deepest hole that I have left is with a 30-378 using 180 gr X bullet.

[Molon]

The 62 grain Fusion appears to have a very similar design to that of the 64 grain Gold Dot. Both are bonded bullets, have the same advertised muzzle velocity and both have the unique Gold Dot boat-tail shape.

[kerplode]

Thanks Molon!

After reading your reply, I spent a bit of time looking into the 64gr Gold Dot's performance...As far as I can tell, the results look promising. Given the similarities in construction between the 64gr Gold Dot and the 62gr Fusion, I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to assume the Fusion would also provide adequate performance. Probably not as good as the LE223T3, but most likely good enough. Plus, they're available and relatively inexpensive.

[Omega_556]

The Fusion jacket is definitely not as uniform as the Gold Dot jacket.

The center of mass will not be the physical center. In the bore the bullet will rotate about its physical center, yet in flight it will rotate about its center of mass. Could this cause a wobble and negatively effect accuracy?