7.62 Nato under 300 yards.

[TXBob]

7.62 NATO rounds for CQB

Been looking hard through the archives for info about 7.62 rounds and while I see the sticky on LR sniper rounds, I see only scattered info on the short barrel + 7.62 NATO round for closer combat Most of them are for military which of course cannot (generally) use HP.

There seems to be a consensus that the 130-150gr OTM is the superior performance for a 16-20 inch semi-auto barrel.

However for non-military like myself are there additional options for JHP that offer superior terminal ballistics and are barrier blind in the under 300 yard range?

My apologies if everyone is aware of this already, I did try a long search on the subject. It seems like 7.62 was the "third wheel" of the improved cartridge behind 6.8 and 5.56 and I could not find all the details on the subject.

[DocGKR]

For .308, it is best to stick with a barrel no shorter than around 16". What ammo is best is dependent on what your target is. For a 16" .308 carbine, the Federal 165 gr TBBC, Nosler 150 gr Partition, Swift 150 gr Scirocco II, Remington 150 gr Core Lokt Ultra Bonded, Speer 150 Gold Dot, Barnes 150 gr Triple Shock, as well as the Hornady 155 gr AMAX, Hornady 155 gr OTM, and Lapua 155 gr Scenar all work well at 300 yds.

[NE450No2]

For good terminal performance, where barrier penetration is not a big concern, take a look at Federal and Winchester's loads with the Ballistic Tip ammo. The Federal 150gr BT and the Winchester 168gr Ballistic Silvertip have been very accurate in several different 308's.

Where barrier penetration is important, take a look at the Federal 165gr Tactical load, or the 165 Trophy Bonded Bearclaw loads.

Also the Federal loads with Barnes X bullets are very good penetrators.

The Federal TBBC and the X bullet factory loads have also proven very accurate.

[LDM]

I've hunted Whitetail with the Hornady SST for a number of years and been very pleased all around: accuracy and performance.
Although not a bonded bullet, their interlock construction seems to hold them together better than the Nosler BalTip. YMMV.
I hunt with a bolt action, but the Hornady SST works just fine out of my FAL, too.

[NE450No2]

Hornady ammo is good stuff.
I can also say that I have never had any malfunctions shooting hunting ammo type Soft Points in any of the H&K 91s FN-FALs, M1-As or M1 Garands.