Handguns and Hollow Points

Human Events ^ | 03/08/2011 | Richard Johnson

[neverdem]

Blame Hollywood. Blame the evening news. Blame your Uncle Jim. There is a lot of incorrect information out there on firearms and ammunition.

For whatever reason, bullet design and performance seems to have the largest amount of myths and half-truths circling around it. Some of these false beliefs have led to bad movie scenes and even worse, bad laws.

When a handgun is loaded for self defense, most instructors advise to use quality hollow point ammunition. But why?

The Hollow Point Bullet

A hollow point bullet is a bullet that has some type of cavity scooped out of the center. Most hollow points do not have any actual “point” at all. A few like the CORBON Pow’RBall and the Hornady Critical Defense, use a polymer ball or filling in the cavity.

The idea of a hollow point it to cause the bullet to expand when striking the target.

A hollow point is not a “Dum-Dum” bullet. The Dum-Dum bullet was developed in the Dum-Dum arsenal in India in 1897. It was a rifle bullet with an exposed lead tip. The bullets were never fully developed and discontinued in 1899. Yet, to hear the media tell it, Dum-Dum bullets are the preferred ammo choice by gang bangers everywhere...

--snip--

While precise measurements vary, under ideal conditions, a 9mm bullet can expand to nearly double its size (from .355” to nearly .7” in diameter.) Likewise, a .45 ACP bullet can expand to almost an inch in diameter...

--snip--

Generally, I have found that the narrower the bullet face, the more velocity needed to cause reliable expansion. In other words, a wide mouth .45 bullet is more likely to expand at lower velocities than a narrow 9mm. Narrow, low-velocity cartridges, like the .25 ACP and .32 ACP, rarely expand...

[neverdem]

I think it's a decent primer on hollow point terminal ballistics, IMHO. I don't know why the general information doesn't apply to rifle ammo. Someone might find it useful. I liked that comment on .25 ACP.

[NoLibZone]

"Bullets that over-penetrate, exiting the attacker, present several problems: Ranger T's!

[BattleHymn]

My wife’s boss was mortified that she carried (gasp) “hollow points” in her CCW.

[tet68]

As my friend the late “Chief” used to tell me
load hp for the first three, then hardball after
that, cause if you don’t get him with the first
three, he’s gonna get under cover and you’ll need
that ball to penetrate to where he is.

[ltc8k6]

Just go with EFMJ’s.

They don’t look like hollowpoints, but they act the same.

[fso301]

I saw a small 6 point buck a guy shot with a 30.06 hollow point. Ruined a whole shoulder roast. Actually, there wasn’t any shoulder left to roast.

[NoLibZone]

They are safer for their reduced penetration of walls.

[smokingfrog]

Speer Gold Dot or Hornady XTP is the way to go.

Federal Premium HST is good also, but not that easy to find.

[Buffalo Head]

"I liked that comment on .25 ACP."

Why do you (or anybody) use a name containing "ACP"? That designation was obsoleted prior to WWII. The correct designation for 25 Auto, 32 Auto, 38 Auto, 380 Auto and 45 Auto is as I just wrote.

It's the headstamp stupid! Same as the designation stamped on the firearm barrel.

It is no more appropriate to use an obsolete cartridge designation than to address a married woman by her maiden name.

Folks that use obsolete cartridge designations fall into the same category as those who describe a "cart ride" as a "bullet", or a "magazine" as a "clip" or a "bullet" as a "head", ad nauseam.

[Bob]

I don't know why the general information doesn't apply to rifle ammo.

While I can't be sure, I'd think that the higher muzzle velocities involved with rifles versus handguns changes a lot of things. (Rifles typically do have a significantly higher muzzle velocity than handguns, don't they? I'm certainly open to being corrected on this point.)

[LouAvul]

Doubtful. If one is inside a structure then the interior walls are only going to have two 1/2 inch sheets of drywall. That's not going to be of any consequence for a hollow point vs. a solid (fmj or swc).

The only factor of any consequence would be bullet weight.

[relee]

If you must use 32 ACP hollow point, try CorBon.

[TigersEye]

A cart ride can be pretty dangerous if the horse panics or an axle breaks.

[FARS]

For pure self-defense rather than combat - most often happening at a distance of around 15 feet, the .22 Magnum is more than adequate and a small size carry. Check it out here

http://noiri.blogspot.com/2010/07/north-american-arms-mini-beauty.html

[AlaskaErik]

I prefer Speer Gold Dot or Remington Golden Saber for my larger caliber pistols and Hornady Critical Defense for my .380 pistols. Should I ever have to neutralize a threat I want them to stay neutralized.

[lurk]

The deer was messed up so badly because the projectile from a 30.06 is scooting along at 2700-3200fps. As a result, there is a tremendous amount of energy distributed on impact, especially if it hits a bone.

Handgun slugs travel at less than half the speed of rifle slugs.

[AlaskaErik]

For pure self-defense rather than combat - most often happening at a distance of around 15 feet, the .22 Magnum is more than adequate and a small size carry. Check it out here

Surely you jest. I would never carry anything less than .40 caliber in the winter or less than .380 in the summer. And the only reason I carry .380 in the summer is due to concealment issues. But a .22 magnum, never. .22 is fine for plinking and target practice, but that's it.

[little jeremiah]

Thank you, we’re thinking of a revolver purchase.

[Jeff Chandler]

That’s a beautiful little hideaway backup weapon.

[TigersEye]

I have a double-barreled derringer in .22 magnum and I couldn’t hit a two foot square of cardboard with it at 15 feet. That’s a “stick it in the ribs” last chance defense weapon. It’s not even good for a mafia hit style execution ala in or behind the ear because it’s too high velocity. You need a regular .22 rimfire in short or sub-sonic for that.