Varmint Bullets For Self Defense
34GR Dogtown, 50GR Frangible, 50GR Hornady VMax, 55GR Hornady Spire Point, 62GR Lehigh Defense Controled Chaos, 60GR Nosler Partition, 55GR Nosler E-Tip
In ballistic gel
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Пікірлер: 153
In the 1980s I was loading the Hornady 55gr Spire Point in my Mini-14 to hunt Florida deer. It performed perfectly, even when hitting heavy bone. Every bullet recovered had expanded perfectly WITHOUT any evidence of fragmenting.
@nemoexnuqual3643
10 ай бұрын
An excellent point for the 77grain crowd. Sure 77 grain performs well on the tests devised by the same people who can’t catch drug runners in Texas and instead hunt school moms who complain about reading lists. Animals are tougher than people, if a round drops deer and hog it will drop a crackhead.
The human heart is around 1.5 to 2 inches deep from skin layer. I think people worry about penetration too much.
Nice demonstration. For home defense, I have absolutely no problem with a varmint round that only penetrates up to 6 inches ,but does maximum damage.
@ethang9932
Жыл бұрын
6 inches in ballistics gel isnt 6 inches in a human body. Varmint rounds arent recommended for self defense because they cannot penetrate deep enough to reach vital organs. Use a 77gr otm or tmk instead.
@XbnsVvV
Жыл бұрын
@@ethang9932 stupid
@jashas8616
Жыл бұрын
@@ethang9932where do you get this? Your heart is an inch under your skin 🤣
@mattfleming86
Жыл бұрын
@@jashas8616 The standard is there because most scenarios you'd need to hit a heart are NOT an unobstructed shot. If they are standing there with there arms down, its probably not a self defense scenario... AND arms/hands are full of bones. There is a high likelihood of the targets arms being raised in front of their body AND they are as likely to be bladed as they are to be frontal (look at use of force videos and you'll see this is often the case) and that doesn't account for muscular or fat people. With explosive varmint bullets you have a good chance of your bullet being nothing but "bits" before even reaching their clothing. I also agree that i'd rather err to the side of less than too much penetration.. 16" is overkill when you might have collateral damage downrange. There are great bullets/loads that can reach these middle grounds while still performing "enough" 69gr tipped match kings, 55 and up VMAX/amax/eld, 55gr gold dots, the over 55gr hornady soft points. So in other words you don't necessarily need a self defense bullet to be able to kill a 12pt mature buck with a chest shot, but it at least needs to be able to do a pass-through on a sickly coyote. 😁
@John5.56
11 ай бұрын
@@jashas8616yeah, behind muscles and bone. If you get a perfect squared shot. There’s a reason the fbi uses the standard of 12-18” of penetration in gel for their duty rounds.
Thanks for making this video! Wishing you continued success!
I keep 60 grain v-max in mag for home defense.Hope to god I never have to use them they would be devastating.
Really nice test! IMO the Nosler Partition is the best of all worlds. Great penetration + great expansion. The Nosler Partition has been my favorite as a hunting bullet in 308, 30-06, 7mm-08 and 7mm Magnum for many, many years. It will always expand really well and most of the time have just enough penetration to just get out the other side.
60 grain soft points would be a better option if you have a SBR/carbine. 62-64gr softies are what the FBI and nuke plant security settled on for their 11.5" carbines. The 60gr soft points are also $5 less per 100ct case vs the 60gr Vmax.
Great Video. I was loading my mags 5 varmint 5 ball until I seen your video. Thanks for the info. Makes a lot of sense.
I live in an apartment and long ago settled on a 55gr frangible. Good to see it penetrate gel. There is peace of mind that it should break into pieces on the first hard barrier. Thanks for the test
Great demonstration. Interesting perspective. Thank you so much.
A thing to consider for self defense is feeding reliability. I've used V-max, spire point, and hollow point .223 rounds. The spire point (lead tipped) rounds sometimes get bent while feeding and cause a jam. I haven't had that problem with the V-max or hollow point rounds, but it's definitely something you should test for yourself.
@Atlasowl
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the advice on that one, you made my buying decision for me
@jefferyboring4410
Жыл бұрын
I’ve shot a lot of em and never had any issues. I did cut my feed Ramp a bit better Maby that helped but again never seen anything off
Exactly what i wanted to know. Thank you
Great video! Appreciate your time
Phenomenal video! I’m thinking I like the Lehigh and E-Tip the best haha
A local company called cutting edge bullets makes some very nice bullets. They use Swiss lathes for the long range stuff. They are definitely worth checking out. Awesome video I always wondered what my hand load's would do in gel. Cheers
@ShastaBean
Жыл бұрын
I've recently shot a few of theirs in 5.7 x 28 into gel. I have a few vids from the 16" barrel uploaded and still need to work the vids from the pistol. They basically do what the Controlled Chaos advertised it would do, with a base that penetrates after petals shed or fragment. The Chaos (not controlled) in 38 & 32 grain did not hold the base in tact. It looks like his 62 grain looked like it did maintain a base, though. I have one more CE (40 gr Raptor) that I received after my tests so I will be loading those up. R&R weapons systems uses the 32 gr Raptor in one of their 5.7 loads. Good stuff, imo.
