Just got through a wet newspaper test for the 223 Rem (a little RAR Compact) using two of my favourite bullets; the 65g Gameking and the 75g Amax.
As I often do I fired three of each at three different velocities, to approximate impact at different ranges. In this case I attempted to simulate impacts at 10, 75 and 200 yards. I personally wouldn't be likely to attempt to shoot a pig or deer further than that with a 223 unless the conditions assured me of a headshot, and in that case it would matter little what bullet was used.
So here's the test setup...
Sierra 65g Gameking:
1) 2875fps
2) 2650fps
3) 2300fps
Hornady 75g Amax:
1) 2750fps
2) 2620fps
3) 2375fps
I'll preface the data by saying both bullets performed well for such small bullets, and neither demonstrated a significant advantage, however there was one aberration which you'll note...
Sierra 65g:
1) 2875fps
Penetration: 190mm
Retained Weight: 42.2g
Expanded Diameter: 0.54"
2) 2650fps
Penetration: 220mm
Retained Weight: 62g
Expanded Diameter: 0.54
3) 2300fps
Penetration: 310mm
Retained Weight: 61.8g
Expanded Diameter: 0.45
Hornady 75g:
1)2750fps
Penetration: 220mm
Retained Weight: 39.4g
Expanded Diameter: 0.50
2) 2620fps
Penetration: 210mm
Retained Weight: 38g
Expanded Diameter: 0.46
3) 2375fps
Penetration: 230mm
Retained Weight: 55.2g
Expanded Diameter: 0.49"
So what did we find?
The Sierra retained more weight in every case. The two at the slower speeds retained around 95%! That's excellent when the solid penetration and great expanded diameter are accounted. I think so anyway.
The Amax penetrated well, generally just as well as the Sierra. It also expanded wide. I found they were much of a muchness in this test, except...
That slowest Sierra, at only 2300fps, didn't even begin to start expanding (edit; thanks Guy) until around 12 cm (near 5 inches) into the stack of very soggy newpaper. It pencilled until that point, then it expanded just as wide as the others. The end result was that it ended up penetrating far more than any other. Over a foot!
I found this rather interesting and I don't know exactly how to explain it. I would need to test more at that impact speed to see if it was a consistent theme.
Of note, I've shot a lot of the Hornady 75g BTHP Match bullets into wet newspaper, and that's exactly how they perform; about 4 to 5 inches of pencilling then wide expansion, and deep penetration. The Amax it appears performs much more like a traditional soft point or ballistic tip type bullet.
Any thoughts?
As I often do I fired three of each at three different velocities, to approximate impact at different ranges. In this case I attempted to simulate impacts at 10, 75 and 200 yards. I personally wouldn't be likely to attempt to shoot a pig or deer further than that with a 223 unless the conditions assured me of a headshot, and in that case it would matter little what bullet was used.
So here's the test setup...
Sierra 65g Gameking:
1) 2875fps
2) 2650fps
3) 2300fps
Hornady 75g Amax:
1) 2750fps
2) 2620fps
3) 2375fps
I'll preface the data by saying both bullets performed well for such small bullets, and neither demonstrated a significant advantage, however there was one aberration which you'll note...
Sierra 65g:
1) 2875fps
Penetration: 190mm
Retained Weight: 42.2g
Expanded Diameter: 0.54"
2) 2650fps
Penetration: 220mm
Retained Weight: 62g
Expanded Diameter: 0.54
3) 2300fps
Penetration: 310mm
Retained Weight: 61.8g
Expanded Diameter: 0.45
Hornady 75g:
1)2750fps
Penetration: 220mm
Retained Weight: 39.4g
Expanded Diameter: 0.50
2) 2620fps
Penetration: 210mm
Retained Weight: 38g
Expanded Diameter: 0.46
3) 2375fps
Penetration: 230mm
Retained Weight: 55.2g
Expanded Diameter: 0.49"
So what did we find?
The Sierra retained more weight in every case. The two at the slower speeds retained around 95%! That's excellent when the solid penetration and great expanded diameter are accounted. I think so anyway.
The Amax penetrated well, generally just as well as the Sierra. It also expanded wide. I found they were much of a muchness in this test, except...
That slowest Sierra, at only 2300fps, didn't even begin to start expanding (edit; thanks Guy) until around 12 cm (near 5 inches) into the stack of very soggy newpaper. It pencilled until that point, then it expanded just as wide as the others. The end result was that it ended up penetrating far more than any other. Over a foot!
I found this rather interesting and I don't know exactly how to explain it. I would need to test more at that impact speed to see if it was a consistent theme.
Of note, I've shot a lot of the Hornady 75g BTHP Match bullets into wet newspaper, and that's exactly how they perform; about 4 to 5 inches of pencilling then wide expansion, and deep penetration. The Amax it appears performs much more like a traditional soft point or ballistic tip type bullet.
Any thoughts?
