Beyond its increase in reliable feeding, the FMJ offers no advantage in self defense over hollow points, unless you are talking about gimmick rounds or HP's that radically over expand so much they could fail due to inability to get to vitals. Over penetration is a myth, but the sharp nosed 9mm FMJ's reputation for not damaging enough soft tissue sure isn't. If there is any bullet in common use in the common calibers with a poor profile for damage, it would be the FMJ 9mm.

Has it killed for 111 years? Yes. But so have falls. Criminals and police officers alike have fallen during chases, hit their heads, and died. Maybe I should carry around some banana peels, some Hot Wheels racing cars, or some marbles, too. Just run away and hope he trips on the mess I threw in front of him. By the logic that it can and has killed people, I'm good to go.

High quality modern hollow points don't always lead to immediate stoppages, so why degrade your abilities with a less effective choice? If you don't hit the central nervous system, or the super vitals like the heart and aorta, you'll end up with a very slow bleed that might take a long time to disable the attacker. More time than what you've got, perhaps. With more soft tissue damage, hits to the other vitals and lesser blood vessels will incapacitate much quicker. In a situation, I might add, when time is of the essence, and you don't have any of it.

As for rifle rounds and FMJ, it really is a tossup. 55 grain .223 has been known to do different things, tumble, fragment, and in some cases pass through, depending on initial velocity, target, ect. It has a penchant to "blow up" against hard and soft targets, and is one of the better FMJ rifle choices, if one has to make that choice. Certainly the best for urban situations, IF FMJ is required. Still no replacement for the soft point. The .30 NATO stuff is about the same, sometimes they tumble, sometimes they don't, it can stop men dead, yet it can fail in surprising ways. A good Corbon bonded soft point will beat its head in any day of the week. As for the concerns of over penetration, 7.62x51 can exceed the need easily, and missed shots can travel in a relatively straight line for a ways. A missed shot in a city could hit a man 800 yards away, and I doubt he'd be able to shake it off, if the terrain and angles are right.

In any case, Mr. Scott, I think the community will disagree with you. There is a difference between bullet that can kill, and bullet that reliably stops a man.