@bobborlog1677
9 ай бұрын
Yeah they make some serious stuff
@jacobrohr5903
7 ай бұрын
monolithic bullets don’t expand anything like jacketed lead bullets
@bobborlog1677
7 ай бұрын
@@jacobrohr5903 right they expand even better and more uniform than lead jacketed stuff
@jacobrohr5903
7 ай бұрын
@@bobborlog1677 also not true, they expand much slower, and impart many times less barotrauma. also not sure wtf you’re talking about but I’m pretty sure no bullet ever has had a lead jacket.
Thanks for the video. Great appreciated. I was looking for a self defense round for home.
Nosler Partition is probably the most overlooked and underrated projectile on the market. If they were readily available for my AR I’d choose them. But they’re near impossible to find even to reload.
Great job. Thanks
I think this has a lot to do with barrel length. 50gr vmax from a 10.5" has completely differen wounding characteristics than it does from a 20", where in a 20" it would probably blow up and leave a gruesome wound about 5" deep, in a 10.5" it will go at least twice as deep with extensive fragmentation and wound comparable to what you'd get from M193 from a 16" barrel.
@jefferyboring4410
Жыл бұрын
I’ve shot a lot of frag bullets of various manufacturers they are not very accurate at distance. The compressed without the red tip seemed a bit more accurate than the long red tipped ones but I’m convinced their not very good for much other than steel shoots. They break up to easy hitting doors etc they don’t penetrate anything hardly at all.
@michaellewis5624
Жыл бұрын
A five inch wound would be fine for home/self defense. Even on a large man the heart/lung is only an inch or two behind the ribs. A hit in the abdomen, arm or leg would be a fight stopper. Humans are easy to kill.
@jefferyboring4410
Жыл бұрын
@@michaellewis5624 yes but why choose a frag bullet over a cheap more accurate m193 it’s cheaper is way more accurate at distance and will actually penetrate a regular door or a car door. U never know how a fight will go. Your assuming u won’t have to shoot through things to get the advantage. Use the frags for target shooting but not for home defense. Even with kids in the house or close proximity I’d be hard pressed to choose a frag their would have to be a very special case and even then I’d only Maby use 3-5 in the top of the mag cuz if your needing more than that u don’t need or want drags anymore
@bobborlog1677
9 ай бұрын
Is that what he's using a 10.5 ? Cause those velocities sounded low.
@Valorius
7 ай бұрын
@@jefferyboring4410 I don't think most people worried about rifles for self defense are worried about long range applications for said rifles.
Great test. I keep 60grain vmax and 55 and 60grain sp for defense. Good idea of alternating
An Xm-193 is ferocious at close range… inside 50 yards, with a pistol, 100 with a rifle, (minimum)… it’s nasty.. either fragmenting or yawing and flipping around.. and it has the penetrating ability.. I have a mag full of 55 grain blitzkings in the rifle, wirh a bandolier of green tip m-855 laying next to…
Thank you.
Great video❤
Informative, thanks.
34 grain? Wow...never knew it can go that light, thought 50 grain was light, then recently found out 40gr V-Max by Hornady is scary good, better than 55 grain for self defense.
@Lexicologist1971
Жыл бұрын
Federal made some ammo using that bullet. I have it in my home defense gun.
@stevesmith756
Жыл бұрын
Would you volunteer to get shot with that 34 gr bullet. Don’t think so
@DasGoodSoup
Жыл бұрын
@@stevesmith756 can i chose where i get hit? If so kill me pls
@Lexicologist1971
Жыл бұрын
@@stevesmith756 , I think you misunderstood the conversation.
@stevesmith756
Жыл бұрын
My bad 🤷♂️
Nice test !!!!!!!!
62 grain bonded soft points for my home defense carbine.18.5” 1-9” twist barrel.
I keep Varmint rounds in my AR for home defence
I hope the rest of this video is better than the bullet intro.OMG! You’re making me car sick. 😳
Lehigh has there stuff together. One of the best monolithic bullets on the market. Nosler looked good also. I'm of course looking at it from a hunting (Deer) point of view. Never hunted with a .224 bullet but these make me more confident if I chose to do so. Just wish the ones with the low velocities were up to speed.
@mattfleming86
Жыл бұрын
I was skeptical until I tried it. Havent hunted with anything else sense (minus one doe with a thuddy thuddy, sentimental rifle) I settled on 62gr gold dots (aka fusions) and it is a deer dropping monster.
