Russian Rifle Caliber Question

[Leatherneck556]

So I understand that there are several good 7.62x39 loads out there that have good terminal effects and are barrier blind, such as the Hornady SST and Lapua and Winchester JSP rounds - this thread is not about those rounds.

I know that most of the cheaper Russian JHP/FMJ rounds tend to travel point-forward and cause minimal disruption in flesh, but how do they perform against commonly encountered barriers? What about the 8M3 bullet, specifically? I understand that it will often fragment in flesh/ballistic gel, but does it adequately penetrate intermediate barriers and still get the desired penetration on the other side? Is that particular projectile still being used in a commercially available load? How do the other types of cheaper 7.62x39 ball/JHP (such as Yugo M67) perform when encountering barriers?

[PA PATRIOT]

It has been said that the current Tula ammo (also branded as TulAmmo) 124gr H/P uses the 8M3 bullet and there are several postings on different forums which state that a known 8M3 bullet was sectioned and compared to the Tula 124gr H/P and they appeared identical.

[tpd223]

The Hornady SST or TAP or whatever they are calling it now is an excellent choice.

[Jack-O]

look into Barnaul SP ammo.

[PA PATRIOT]

look into Barnaul SP ammo.

Is there new testing that shows the Barnaul SP actually expands more so then the prior Barnaul SP which were nothing more then FMJ's with the tips cut and a lead tip formed on.

[Jack-O]

Is there new testing that shows the Barnaul SP actually expands more so then the prior Barnaul SP which were nothing more then FMJ's with the tips cut and a lead tip formed on.

I know the wolf was made like that but I dont recall the barnauls being made that way.

I never saw any testing on the barnaul at all, just going based on my own bullet dissection observations.

[ak74auto]

I know the wolf was made like that but I dont recall the barnauls being made that way.

I never saw any testing on the barnaul at all, just going based on my own bullet dissection observations.

Besides using ballistic gel to test the performance of this rd, can you think of another way that's suitable?

[DocGKR]

Water.

[ak74auto]

Thanks Doc