What can the FR handgun enthusiasts and ammo experts tell us about this ammunition? What is the point of using it over normal hollow points when you know you'll be shooting from close range? Does anyone think it was more the symbolic significance of a "silver bullet" rather than the bullet's killing capacity? How hard is this ammo to get in the US? In the Netherlands? How much does it cost? Are the ballistics different- I mean would you have to practice specifically with that ammo if you wanted to hit something with it in a real situation? Questions, questions. If anybody has any answers please feel free to pipe up.
Maybe.
With most semi-auto weapons, the gun 'likes' some ammo and does not 'like' other ammo. What that means is that if you are firing 5-round strings at a target (say 25 yards,) the 'likeable' ammo will group more tightly than the 'not-likeable' ammo. So you practice with various brands, weights, etc., of ammo until you find the one which is 'likeable' for your weapon.
Another thing: 9mm ammo comes in all different weights (measured by grains of lead in the bullet,) from 90 grains up to 147.
The heavier rounds tend to fire higher on the target. So if your ammo is firing low, go up a weight class until you find the weight which fires dead-on point of aim.
Does it take practice to shoot someone at close range? Not really, depending on the meaning of 'close.'
Out to 10 yards or so, you have to really be a bozo to miss a human being. At 25 yards, you may miss point of aim by up to 6" (on the target,) depending on the typical factors: hurry, adrenaline, etc.
If the victims were 5 to 10 feet away (1.5 to 3.0 meters) killing them is not difficult.
This does presume that one has practiced--say a thousand rounds a year (not too much practice, BTW; Olympians and the professionals do around 2,000 rounds/week.)