I went to the ammo forum but this didn't really seem to fit in with the general nature of that forum. Don't know if it's appropriate here either. Mod, I ask that you please move as necessary...thank you! 
On page 14 of the October issue of Special Weapons for Military and Police 2007, there is an article by Charlie Cutshaw entitled ".338 Spectre-Ultimate CQB Carbine". The article deals with this round in AR style rifles.
Mr. Cutshaw writes, "As the M16 rifle and M4 carbine gained operational exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was discovered that the 5.56mm cartridge had terminal ballistic issues at any distances other than close quarters battle (CQB), about 50 meters, especially when fired from a short barreled carbine. Without going into details beyond the scope of this article, the 62-grain M855 military issue bullet essentially runs out of steam beyond about 50 meters".
"Enemy personnel shot with the round frequently take multiple hits and keep fighting, which is not a "good thing." Battlefield reports state that the M855 bullet fired from an M4 carbine behaves like a .22 long rifle bullet when it strikes tissue, essentially creating a deep .22 caliber path that causes little tissue displacement. For Special Forces, the solution was the Mark 262, Mod 0 and Mod 1 cartridge manufactured by Black Hills Ammunition. This round is nothing more than Black Hills 77-grain Match ammo in a tan box".......
It also states that the M855, 62-grain bullet leaves the 14.5 inch M4 barrel at 2600 fps, and quickly decreases to the point where terminal ballistics are unsatisfactory.
The article goes on to tell the greatness of the .338 Spectre caliber in a military role.
After reading the article, I started to think about the 5.7x28mm v. the M4/M855 combination. With the PS90 (I have a green USG), we're talking about the same diameter projectile albeit lighter in weight, travelling hundreds of fps slower out of our 16 inch barrels than the M855 travels from the M4's 14.5 inch barrel. I understand that 5.7 projectiles are lighter than typical .223 ammo, and I guess that translates into less kinetic energy behind it.
So, If the writer of the article has his info/facts straight, would I be right in assuming that the 5.7 shot from a PS90 has even less lethality and even worse "terminal ballistic issues" than the M855 does in an M4? I don't know whether tumbling bullets or fragmentation comes into play, but I'm hoping that something does.
For a home defense weapon for my family, I picked the PS90 as it would be an extremely good weapon for someone (Wife and older children) with very little firearms experience....easy to keep on target, and able to more easily hit their target with multiple rounds. If it's ballistics are poorer than the "unsatisfactory" M4/M855 combo, that's a problem.
I know some people will say, that with the PS90 you can just dump more rounds into the target. That's all well and good, except that the longer you take to incapacitate your attacker, the longer they have to do the same to you.
As to the lethality issues, any thoughts??? I'm hoping someone can prove me wrong, and in doing so restore my faith in the PS90/SS197 combo.
On page 14 of the October issue of Special Weapons for Military and Police 2007, there is an article by Charlie Cutshaw entitled ".338 Spectre-Ultimate CQB Carbine". The article deals with this round in AR style rifles.
Mr. Cutshaw writes, "As the M16 rifle and M4 carbine gained operational exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was discovered that the 5.56mm cartridge had terminal ballistic issues at any distances other than close quarters battle (CQB), about 50 meters, especially when fired from a short barreled carbine. Without going into details beyond the scope of this article, the 62-grain M855 military issue bullet essentially runs out of steam beyond about 50 meters".
"Enemy personnel shot with the round frequently take multiple hits and keep fighting, which is not a "good thing." Battlefield reports state that the M855 bullet fired from an M4 carbine behaves like a .22 long rifle bullet when it strikes tissue, essentially creating a deep .22 caliber path that causes little tissue displacement. For Special Forces, the solution was the Mark 262, Mod 0 and Mod 1 cartridge manufactured by Black Hills Ammunition. This round is nothing more than Black Hills 77-grain Match ammo in a tan box".......
It also states that the M855, 62-grain bullet leaves the 14.5 inch M4 barrel at 2600 fps, and quickly decreases to the point where terminal ballistics are unsatisfactory.
The article goes on to tell the greatness of the .338 Spectre caliber in a military role.
After reading the article, I started to think about the 5.7x28mm v. the M4/M855 combination. With the PS90 (I have a green USG), we're talking about the same diameter projectile albeit lighter in weight, travelling hundreds of fps slower out of our 16 inch barrels than the M855 travels from the M4's 14.5 inch barrel. I understand that 5.7 projectiles are lighter than typical .223 ammo, and I guess that translates into less kinetic energy behind it.
So, If the writer of the article has his info/facts straight, would I be right in assuming that the 5.7 shot from a PS90 has even less lethality and even worse "terminal ballistic issues" than the M855 does in an M4? I don't know whether tumbling bullets or fragmentation comes into play, but I'm hoping that something does.
For a home defense weapon for my family, I picked the PS90 as it would be an extremely good weapon for someone (Wife and older children) with very little firearms experience....easy to keep on target, and able to more easily hit their target with multiple rounds. If it's ballistics are poorer than the "unsatisfactory" M4/M855 combo, that's a problem.
I know some people will say, that with the PS90 you can just dump more rounds into the target. That's all well and good, except that the longer you take to incapacitate your attacker, the longer they have to do the same to you.
As to the lethality issues, any thoughts??? I'm hoping someone can prove me wrong, and in doing so restore my faith in the PS90/SS197 combo.
