S&B 762X54R 180GR SP 20/400

Description

Sellier & Bellot’s 7.62x54R Soft Point load is built around hunting use, and the bullet construction reflects that purpose directly. The jacket is made from CuZn 10, a copper-zinc alloy, wrapped around a lead core that is engineered to initiate controlled expansion on impact rather than fragmenting unpredictably or failing to open at all. That balance — expansion that begins reliably while the bullet retains meaningful mass through the target — is what separates a purpose-built hunting projectile from a general-use FMJ in field conditions.

The soft point design leaves the lead tip exposed at the nose, which lowers the threshold for expansion at the velocities typical of mid- to longer-range hunting shots. As the bullet slows downrange, the exposed lead still gives deformation enough of a mechanical starting point to work, whereas a fully jacketed bullet would not. At the same time, the jacket controls how far that deformation progresses, preserving weight and cross-section through tissue rather than shedding it.

With a sectional density of 0.266 and a G1 ballistic coefficient of 0.305, the 180-grain projectile carries velocity and energy reasonably well across practical hunting distances. The 28¾-inch test barrel used to generate the published ballistic data is worth keeping in mind when running trajectory estimates for shorter-barreled rifles, as real-world velocity will vary accordingly. Each box contains 20 rounds, with cases packed at 400 rounds for range or camp use.