.308 110gr varminters for SHTF?

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Lucky

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Looking at .308 options, especially those tested on this site: http://www.brassfetcher.com/

I have to be curious about this one: http://www.brassfetcher.com/110 grain Sierra Varminter.html

Cartridge : 110 grain Sierra Varminter HP (handloaded).

Firearm : Roller-delayed rifle with 18.0" barrel length.

Calibration : 8.7 ± 0.05cm and 587 ± 0.500 ft/sec impact velocity.

50 grains of H380 powder, CCI large rifle primer

11.0 ± 0.031" penetration recorded at deepest-penetrating fragment. Bullet nearly severed block into four pieces and exhibited very low recoil for a .308WIN cartridge, despite flattening-out of the primer (maximum load for the test rifle).


It sounds pretty great. But I'm wondering what the muzzle velocity was, and what the fragmenting range is. For instance, does it comply to the 2700fps rule too?
 
It sounds pretty great. But I'm wondering what the muzzle velocity was, and what the fragmenting range is. For instance, does it comply to the 2700fps rule too?

The 2,700 fps thing doesn't apply to .308, and it doesn't apply to JHP ammunition. 2,700 feet per second is about the minimum velocity required to cause jacket failure in 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition; jacket failure results in partial-to-total fragmentation, depending on a lot of factors (including the origin of the ammo), and not all .223 FMJ will do this. The upside is that the fragmentation can significantly boost wounding capacity. The downside is that it limits penetration.

There's a lot of conflicting information about this on the internet. I, for one, don't hold that 5.56 ball was "designed" to fragment; if it was, the US wouldn't issue it, as it'd be in violation of the Hague Accords. (Note that when they tested it, one of the problems the Army had with LeMas "armor piercing limited penetration" oxymoron ammo was that a bullet designed to fragment may be in technical violation of the laws of land warfare. Now, if the fragmentation happens by happy accident, oh well, right? :D

At any rate, a .308 110 grain round will have a muzzle velocity in excess of 3,000 feet per second, usually, and still weighs twice as much as a typical .223 slug. Moreover, they're usually thin-jacketed JHP rounds designed to violently expand in smaller game (coyotes and such), so they'll probably make a mess in a two-legged predator.

Note that Hornady has a .308 TAP round in the 110 grain flavor. The object is to limit penetration in urban areas, and I think they succeeded nicely.
 
ETA- SorryNightcrawler answered before I could hit submit.

Dont mean to hijack the thread, but what is the "2700 fps rule"?
 
110gr Varminters?

I have shot a few of these out of a couple of 30-30's but in anything more powerful, well they just don't group. I've found that my barrels in 308, and 30-06 won't stabilize them. Move up to a 125 gr bullet and you've really got a great combo. They will stabilize in most 30 cal barrels.:)
 
Here ya go.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=236872

Only thing is they used the 110 V-MAX because it's for situations where full penetration might injure someone other than the bad guy, IE it's for a snipers carefull placement. I'd use the 155 gr version myself.

If faster followups are what youre looking for than maybe use a downloaded 125 or 130.

Edit: Oops, sorry Nightcrawler. I see you covered the 110 TAPs limited penetration already.
 
The 110 grain Hornady TAP load has been discussed in a thread or two here on THR, if you run a search. While I have no personal experience with it, I will say it sounds like it does make a 7.62x51 gun faster handling at CQC kinds of ranges, which is one of the big flaws with the cartridge for combat use.
 
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