@ShastaBean
Жыл бұрын
the 32 & 38 grain don't work like they claim. They fly apart entirely into just 4 or 5 petals but no base. False advertising, basically. Vids I've seen of these heavier or .30 cal look to do as claimed, though. Wish those lighter ones did. Cutting Edge & Shock Hammer do, though...so I guess that does give another option of having -controlled- chaos, w/o the control.
I bought a thousand 50gr. Frangible pulled bullets from American Reloading on a whim, I'm glad to see them perform as well as they did. Any advice on load data? Nothing is published for this bullet....
What is the twist rate on this barrel?
I think a good follow up to the ballistic gel test would be a sheetrock wall test. Is one safer than another indoors?
If really love to see varmint/predator rounds out of ar pistols. Something like nosler ballistic tip without the ass behind it, might make it a great self defense round. Or would a nobler partition still be more ideal? I don't think it would act right at slower velocity closer range.
@Real_Richmond_510
Жыл бұрын
Same results just less accuracy and speed in barrels shorter than 16 inches. If you have a 7.5 inch-11.5 inch barrel and shoot some varmint 223 then you get same results as seen here except not as much due to the unburned powder making the round slower
One recommendation, the slow motion footage is completely useless to show at this quality, it’s just blurry, slow, frame by frame footage… I found myself skipping that footage every round because it was just time consuming for not much benefit. Definitely wait until you have a nice high speed camera or at least a camera with hood high speed capabilities so the footage is not terrible. Other than that, great great video and demonstration, it was full of important information for anybody interested in using these rounds for really any type of reason. I believe this channel has a lot of potential and will get big if you keep it up.
@Real_Richmond_510
Жыл бұрын
I concur sir
@danielcurtis1434
Жыл бұрын
To be fair he’s got less than 200 subs and he still makes videos like hes talking to the world. I think the doing insanely good considering he’s doing this for free or at cost to himself!!! The quality high speed will come!!!
@danielcurtis1434
Жыл бұрын
By the way that isn’t a high speed camera!!! That’s typical frame rate. So he just set up a normal go pro or something. I think that the quality is fine for what he’s doing personally.
@gw5436
Жыл бұрын
He's having a go. How about you get YOUR high speed camera and show us how it's done.
@trashbagboy8913
Жыл бұрын
@@gw5436 it’s called a recommendation dick head, my comment was very polite, has many likes from people agreeing and another fellow who spoke up to agree. If you want to become better at something you have to take recommendations and constructive criticism and decide if you want to make the change or not. I very clearly said I like his video, but that he could make it even better if he does something slightly different. If you’re wondering why you’re low to middle class and will never be more, it’s because you cry like a woman when somebody gives you criticism. Bloody bitch mate.
I load my mags same way. I stack the 62gr m855 and 73gr critical defense. Never had any issues running those together
What about Varment Grenade bullets?
I use the 55g v- max myself loaded to about 2900fps. Great for coyotes
I stager my mag,s as well M855 green tip then soft point and so on
great demo, 34 grain was way slow, plus if you are using a 1 in 7 twist barrel it would over stabilize and possibly keyhole. nosler partition all the way, its like 2 bullets in 1
I dont understand how the 62 grain lehigh bullet is going 2900 but the 55 grain nosler is going 2600. Are they all using the same powder? Both rounds are copper and should be around the same lengths, with lehigh being a little longer. Can you explain how the heavier bullet is going 300 fps faster?
What bounced off your gel rig @9:32?
good stuff. I wish all of those escapees were captured. Maybe some water jugs off to the sides and stacked above could help? I've shot some gel and losing the projectile is saddening. Appreciate the upload!
How Any burglar has los cojones to break into a house today is beyond me. Not Me ! . . .
Good test but not all your bullets are considered varmint bullets. The Nosler Partition (the *only* bullet I hunt big game with) is definitely a larger game bullet, as is the E-Tip. The Lehigh bullet was designed specifically for self defense, so it doing well is no surprise at all. In fact, I carry Lehigh Xtreme Defender bullets in all of my defensive pistols, no matter what caliber. The frangible bullet would not make a good SD round because they don't always perform as they did in your test, often penciling thru soft targets. Not to mention, while the bullet did come apart, in a frontal shot, the bullet may well penetrate completely thru a person before it releases it's energy. Energy wasted on a wall or worse. The Partition bullet always works perfectly and is the gold standard by which all other hunting bullets are measured. Had you recovered the bottom half of the bullet, it would had a perfectly formed mushroom with a bit of lead on the top, while the bottom half is what penetrates so deeply. They are, as far as I can see, the perfect bullet for hunting. Probably not so much for varmint hunting but more along the lines of deer or other medium sized game. They would work as a self defense round but one would have to be aware of it's penetration potential, what most would consider over penetration for SD. Cheers, jc
I too alternate green tip and either soft point, or v-max in my self-defense mags. It is sound reasoning. I do the same kind of thing with my 9mm carry as well.
