" The Russians made it clear that the new 5.45 round HAD to be NO LESS effective than the standard 7.62x39 and their "real world" experiences in Afghanistan and Chechnya indicate that it is. The Afghan's were so impressed by the 5.45 that they nicknamed it "The Poison Bullet" and "The Devils' Bullet" for the wounding effects. The 5.45 is infamous for it extreme wounding effects cause by the wildly tumbling bullet. The Russian believed that a tumbling bullet would be more effective, so they deliberately designed the 5.45 to tumble as quickly as possible, and to tumble wildly. As an added "feature", when the bullet slows enough in flesh, it makes an almost 90 degree turn off the main bullet path. This corkscrew-like tumbling and turn in an odd direction made it impossible for the crude Afghan medics to probe for a bullet still in the body."
Correct. It may be a different caliber than 7.62x39mm which is why I put the ? at the end. I’m not sure.
All pointed bullets unless otherwise designed to expand or fragment will always, given enough media to penetrate, destabilize quickly and yaw around at least once so the base travels forward. Modern high velocity FMJ type bullets are so designed. Also, if the yaw rate and resultant forces exceed the structural capability of the bullet jacket/core, it will break into at least several fragments ( normally at the cannelure - the impressed groove around the circumference of the projectile). Combloc bullets are normally found with mild steel copper washed jackets and mild steel cores, with a lining of lead type material between them, so they are less likely to break up and or fragment. US/NATO design bullets such as the 556x 45 62 grain M855 has a dual core, the forward portion being steel, the rear portion being lead alloy, inside a gilding metal (zinc/copper) jacket, with a cannelure around the bullet where it is crimped by the cartridge case mouth. At close to moderate ranges, the M855 NATO round indeed often break ups and creates multiple wound channels after penetrating 1-3” in soft tissue. This effect occurs where impact velocity is above ~ 2500f/s, or less than 90m from a carbine and less than 150m from a 20” barreled rifle.
Commercial bullets often perform much differently than milspec ammunition.
How deep the bullet penetrates before yawing and or fragmenting depends on both medium and design characteristics of the bullet.
Best,
That's what the .223 for the first M-16s did, till the g0vt determined that it was inhumane.