7.62x39 Silver Bear Soft Point Gel Test Results

[plouffedaddy]

Finished up the testing of the Silver Bear 7.62x39 125gr soft point round. Lots of folks say Russian soft point rounds don't expand; well I figured I'd test them to see if that's the case. Here are the conditions and results.

Test conditions:

-16'' SGL21
-Test rounds fired from 15 feet
-"FBI spec" (Their term, not mine...) Clear Ballistics gel block

Chrono Data:

-2403 feet per second
-1601 foot pounds of energy

Results:

-Expansion started at 1'' mark
-Pretty nasty wound track
-Steel jacket separated from the core
-20.5'' penetration

Here's the video showing the test, the permanent cavity, both shots into the gel, and a discussion of the results:

 

[nathan]

Link doesnt work... Great to know they have improved . On another note those HP bullets called the 8 M do fragment like a bomb.

 

[armarsh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_jfLZYnhT-w

 

[nathan]

SP for hunting hogs. HP for SHTF,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO33U6JQI04

 

[plouffedaddy]

Link doesnt work... Great to know they have improved . On another note those HP bullets called the 8 M do fragment like a bomb.

Thanks for the heads up.

Not sure why that happened but it's fixed

 

[tryshoot]

Thank you. That was info.

 

[LJH]

Holy Cow! 5.9" Of expansion

Thanks for the testing, outstanding job.

 

[plouffedaddy]

Holy Cow! 5.9" Of expansion

Yup, it's serious expansion

 

[dvdcrr]

So is this stuff hands down better than wolf 123 gr hp and if so where can you buy a thousand.

 

[BP Hunter]

Nice AK!

 

[plouffedaddy]

So is this stuff hands down better than wolf 123 gr hp and if so where can you buy a thousand.

 

[dvdcrr]

thanks for the link and your efforts

 

[41 Mag]

Several years back I picked up a case of this that and what ever for my "pig-o-matic" SKS. We use what ever expands period and is usually the cheapest. I can say that the Wolf and the ones listed here will both let the air right out of a hog within 50-75yds, and if they don't drop on the spot they only need a finishing round, and not a tracking job.

We use the SKS's up in the thick river bottom at my friends place where shots are close and there is a LOT of brush to deflect bullets when things get fast. More times than not you pic a hole ahead of them and as soon as you see black fire.

Thanks for posting that it is interesting that it is very similar to some of my experience while cleaning them. I'm not sure where folks get the idea that either one doesn't expand, our problem has always been just the opposite.