I was thinking of picking up a .30 Carbine, mainly just for fun and possibly
defense if ever needed. I hear a lot of Internet chatter about the .30 Carbine
being an ineffective round and it's better to go with the .223/5.56 (hereafter called 5.56).
Although I can see why for long ranges past say 150 yards or so you'd want the 5.56,
for short ranges I don't see much of a difference when comparing 5.56
coming out of a 16" barrel.
Here are two examples:
.30 Caliber
http://www.brassfetcher.com/30carbineFed110grSP.html
Bullet: 110 Grain Federal Power Shok Soft Point
FPS: 1,954
Ft-Lbs: (110 * 1,954^2)/450400 = 932 ft-lbs.
Penetration: 15" (then exited block)
Expansion: 0.461"
.223/5.56
http://www.brassfetcher.com/62 grain Barnes Triple-Shock.html
Bullet: 62 Grain Barnes Triple Shock
FPS: 2,752 fps
Ft-Lbs: (62 * 2,752^2)/450400 = 1,042 ft-lbs
Penetration: 17"
Expansion: 0.408"
I picked 2 of the premium bullets from the testing.
It looks pretty close to me. The wound cavity from the .30 Carbine
actually looks bigger then that from the 5.56 (but that could just be lighting).
They both penetrated and expanded well.
Is it a toss up at close range?
defense if ever needed. I hear a lot of Internet chatter about the .30 Carbine
being an ineffective round and it's better to go with the .223/5.56 (hereafter called 5.56).
Although I can see why for long ranges past say 150 yards or so you'd want the 5.56,
for short ranges I don't see much of a difference when comparing 5.56
coming out of a 16" barrel.
Here are two examples:
.30 Caliber
http://www.brassfetcher.com/30carbineFed110grSP.html
Bullet: 110 Grain Federal Power Shok Soft Point
FPS: 1,954
Ft-Lbs: (110 * 1,954^2)/450400 = 932 ft-lbs.
Penetration: 15" (then exited block)
Expansion: 0.461"
.223/5.56
http://www.brassfetcher.com/62 grain Barnes Triple-Shock.html
Bullet: 62 Grain Barnes Triple Shock
FPS: 2,752 fps
Ft-Lbs: (62 * 2,752^2)/450400 = 1,042 ft-lbs
Penetration: 17"
Expansion: 0.408"
I picked 2 of the premium bullets from the testing.
It looks pretty close to me. The wound cavity from the .30 Carbine
actually looks bigger then that from the 5.56 (but that could just be lighting).
They both penetrated and expanded well.
Is it a toss up at close range?