FMJ yaw and upset performance

[LR1955]

If there is a problem with the range being too long for some places, then the approach already in place for .50 cal (and being developed in 7.62mm) can be adopted: design a training bullet which matches the trajectory of the ball round out to a certain distance, then loses stability and falls to the ground much sooner than usual.

Tony:

The Training Practice rounds have been done in various forms over the decades and unfortunately it is a very expensive failure, both mechanically and in terms of realism in training.

OK -- if you only want to match 7.62 Ball -- why would you want a VLD?

A true VLD has so many design flaws that it would be an extremely poor choice for any organization that depends on mass produced ammunition and weapons. VLD's are hard on dies and harder to get to shoot well as the shooter must tune the seating depth to suit his individual rifle and this changes as the throat gets eroded. I used to make some true VLD's in .30 caliber and you have big problems with them because they also need to be shot at a pretty specific speed for you to see a difference in any practical terms. This is because with a true VLD you don't have any rounded area before the shoulder of the bullet that the air can flow over easily. It hits a pretty abrupt junction between tip and shank and if that speed is too high or low, you get some severe drag from the tip and that junction. Not a good idea.

Yes, reducing the meplat down to a needle point does increase a ballistic coefficient and the results are impressive when reading them from a ballistics computer. In terms of real use, compared to the open tip match bullets or even a FMJ, it may have meaning to some competitive long range shooters but for military or hunting purposes, it has no meaning aside from perhaps more penetration. Providing the tip isn't bent when it cycles through the weapon and all the tips are made absolutely perfectly.

A hybrid design between a tangent and secant ogive is an option and I would bet the current issued M-80 and 855 use a hybrid design. So, that one is a probable. 123 Lapua, AMAX, SMK are (I believe) hybrid ogives. OK then a 110 - 120 grain 1.2" long 6.5 with a hybrid ogive of 7 or 8 and a boat tail of some length where by the shank is still long enough for mechanical advantage even in barrels that are heavily worn -- probably around 3/10th of an inch.

Now you got to invent a powder that will push that bullet out a 16" barrel at 2700 fps with chamber pressures under 45K and then you will match the issued M-80 but you won't surpass it to any significant degree unless you can hit 2800 or more FPS.

Or, you can issue the guys a 77 grain 5.56 load for their carbines and be done with it.

LR1955