DUMB QUESION HERE BUT

[M&PmikeC]

I recently bought a 1000 rds of American eagle 180 grain fmj for target load

and then someone asked me if I had hollow points in my home for self protection.. Am I missing something here mistake me if im wrong im a few month old 1st pistol gun owner. But wont target load hurt just as much If god forbid I had to use it in a self defense situation...


Thanks..

 

[AR-Getsome]

It's all about placement. Where you hit the bad guy. Although I do have hollow points and target ammo. I don't think the bad guy will notice the difference if you had to drop him. Of course there will be tons of differences that will be posted here, I'll go grab my popcorn.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Hurt v. mortally wound. That's the key. In a SD situation, you are likely looking to be sure you stop the intruder. Hollow points give you the best chance of doing this with much more tolerance of placement.

This thread will go on a while with a lot of bickering, arguing, and disagreement back and forth. Personally, I don't care to be shot with either one, but I fully intend on not putting myself in that situation either.

Get some nice hollow points (Many opinions to follow) and keep a mag in the gun when you're in the house or in a SD situation. Save the FMJ stuff for the range and plinking.

Having said that, I always keep a FMJ as my first and sometimes second round. Why? I'll give somebody a fighting chance. Second shot I'm telling them what's coming if I have a chance. Some will disagree with this way of doing things but I don't care. That's what I do.

 

[Cal44]

I'm assuming you have a 40 cal pistol.

If you are in the mode of learning your new gun, and practicing shooting IMO you are just fine with FMJ 180 grain cartridges.

In the unlikely event that you need to protect your home, a couple of hits with a 180 grain FMJ will do a bad guy a world of hurt.

After you shoot those 1000 rounds and become familiar with your new gun, then you might buy some hollow point ammo for home defense.

But you can't just buy one box of HP and keep it for defense.

You need to determine if your gun will handle it without jamming and with reasonable accuracy. That will also take some practice with the HP ammo.

Good defense HP ammo is expensive.

Might as well get your feet wet with the low priced target FMJ like American Eagle first.

Just my opinion here.

 

[jonesy814]

One advantage to hollow points is that they will expand and that will help to keep the bullet from going all the way through the bad guy. Its best if the bullet stays in the person who you had to shoot to minimize risk to bystanders.

 

[bobelk99]

I always keep a FMJ as my first and sometimes second round. Why? I'll give somebody a fighting chance. Second shot I'm telling them what's coming if I have a chance. Some will disagree with this way of doing things but I don't care. That's what I do.

Responses to the above should be good for a second batch of popcorn.

Nice of you to give fair warning twice to someone who may be willing to kill you or yours.

 

[AGoyette]

I believe the thought about hollow points has to do with penetration. You want something that will hopefully stop the bad guy. But you don't want a bullet that will go through walls, possibly hurting innocents in the other room. Hollow points will spread out, thus slowing it down, and help eliminate the chance of going through walls and keep going as opposed to regular ammo that does not have anything to slow it down.

 

[Arik]

Go on youtube and search for videos of hollow points vs fmj in he'll tests.

Generally hollow points are better. They expand, causing a bigger permanent cavities

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Responses to the above should be good for a second batch of popcorn.

Nice of you to give fair warning twice to someone who may be willing to kill you or yours.

Told you I fully expected that. Told ya I didn't care. Still feel the same. Still will at the end of the conversation also.

 

[M&PmikeC]

thanks guys ... I don't want any arguments im asking cause I really wants to know..

I have already put nearly 500 rds thru my 40 I bought the 1000 rds from cheap ammo and a excellent price ... my range does not allow hollow points to be fired there.. I don't know why.. but my gun has shot everything without a problem except for the Winchester winclean rounds... had many FTF with the hard primers..

 

[WilsonFlyer]

thanks guys ... I don't want any arguments im asking cause I really wants to know..

I have already put nearly 500 rds thru my 40 I bought the 1000 rds from cheap ammo and a excellent price ... my range does not allow hollow points to be fired there.. I don't know why.. but my gun has shot everything without a problem except for the Winchester winclean rounds... had many FTF with the hard primers..

Should you shoot a few of the HP's you're going to carry or keep in the gun at home to make sure they feed correctly? Sure. Do you need to do it with 50 boxes. Not really. Run a half to a full box thru. If they run OK, leave the rest in a mag for self defense and put it in the gun when you need it.

I have a FS 40, a compact 40 and a Shield 40. They all eat anything I throw at them.

 

[Gunhacker]

Oh boy... talk about opening a can of worms.

The number of varying opinions on what constitutes proper/adequate self defense ammo is as numerous as the grains of sand on a beach.

Many, including myself, believe accurate shot placement into a vital area that results in a rapid and catastrophic blood loss to turn out the lights, is more crucial of a factor than ammo type.

Unless hit in the head, people do not stop in their tracks and crumble into a dead heap upon being shot, as seen on TV and the movies.

Read this and form your own opinion: FBI Training Unit - Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness

Page 8 "The Human Target"... most interesting.

 

[ginzo]

This is my thought process. More worry at my home than out and about. Don't want to hurt anyone in my family, or worse.

Point 2: Every bullet has a lawyers name attached to it, you shoot a bystander, even through a bad guy, you have a problem.

