Couple of points.....

First the military doesnt have the same collateral damage issue you and I have firing a weapon in a crowded area. Thus over penetration is a concern more so in private life than in a war zone.

Second...Practice with what you carry.....if the round you carry works in your gun, most of us luckily can afford to fire a box of it every 3-6 months. You dont need to put thousands of hollow point ammo downrange to be good with it. Get self defense ammo that shoots similar to the ball ammo you use.. Eliminating that problem

Third, ballistics, ball ammo wastes a lot of energy as the bullet just keeps flying. Hollow point ammo dumps its energy into the target upon impact. Thus getting better results.

Im not saying you MUST use hollow point ammo in your guns, ball ammo works and Im not volunteering to stand in front of it....but if you can afford hollow point ammo and can find it....Id use it.