7.62 Thumper vs. 7.62 PBS?

6/23/2004

These ammunition types are actually intended to comprise a complete system.

The 7.62 Thumper is reasonably priced, and allows the shooter to hone his skills with subsonic rifle ammunition. When it comes time to hunt, out comes the 7.62 PBS. The PBS offers greatly enhanced terminal ballistics and an exterior ballistic path either identical to, or very close to (depending on the platform) the less expensive round.

It’s true that the PBS patented ammunition is not cheap. This is because it utilizes a pure copper jacket as opposed to the gilding metal (copper/zinc alloy) used in most projectile jackets today. The commonly used alloy is actually "tougher" and allows for low-cost production with high-speed impact presses. The pure copper is softer, and would not hold up to this treatment. There is no way to automate the process any further than we already have, so the PBS a very complicated and costly projectile to produce.

The difference in price is justified by significantly better terminal performance. The pure copper jacket contributes to the fact that the PBS will expand reliably at subsonic velocities. If the user needs terminal performance unlike any other subsonic rifle round on the planet, the PBS is the obvious and best answer. It was not designed for casual plinking.