Frangible vs. Pre-fragmented cartridges for M&P .45

Mr. Charles

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Hello, forum.
What is the difference between a frangible round and a pre-fragmented round? I am looking specifically for the type that has the tiny bb's in the round and won't go through sheet rock walls, not just a round that mushrooms on impact as a typical hollow point round does.
Any recommendations for an M&P .45 full size?
Thanks.
 
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Hello, forum.
What is the difference between a frangible round and a pre-fragmented round? I am looking specifically for the type that has the tiny bb's in the round and won't go through sheet rock walls, not just a round that mushrooms on impact as a typical hollow point round does.
Any recommendations for an M&P .45 full size?
Thanks.

If you don't want to penetrate drywall, frangible is what you want. (they're not BB's, but rather compressed powder that comes apart under impact)
 
Frangible will zip right through drywall. Frag is designed to powder when it hits a hard object. I use it in training frequently when shooting at steel.

I don't know if they make it in 45, but I believe what you're talking about is Corbon Glaser Safety Slug.

At the risk of turning this into a ballistics thread, I'll just caution you against using rounds like these for SD purposes. The more research you do will bear this out.
 
Not all frangible ammo is the same. Some are made strictly for training and others are made for self defense.

Instead, I would look at Federal Guard Dog, Glaser Safety Slug or Magsafe if you really want this type of ammo.

Personally I don't care for any of it. I prefer good ole jacketed HP. I know where my zones of fire are in my apartment and am confident with it.
 
IMHO, frang is more/less all the same.

The differences are marketing, packaging, and getting some "pro", former SF guy, etc...to sell it as some miracle round.

The thing with SD rounds is not what they have the potential to do but what they consistently do through a variety of mediums. Heck one time in 10 that frang round might drop a charging 3000 lb rhino right in its tracks, but if it can't do that with regularity, than is that what you want to potentially save your life.

Prefragmented rounds might be fairly effective if you shoot one of those 410 gauge varieties. That round leads with a 30cal conical rd followed by (I think 3 round balls). I've not seen any testing so my thinking it might be effective doesn't mean squat.

If you're worried about other family or neighbors on the other side of thin walls, most pistol rounds, including frang, are gonna go through. As crazy as it might sound a hollow point 5.56/.223 rd penetrates dry wall mediums less than handgun rds. Or a shotgun's first one or two shells loaded with #8-6 birdshot followed up with 00 or 1 buckshot.

Back in the day we did a lot of testing. At the time our primary entry gun was the 9mm MP5 and eventually 40cal MP5. We also had 5.56 rifles as well and around that time, MIL/LE teams started to become concerned of collateral damage/liability issues if we blasted off a rifle in a house/building.

Even with the increased velocity a 55-62 gr bullet losses velocity quickly too. It just takes more to stop the slower 115-230 gr. pistol rd. You'll probably notice subguns aren't carried a whole lot by teams anymore.

The reason frang keeps going is because it doesn't deform like 'normal' bullets. It's either a bullet or it's powder and (within reason) it just keeps going until it either finally looses velocity or hits something hard.

That's been the result of my experience anyway. Take it with a grain of salt.
 
Thanks for the sound reasoning, Jiman and others. Sounds like good old fashioned hollow point rounds are the way to go for SD. Frankly, I think in that situation, whether at home or in public, one had better be trained in seeing beyond the target, both physically and consequentially. "Spray and pray" is not a responsible option. Specialized ammo is not a compensation for well-trained ammo discharging under pressure.
Thank you all.
 
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A Frangible projectile is designed to disintegrate into powder when striking a hard surface

A pre-fragmented projectile is a single projectile that is designed to fragment into smaller pieces the instant is enters the target creating multiple wound channels. It does not have to expand.

The third type off ammunition mentioned in this thread is a multi-projectile load. This is several projectiles loaded one on top of the other in a single case. This sends several light projectiles to strike the target at the same time. This ammunition is very hard to find in 45ACP due to the short case length

Any of these three types of handgun projectiles will not be stopped by a single piece of sheet rock.

The only hand gun cartridge that might be stopped by sheet rock is Less Lethal ammunition. This consists of rubber bullets.

As mentioned above, bird shot will not penetrate sheet rock. But this is not easy to find in handgun calibers and will not cycle your M&P45
 
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