Does the type of ammo matter?

Be able to easily out run the other 4👍

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Also be aware if a state has any regulations on type of ammo, some do and some don’t!
Check with LEO and ask what they carry for ammo and ask for any suggestions.
FBITermBal.xls (gunlink.info)
and then there is the FBI terminal ballistics that covers different rounds from different sizes and how they are different.
Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition - Ballistic Testing Data (luckygunner.com)

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And what happens when the prosecution tries to argue that you used the same defensive ammunition as the FBI which isn’t allowed for civilian use?:thinking:even though we know that will be a lie but the average juror will buy into as the truth.
I can see that trying to be used in court.

Y’all haven’t watched Paul’s video I posted, have you?!?!?

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Thanks for that link with the ballistics Todd30! I think I found my new round based on that chart. I want a deep penetrating round that is heavy, Looks like the Hornady XTP fits the bill, is used for hunting, self defense and law enforcement!

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Todd’s chart looks a bit on the old side. There are new rounds and new tests with slightly different results. The XTPs are a rather old design. They have less expansion than newer designs and don’t always expand reliably in some calibers. But this often leads to deeper penetration so if that is your primary goal then it may be a good round for you. They are also known for being pretty accurate. They used to be my preferred choice in .380.

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I try to keep up with Lucky Gunners tests. They are usually close to updated. That is the reason for my defensive rounds being Barnes solid copper and Winchester Ranger T series. They both consistently expand the most. This makes for larger wound channels and both have solid penetration numbers.

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The FTX bullets seemed to perform much more consistently in .380 — and the old chart doesn’t even pick current mainstream performers in larger calibers like HST.

But picking a suitable defensive bullet sort of requires deciding whether the primary threat will require the penetration of Alaskan bears, or energy transfer to smaller mammals and reduction of downrange collateral harm. Not sure how you get both in a single handgun load.

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Exactly. JHP, they’ll say you were out to kill. FMJ, they’ll say you recklessly endangered innocent bystanders. So ignore that factor and make sure you stop the immediate threat and live to worry about the legal consequences.

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An experienced firearms self defense lawyer will know to counter with" jhp’s are intended to stop the threat as quickly as possible without unintended victims".

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In some states (NJ) JHP is illegal and you have to use FMJ. Stupidity is a major factor in the anti gun mind set. Over pentation is the main problem with 9mm fmj. Not so much a problem with 32 acp. Safest bet is what the local police use.

What ammo is that??

BTW my understanding is that domestic civilian law enforcement falls under the heading of civilian

The prosecutor could try to state that only law enforcement uses a certain type of ammunition vs what the average person uses.
We know they use what we use but they could try to trick a jury into thinking the defendant was using ammunition that they should not have.

What ammunition, specifically, might that be?

Where does one find what ammunition the “average person” uses…and why does it matter what the “average person” uses?

What I was trying to say is that a prosecutor may state, to the average jurors, that law enforcement uses a type of ammunition that is only available/issued to them and cannot be purchased by the average firearm owner.
Would a prosecutor try to trick people into believing that a certain type of ammunition should/is only for LEO use only?
Are “assault rifles” only available to the military?
The average person will buy what is commercial availability to them. The people who do not have any knowledge of firearms will sop up any story they are told about a HD/SD round. Those are “bad” bullets.

I don’t understand what type that would be, so I don’t understand what you are saying. It kind of sounds like a vague “What if the prosecution just lies and makes something up out of thin air” in which case my response would be “well there’s no ammo choice that can avoid that”

Have we talked about using anything that is not commercially available?

Define “assault rifle”

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Exactly! What is an “assault rifle” to a juror without any firearm knowledge, only what the MSM tells them?

You asked the question “are assault rifles only available to the military”, in the context of what a prosecutor might theoretically argue in court, for what 9mm self defense ammo a person chooses.

If the argument is going to be about “assault rifle” availability and the military, then I’d say that unless we are talking about an NFA stamped Machine Gun, that’s not particularly relevant to anything

Not really sure how we got from 9mm defensive ammo to “assault rifles” and the military though

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I was trying to show an example of how a prosecutor could state the a particular type of ammunition is more lethal than another when in fact they all are.
If he states “well, the guy who was trying to kill the defendant could have been stopped using a different type of ammunition and would still be alive today if it were a S&B FMJ vs a Hornady Critical Defense round”, stating that the defendant intended to kill, not stop the threat to their life.
Does that make sense?

I’m sure a prosecutor could make up the argument that a person with FMJ ammunition was intending to kill, not stop. I’m also sure a prosecutor could make up the argument that a person with JHP ammunition was intending to kill, not stop.

FJM: Military grade no civilian needs
JHP: Not even allowed in war

What makes sense is picking the objectively better choice, which is rather easily addressed by adequate representation/expert witness maybe, in court.

To go full circle and go back and copy/paste quote myself

" The short answer is that, so long as it’s legal where you are/go, for typical carry cartridges/calibers (such as 9x19), a name brand major manufacturer’s JHP (jacketed hollow point) marketed for concealed carry/self defense/protection/law enforcement is the standard recommendation

A prosecutor, or the media, can and will use anything against you, no matter what you pick. But, objectively, it seems the JHP is the best choice and adequate representation in court should get that across to the jury .It also gives you the best chance of surviving the first encounter, the one with the imminent deadly threat.

Personally I would not carry a niche company’s hardcast, due to penetration concerns as well as the cost of shooting enough of it to truly verify function for me in my firearm. If you are carrying it on your property where there are bears, me personally, I’d change out to a JHP when not on my own property in bear country (actually, I’d carry something with more oompth than 9mm for bears, or carry bear spray and reach for it first…and I have backpacked in the Rockies where I had to make that bear spray decision personally)

For 9mm concealed carry self protection/defense, or home defense, I would recommend Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot."

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