Please get a camera tripod, lol. Al says thank you!
Light very light hand loads or a sbr
My GHB includes a 7.5-inch AR pistol loaded with Fiocchi 55gr V-Maxs. I'm 'guessing' that the advertised 3200fps listing is much closer to 2600fps from the much shorter barrel. Can you do a video using the same rounds just tested but from an AR pistol?
@DasGoodSoup
Жыл бұрын
Get rid of the 7.5 go to 10.3-12.5"
@jimhovater8755
Жыл бұрын
@@DasGoodSoupI've got a 10.5-inch PSA. The 7.5 fits a particular niche for me.
@vikramgupta2326
11 ай бұрын
@@jimhovater8755How is the PSA pistol? Do you have the M-Lok? I thought about picking up the plastic handguard tradional A2 front post sight.
I just carry 55 grain m193. But I see bow that a good box of varmit ammo is needed for them bipedal varmit.a double tap with all of these would be fatal. Arteries are soft and bullet fragments are not.
Visual information and stats listed on each test would be the tits. Great review though! Thanks!
I personally alternate the 62 gr controlled chaos and the 60 gr ballistic tip both from controlled chaos. I feel like it covers the most bases and especially in a self defense situation where you want penetration but not over penetration. Through my testing those 2 combined give the desired results.
55gr sp out of a 20 inch barrel will take down everything from ground hogs and coyotes to home invaders in my experience
Ever heard of a tripod? Asking for a friend.
You said these are all hand loads, any reason you're pushing these so slow? If they're for defense, more velocity = better terminal performance. If all you're using them for is defensive distances(definitely under 100) then as long as it's under 10 MOA at 100, groups don't matter...
I have controlled chaos in 5.56, 308 and 300 AAC.. They make some amazing projectiles, and they are match accurate. And just FYI soft points are barrier blind and will get through the window.
@contractor556
Жыл бұрын
I just saw them at my shop for $44.49 🫠 then some federal 5.56 50jhp I got to try out. Still up there $19.99 but there’s another place nearby that does $11.98 or something.
@427SuperSnake1
Жыл бұрын
@@contractor556 44.49 for controlled chaos?! Even during the ammo shortage and the pandemic I paid 20.00 a box..
Check out some 40gr. BT Varmint rounds
5.5 inches in gel isnt 5.5 inches in you. The gel is not meant to be a facsimile of a humam body. It is only a consistant test medium. Common misconception that it is meant to act like a body.
Please get a tripod. This video has more handheld fidgeting than an action sequence from The Bourne Identity.
@John5.56
11 ай бұрын
Send him one.
@edwardx.winston5744
11 ай бұрын
@@John5.56 Post an address and I will.
A suggestion...please use a tripod or similar when video recording. It helps keep your subject matter in frame. All that jiggling almost gave me motion sickness.
Alternating loads in the same magazine is such a terrible idea. You need to know what bullet you’re firing when you pull the trigger. There’s no way you can keep track of which one you’re firing. Please don’t do this.
@cmcarnage9782
10 ай бұрын
Thank you. I see a lot of comments on various videos saying to alternate in your magazine. Keep ammo in each mag the same.
As I understand, the clear gel measures slightly longer than regular gel, so 12 inches is just a little short.
I prefer the M855A1 😊
I got like #556 !!! Coincidence ?
Dude, GET A TRIPOD OR A GIMBAL. sHEEESH
🇦🇺😎👍Nice
Can you hunt squirrel and rabbit with 223
@timrobinson6573
Жыл бұрын
Yes, but it would destroy much of the meat if your plan is to eat them. It's more useful for just eradication because the rabbits or squirrels are destroying crops or creating holes in the ground that your animals step in.
@jdmbraceyourself695
Жыл бұрын
@@timrobinson6573 Thanks
Here are the speeds in order 3314 FPS 2717 FPS 2718 FPS 2588 FPS 2966 FPS 2918 FPS 2600 FPS
Neck shots only* lol
Anyone of those rounds would stop a bi pod . Hemorrhage profusely. Shock. Nothing say you must shoot a target once…
I buy varmit rounds for home defense.
@CL-ty6wp
Жыл бұрын
2 legged varmints
I weigh 240. You better bring a heavy round.
@patriotcountry4716
Ай бұрын
I doubt anyone will be shooting at your @$$ 😅🤣😂
Good info, but seriously need to work on camera skills. So shaky it was almost unwatchable. You also can't talk and film at the same time because as you talk, what you're filming falls out of frame.
Dude. Set the camera on a stand and leave it alone. Jeezys. I can't even watch it because it's giving me motion sickness
I use the 55g v- max myself loaded to about 2900fps. Great for coyotes