Why did the .44 mag penetrate less than a 9mm is this video?

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The answer is found at about 2:25 in the video. A full metal jacket bullet will always penetrate more than an expanding one.
 
Yea not an honest comparison. The 44 mag was using hollow points and the 9mm FMJ. Put a hollow point in the 9 and you will see a big difference.

John
 
I've never before heard anyone question the effectiveness of the .44 mag or .454 Casull! Excessive penetration (i.e., the 9mm FMJ) isn't a benefit, it's a hazard. By looking at the bottles explode you get an idea of what while happen to a perp in a SD scenario.
 
IMO the shot with the 454 Casull was a miss. Take a close look at the muzzle flip and what appears to be the path of the bullet. To me it looks like the Bore Transit recoil cause the shot to go high and exit the last bottle on a trajectory over the line of the bottles.

Also, as noted Section Density also comes into play and a 9mm has a much higher section density than a 44 Magnum plowing a hole nearly 1 inch in diameter. If you want to just shoot bottles there are high penetration loads available for the 44 Magnum that may match or exceed the results from the 500 Magnum.

Personally, I don't care to be shot with any caliber and regard these tests as amusement. Handguns require good shot placement to be effective so I carry calibers that I can shoot effectively with.
 
If you want real penetration use a hard cast lead bullet......
 
It was worth it just to watch the .500 not just knock him on his butt, it also came close to clearing all the bottles. But it was another solid bullet.
 
ya...thats very bogus putting a 9mm fmj against a hollow point even of the 44 mags power.


that video reminds me of the vid myth busters did about black powder vs gun powder...they used a colt and put a cheesy 15 grains of powder in it...with a lead ball..not even a conical bullet..against a 45 with a copper jacket..and shot them at a silver dollor..of cource the copper went threw...atleast they could of found a lead 45 auto.....and they didnt talk about the fact the bullet was a copper jacket...they just said it was only cause of the powder :rolleyes: shows what happens when some one makes a video about guns and knows very little about them..lol
 
I really don't want to get into a caliber war here, but just ask yourself this question----WOULD YOU REALLY RATHER CARRY A 9MM IN BIG BEAR COUNTRY OR WOULD YOU RATHER CARRY A .44M.
There are reasons many states have caliber limitations on hand guns used for hunting and shooting milk bottles isn't one of the tests.
 
Bad experimental design on multiple levels!

OP....it is scary that you didn't immediately realize how bogus this test actually was! I paid my way through college working for the medical examiner of a large, populous southwestern county....so a saw a few bullet wounds! Water jugs are actually not a terrible poor man's replacement for balistic gelatin, but this fool picked small jugs and spaced them apart, and you can clearly see that some bullets exited the side of the bottles and went off downrange.
 
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The big calibers penetrated less because they did exactly what they were designed to do, EXPEND ALL OF THEIR ENERGY INSIDE OF THE TARGET!

The exception being the .500 which is a whole other animal. It was specifically designed for shooting large game at great distances, which it does quite well. Large, heavy, stout bullet with extreme velocity, you are gonna get some serious penetration.
 
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