FMJ for SD?

[cjcutter1]

So why not fmj for self defense?

 

[Dragon88]

Poor wound ballistics and risk of over-penetration in fast calibers.

 

[Erich]

Overpenetration is a real concern with ball in a lot of calibers - I've worked on at least three cases where it was an issue (2 with ball). Mas Ayoob did a good article on the subject in a recent Combat Handguns magazine (I think it was the "May" issue . . . came out in Feb, IIRC).

As with anything, know what your round does out of your gun. If it works for you in your situation, great. But you're responsible for what comes out the front of your gun . . .

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

But you're responsible for what comes out the front of your gun . . .

Except maybe in New Jersey, where the State has decided that HP bullets should not come out of the front of your gun, or even be loaded into the rear.

 

[Texas Star]

Except maybe in New Jersey, where the State has decided that HP bullets should not come out of the front of your gun, or even be loaded into the rear.

T-Star

 

[LuddhaBuddha]

I believe it really depends on the gun, caliber, and application. If I had something like a .380, .32acp, 9x18, etc. I would use FMJ so I would get every bit of penetration I could. Anything more substantial than a .380 and I would use an expanding round, unless my main concern was in the woods, then I would probably go with the FMJ or somethng hard cast depending on the gun.

 

[Erich]

Yeah, that's what I keep in my .380 and 9x18, and it was what I kept in the last .32 ACP that I had.

 

[Dragon88]

I still think a hard hollow point like an XTP would be better than ball. If it doesn't expand you don't loose anything, but if it starts to expand and release energy in the tissue, great! Ball ammo is for target practice and compliance with Geneva conventions for us service members. My personal defense guns are all loaded with hollow point ammunition.

 

[Steve C]

I've shot or seen shot various small and medium sized critters with both solids and hollow points. In all cases other than a shot through the brain, the hollows put them down harder, quicker and they go less distance if any at all. Don't have to be a genius to figure out which one you want in your gun if you need to put someone down who is threatening to kill or injure you.

 

[WR Moore]

Even in Joisy, Federal EFMJ and Cor-Bon Powerball are legal and prefferable to ball ammo for self defense.

 

[Erich]

Dragon, it's the Hague Convention and the issue with small/light/slow bullets in hollowpoints is a concern that they won't penetrate enough. I've worked on three shootings in which .380 hollowpoints failed to penetrate enough to be effective. Steve, I think you're right - provided that the round you're using will penetrate enough to hit the vitals in the assailant you're facing - particularly if an arm or other barrier has to be penetrated first (and that comes up a lot).

What this all comes down to, though, is know what your ammo does out of your gun, and make an informed decision about whether it is capable of doing what you need it to do against the targets you envision facing . . . without doing anything dangerous. For example, I hike up Bear Canyon with some tough-mean-fast-heavy hardcasts in my revolvers . . . they'll penetrate clean through any critter in this state, and then some. I would not carry those in town. And when shooting rodents as a youngun, I used .22 LR hi-speed hollowpoints in the rifle . . . but I know that these would not penetrate effectively for use against a person.

So. Know what the ammo in question needs to do in order to be effective and to not endanger anything that's not the target. And pick ammo that suits those criteria. Might be hollowpoint, might be ball, might be hardcast lead. The buck stops with you, though, so you'd do well to put thought into it, and not just knee-jerk out a response to the problem.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

The .45 ACP with 230 hardball is a good performer without over penetration.

 

[cjcutter1]

Thanks for all the good input guys I shoot a fair amount of FMJ in 38sp and 9mm and was curious as to is effectiveness I understand its not the best choice for SD but maybe its a good choice in my wifes LCP the brands we shot have grouped and functioned well.

 

[Dogguy]

I'm not a great marksman by any means but I do believe bullet placement is more important than bullet type. Even so, I use hollowpoints for self defense purposes.

 

[flop-shank]

The .45 ACP with 230 hardball is a good performer without over penetration.

Such a load will overpenetrate by no small margin. I would be terribly surprised if hardball penetrated less than 20" in gelatin. Just about any load in that caliber is better than hardball. If it's all that one's gun will run on with 100% reliability, then fine. Still, modern loads like Powerball are likely to feed just as well.

 

[hottopic]

I would not use round nose in anything over a 380. AS far as 380 goes, for reason of concealability ONLY, I've personally tested HP rounds of several types in 4 layers of denium, 2-1/2" chip boards (everyone is tought to shoot center mass,-BONE- not gel!) and two 3" thick phone books in water for 24 hours. I shot at about 7 yards. By far the best round was the FLAT NOSE FMJ!! It tore thru everthing leaving a jagged hole and went thru 1 phone book and 3/4 of the secound one. The fmj round nose went about the same but with a smooth hole. The worst off all was the Hornady Critical Defence! Both rounds stuck in the first layer of chip board with the rear of the bullet still showing. It DID NOT EXPAND at all and when pulled out the nose had just callapsed in on itself. NONE of the HP's expanded at all and when retreived the holes were full of materal. HP,s out of 380 and smaller cal. just don't have the power to expand, PERIOD! and yes flat nose feed out of my pt738 great.