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I would think x39 might be a better choice than 5.56 or 5.45 for penetration through those trees.
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22 LR. If the bullet hits them anywhere it will travel all the way around in their body until it goes up into the skull and bounces around for a while.
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Well 30-30 is the best brush gun according to popular wisdom.
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Better barrier penetration but same load out as 5.56? Sounds like a job for 300 Blackout.
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I know a 7.62x39 will go slam through pretty decent sizes trees.
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That looks like SS 300blk land. Trees aplomb, need something to cut through vegetation without worrying about deflection (as much). A 308 would be nice but recoil and less ammo. Something in 125gr doing 2200fps would hit hard with tame recoil. Maybe even 115gr with a little more velocity.
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Honestly I would say anything you can hit your target with. Not magical cartridge or bullet is going to be the perfect answer no matter what anyone says. A bullet that hits another object is not going to behave in a very predictable way even 50BMG can have issues with some barriers or deflection from plant life.
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I’d still take 5.56. Nod to the trashcan crowd with a x39 still being a good choice.
Distances are short. Second best is probably going to require AP rounds to be effective, if you honestly want to waste ammo trying to make it through trees. |
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There are anecdotal stories of 6.5x55 FMJ penetrating through trees better than 30-06 AP.
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Claymore. Some of the ball bearings are going to make it through the treeline
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I heard on a hunting podcast about a study that was done on bullet deflection when shooting through brush. Kind of a myth busters of brush gun cartridges. Study was done by shooting through wooden dowels at a specified distance into a target beyond them. Dowels were replaced after each test. They tested cartridges between .22 and 45-70. Including magnum rounds like .338 win mag.
The hypothesis was that larger diameter/heavier bullets would have less deflection than smaller/lighter ones. This is the understanding that many have, and why you will hear things like “The .35 Remington is a better brush gun than the .30-30” The results of the test somewhat busted that myth. The results were that bullet energy was the biggest factor. Higher velocity heavy bullets had the least amount of deflection. .338 win mag had much less bullet deflection than 45-70. Not a direct answer to the OPs question, but it made me think about this study. |
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HE ammunition. Death by shivers (wood splinters). We lost a lot of guys KIA or WIA from it in Huertgen Forest. Foxholes had to have a wood covering to protect its occupants from flying wood.
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Quoted: I would think x39 might be a better choice than 5.56 or 5.45 for penetration through those trees. View Quote 5.45x39 was basically developed in a crash program by the Soviets (who historically are loathe to change anything) because the 5.56 round's performance in Vietnam (a place not exactly devoid of trees) scared the everloving shit out of them. |
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It's like deer hunting in the East where the areas are densely wooded. The ranges aren't going to be far and you want a bullet to cut through twigs and branches with the least amount of deflection. That necessitates in a heavy bullet. A good cartridge for deer hunting in such conditions is the 30-30. For 2 legged critters I would imagine 7.62x39mm with a 123 grain bullet. Or perhaps 6.5 Grendel with a 120 grain or a 130 grain bullet. The heavier the better.
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Quoted: 5.45x39 was basically developed in a crash program by the Soviets (who historically are loathe to change anything) because the 5.56 round's performance in Vietnam (a place not exactly devoid of trees) scared the everloving shit out of them. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I would think x39 might be a better choice than 5.56 or 5.45 for penetration through those trees. 5.45x39 was basically developed in a crash program by the Soviets (who historically are loathe to change anything) because the 5.56 round's performance in Vietnam (a place not exactly devoid of trees) scared the everloving shit out of them. I've heard the opposite, although the History Channel is not much of a source. They claimed the x39 was the better round in Vietnam because it did not scatter on brush the way the 5.56 did. |
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I'm gonna say 60mm or M67 frag. Wonder if a 40mm round would have enough force to lodge itself in a tree and detonate there or if it'd bounce off and possibly come back at you...
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ShAK-12 12.7 mm assault rifle system |
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I've shot clean through good sized pine trees with 5.56. And this was years ago, with lead ammo,long before Ap ammo was as common. I guarantee Ap 5.56 will slice right through a tree.
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This shotgun, with a wheelbarrel of loaded mags full of 1oz slugs, and a debarked chihuahua...
The Fastest Shotgun in the World |
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Quoted: I've heard the opposite, although the History Channel is not much of a source. They claimed the x39 was the better round in Vietnam because it did not scatter on brush the way the 5.56 did. View Quote You hear all manner of dumb shit, especially on mainstream TV. But watching the Soviets bring the 5.45 into service 87 times faster than they did pretty much anything else is undeniable, and I don't think Ivan did it for the hell of it. |
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