Just wondering?????????????

[Fly]

I have a PSL & a few mosin nagants that shoot 7.62 x 54 light ball 148 gram bullets.These are milsap FMJ stuff.Will this ammo penitrate
today,s body armer?These FMJ bullets will go threw a 16 inch oak tree.I got to looking at that & could not beleave
it.

Then I got to thinking about our troops fighting against these rounds.Do any of you guys know?

Fly:coffee:

[WILCO]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62%C3%9754mmR

http://www.warriortalk.com/archive/index.php/t-32509.html

[I'll Make Mine]

The common steel core surplus light ball will penetrate a half inch steel plate at 100 meters. Current Dragunov sniper ammunition is optimized for better penetration than that.

The good news for our troops is that they have better armor now than even five years ago, and the best out there will reliably stop the surplus light ball x54R we get cheaply here -- never mind the 7.62x39 that they actually face on a daily basis, which is a similar or identical bullet at about half the muzzle energy. In theater, they seldom if ever face a PSL, Mosin Nagant, or Dragunov (never mind a trained sniper who can actually deliver the round accurately).

[Love Life]

Yes it will penetrate our soft body armor. It will not penetrate our ESAPI.

[xacex]

I have a bunch of those bullets pulled. Thought about loading then in the 300blk case. If it not marked as AP I can still shoot it in my pistol right? I did slice one open, and they have a nice size steel pin down the center, with a coat of lead all rolled in a copper plated steel jacket.

[I'll Make Mine]

I have a bunch of those bullets pulled. Thought about loading then in the 300blk case. If it not marked as AP I can still shoot it in my pistol right? I did slice one open, and they have a nice size steel pin down the center, with a coat of lead all rolled in a copper plated steel jacket.

As I understand it (and I'm neither a BATFE agent nor a lawyer), any steel core bullet loaded in a handgun round, regardless of marking, is prohibited as "armor piercing", but the same bullets "made for" a rifle round are okay. No, it doesn't make much sense, but what gun control regs do?

[xacex]

As I understand it (and I'm neither a BATFE agent nor a lawyer), any steel core bullet loaded in a handgun round, regardless of marking, is prohibited as "armor piercing", but the same bullets "made for" a rifle round are okay. No, it doesn't make much sense, but what gun control regs do?

Good to know. I guess I may just loads these for the rifle then.

[Ed in North Texas]

As I understand it (and I'm neither a BATFE agent nor a lawyer), any steel core bullet loaded in a handgun round, regardless of marking, is prohibited as "armor piercing", but the same bullets "made for" a rifle round are okay. No, it doesn't make much sense, but what gun control regs do?

The prohibition is on manufacture or importation of armor piercing pistol ammunition. Reloading for yourself is not (yet) considered "manufacture". The Statute and regulations stipulate both a generic description and specific named ammunition. While 7.62x39 steel core is specifically listed, the 7.62x54R is not (and isn't a pistol round - or "Assault Weapon" round). The generic description is:
"Under Title 18, UNITED STATES CODE, CHAPTER 44 as amended by Public Law 103-322
The Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (enacted September 13, 1994) 18 U.S.C. CHAPTER 44 § 921(a)(17)(B) the term 'armor piercing ammunition' means --

(i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; or

(ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile." (emphasis added).

I don't recollect if BATF finds the lead surrounding the steel core to be "more than a trace" of lead, but I don't think anyone would find .300 Blk to be a pistol round either (yet, anyway).

Ed

[xacex]

Thank you Ed. That is a interesting read, and only adds more question of what (the presence of traces of other substances) really means. I wont try to interpret anything the BATF may write that is not black and white. But I still wouldn't mind seeing how effective they are in the 300blk platforms out there. That was my intention with them anyway.

[psl sniper]

the hard plates may stop the round, which is why alot of the "sniper's" (use that term loosely) over there aim for under the arm pit or the neck area. been doing alot of research on the subject recently (i have a militarized russian tiger and a psl)

[Multigunner]

I've used the 147 gr steel core Russian bullet for .303 handloads. Its the only boat tail bullet I've tried that works perfectly with my two groove Savage barrel. Accuracy has been on par with the Hornady 150 gr .312 flat base bullet, and that's been pretty darn good.
To seat to proper COAL you have to seat the bullet with crimping groove inside the case mouth, so crimping is out.
The bullets I miked were a consistent .3125, don't know if that's the average size for these.

Some steel core bases were harder than a very hard needle file but others were easily cut by the point of the same file. Hardness is not consistent.

The powder from the ammo I got these bullets from is pretty good powder. Its very silvery short extruded powder. The silvery stuff is probably an anti friction coating left from manufacture. I used the same scoop that throws 43.5 grs of IMR 4320 for loads using this bullet and powder. Point of Impact was the same as with the Hornady bullet and 4320 powder.

I put one of these through about 36 inches of stacked wooden beams. The bullet exited leaving a small exit hole, meaning no tumbling, and was still booking.
When fired at a old steel I beam it punched an aprox 1/2 to 5/8 hole through the web and the punched out plug turned white hot and bounced off another beam and arched high through the air like a flare.

[psl sniper]

so...good stuff? lol.