Finally, for me I went the way of Hornady Critical defense, has that little rubberized point as not to clog so it will (in theory) expand as soon as it hits, where as a HP tip gets clogged with say denim, it may not expand (but most likely will) and keep right on going like a FMJ.

One advantage to hollow points is that they will expand and that will help to keep the bullet from going all the way through the bad guy. Its best if the bullet stays in the person who you had to shoot to minimize risk to bystanders.

My thoughts on FMJ, for the range only. Most ranges won't let you use anything else and for practice it is usually the cheapest thing going. Even then, I burn 100 rounds, I'm out $40,00 plus range fee for one session. (I don't do reloads) That's just me, nothing wrong with them.

Phew, I'm done!

thanks guys ... I don't want any arguments im asking cause I really wants to know..

I have already put nearly 500 rds thru my 40 I bought the 1000 rds from cheap ammo and a excellent price ... my range does not allow hollow points to be fired there.. I don't know why.. but my gun has shot everything without a problem except for the Winchester winclean rounds... had many FTF with the hard primers..

 

[goinfshn]

I am retired law enforcement officer, having joined in 1971. I was always issued hollow point ammunition for my service revolver and later my service pistol. If hollow points were good enough for law enforcement, then it's good enough for me. I always keep a loaded magazine with hollow points and one in the tube. I don't give warnings. The only warning they will get is if and when they break into my house. Warning over!

 

[scott1970]

I've seen various bullet wounds at work. A person will die quite well with a FMJ bullet if hit in the right place. I've also seen the results of quality hollow points, and the amount of tissue damage can be amazing. Both will work effectively, but the HP give you that little extra in my opinion.

 

[Doug M.]

Develop comfortable competence with your pistol using the ammo you have. If you end up needing to shoot an intruder (being in NJ, I am going to assume you are among the vast majority screwed with their silly carry laws), skill with the pistol and a good knowledge of where to put the rounds (go to Tactical Anatomy - Tactical Anatomy and learn the target areas on a human) will be more important that having the utter peak of ammo performance. Will good HP duty ammo help performance? Heck yes. Will good ammo make up for crummy shooting and placement? No.

Once you have developed proficiency, do some research on LE ammo performance. The first step is to look for Doctor Gary Roberts' recommendations. Pick one of those loads you can get in a case lot. Put 500 rounds through the pistol with perfect reliability, and save the rest to use as needed. You can do almost all of your training with the ball you have and more ball afterwards. Shoot up your carry (a misnomer in NJ, and only LE can carry HP outside of home and some other limited places in NJ anyway) ammo once a year. Do not unload your pistol unless you have to (cleaning etc), and never chamber a round twice unless it is an emergency.

You did not ask a dumb question. It was an IGNORANT question, and there is quite a difference. Ignorance is cured by education. Stupid is not curable except in a Darwinian manner.

 

[M&PmikeC]

the comment above that every bullet comes with a lawyers name attached to it..

Ive been reading what I can about self defense home defense... basically what ive read is that your screwed either way.. if you shoot someone who breaks into your home your basically going to jail in new jersey.. and if you do intend to shoot someone whos breaking into your home.. Ive read hed better have a weapon of some sort in which your life felt threatened.. and if you do shoot said individual youd better shoot him when hes facing you and not running away.. am I right to be thinking all this

 

[formernuke]

Look at ballistic gel shots with fmj's and hollow points.

A hollow point serves 2 purposes. The first is to deliver more the kinetic energy into the target at impact therefore giving greater "stopping power".

The second is to "minimize" penetration. In other words supposedly the hollow point will not leave the human body and if it does there will not be any energy left to harm an innocent bystander.

A full metal jacket will go through a man and is still more than capable of harming other people after words (the exact extent depends on a lot of factors). With in mind if you do ever have to use the gun in self defense realize that YOU ARE RESPONSABLE for whatever comes out that barrel. In other words if you shoot, legally, a armed assailant and the bullet hurts or kills some one else YOU ARE GOING TO PRISON for attempted murder or murder, not to mention is the person killed is your wife or kid in the other room.

So hollow points increase your chances of stopping the bad guy and also prevent serious over penetration. That's what I use for carry and backup to the shotgun for home defense. They are expensive but being that you don't shoot much of them it's worth using.

 

[Justin69]

the comment above that every bullet comes with a lawyers name attached to it..

Ive been reading what I can about self defense home defense... basically what ive read is that your screwed either way.. if you shoot someone who breaks into your home your basically going to jail in new jersey.. and if you do intend to shoot someone whos breaking into your home.. Ive read hed better have a weapon of some sort in which your life felt threatened.. and if you do shoot said individual youd better shoot him when hes facing you and not running away.. am I right to be thinking all this

Heck ya your right to be thinking this. You never want to shoot someone in the back

 

[agksimon]

I recently bought a 1000 rds of American eagle 180 grain fmj for target load

and then someone asked me if I had hollow points in my home for self protection.. Am I missing something here mistake me if im wrong im a few month old 1st pistol gun owner. But wont target load hurt just as much If god forbid I had to use it in a self defense situation...


Thanks..

I noticed the OP is from New Jersey.
Better read the state law on hollowpoint ammunition in that state:

New Jersey State Police - Transportation and Use of Hollow Point Ammunition by Sportsmen