Social Security Admin Buys 174000 Hollow Point Bullets: Border Patrol Armed with Bean Bags

Maggie's Notebook ^ | 8-16-12 | Maggie@MaggiesNotebook

[maggiesnotebook]

The short story is the Social Security Administration (SSA) has 295 special agents working in 66 offices throughout the U.S. They have full authority to be armed. Standard issue is ".357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacked hollow point pistol ammunition." These agents investigate allegations of Social Security fraud and respond to threats against Social Security offices, employees and customers...but they cannot stop sending checks to dead people or other unworthy recipients. Hollow points won't stop the theft of my Social Security. We can feel safe though, as each agent now has almost 600 rounds of his very own.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has ordered 46,000 rounds of hollow points, which I understand are a good piece of ammo because they expand inside the body, and do not exit, meaning that a bystander will not be hit by an exiting bullet. They are not always legal to use in war however.

Homeland Security ordered 450 MILLION rounds of assorted ammo and another 175 MILLION rounds of .233 caliber, along with a new supply of bulletproof booths for use somewhere.

Is it too much to ask for Congress to explain why we are armed to the teeth, but not through the Pentagon, and why we refuse to let our Border Guards use real bullets, rather than guns shooting bean bags. Agent Brian Terry is dead. His bean bag gun fell with him.

[Pecos]

You've been reading too much of the MSM. They don't go thru Kevlar vests any better than other rounds of the same caliber. The black coating simply lubricated the round in the barrel. The Black Talon rounds were effective because of the manner in which the "petals" of the round opened up as it expanded. Due to the bad exaggerationist press, Winchester stopped selling them. Functionally, they have been replaced by the Winchester Ranger SXT line. This article from the lefty-leaning Wikipedia lays it out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Talon

[hadaclueonce]

Sorry now that I sold all my firearms and ammo.

[Bikkuri]

I’m not going to argue about what they do.. but, I will say that, when I was a cop.. and when they came out (Black Talons), we were told be be careful.. I didn’t get any of that info from the MSM.. I haven’t even been in the states since 1998 (when I left the Sheriff’s Office to come here)... and even then, I didn’t listen to their (MSM’s) drivel :p

[ammomajor]

Yes, I know about hollow points (use them in my .357) but what are ‘jacked’ rounds? Only useable by jack booted types? Inquiring minds want to know...

[nobamanomore]

I shoot more than that a week! I’m not rusty

[dagogo redux]

While your point is well-taken, the reality of practical use in an actual self-defense situation makes such small differences as that immaterial for the vast majority of us.

Such real-life scenarios are frequently at short distances, and in high-adrenaline situations, where the basic practicalities of keeping the gun running, stance, presentation and grip will go much farther towards success than precision aiming. If you train most of the time with 230gr .45 FMJ in your 1911, when the SHTF it will not matter much if you have 230gr .45 HP ammo instead, IMHO. Center of mass is center of mass, and head shots are not practical at great distances under those circumstances anyway.

[DBrow]

Agree! Also for most of us the cost difference between “training” or practice ammo and tactical or carry ammo drives us to the cheapest options. I practice with 230 rnl handloads yet carry pricey hollowpoints.

This is true in police departments, I see 9mm fmj from Blazer on the line yet they carry some type of hollow-point with an X in the name.

I don’t think the federal cops care that much about the difference in cost. I mean, we can see their requisitions! DHS did order “practice and training ammo” but I don’t recall noticing that it was at a lower tech level or quality.

[Pecos]

Understood. They would certainly be devastating to someone not wearing soft armor, but then that was what they were intended to do. Perhaps that is why you were told to be careful.

[Bikkuri]

Lol.. speaking of ‘soft armor’.. it is really irritating when movies, and even ‘journalists’ call body armor, “flack vests/jackets”... XD I guess that would equate to a Marlin .22 to an AK47 ;~)