FMJ vs. HOLLOW POINT - CONCEAL CARRY

That makes sense. I’m town boy, so my first thoughts were - FMJ will stop the threat… and 5 people behind… :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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Along with the over penetration liability issues, FMJs tend to zip through things without imparting as much energy into the target. Even for most of the larger four legged critters in North America I would prefer to have a high quality JHP with proven barrier penetration abilities over a FMJ. The exception being if I was in an area with grizzlies or exceptionally large black bears (NJ, Tahoe Basin, and a few other places). In that case I would want a hard cast lead or copper monolithic type bullet designed to bash through bones. Not a typical FMJ which is just as likely to deflect off of a hard surface as it is to go through it.

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I tend to take off the P365 w/ hollow points for my G23 FMJ’s in a bravo concealment IWB while I’m in the country/bayou. Just in case I see the Rougarou!

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I understand where you coming from. Never know what’s waiting in the wild.

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Welcome to the family @Spartan and God bless you.

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I see what you’re getting at, but if I was treading in possible bear territory a rifle would be accompanying me to handle those situations.

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@Alexander8, With good ammo even the lower calibers shouldn’t have expansion issues.

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I would never carry FMJ for defensive reasons ever. The prosecutor will paint you in a light that you really don’t want to be painted in.
Given the lack of energy transferred with an FMJ vs. a quality JHP, I would submit you’re selling yourself short with FMJ.
17 inches of penetration with the JHP in the video. Maximum weight retention.
More ‘umph’ is had with the JHP and god forbit you have to use it on a person, it won’t take the next three people behind the perp like an FMJ will.

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Not sure why you’d want FMJ in defensive scenario. 40 Cal FMJ would pass through all but the roundest of people.

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FMJ works every time all the time with very little variation in performance. Unfortunately there is no way to shoot the same person/animal/whatever twice in the same spot with different cartridges unless you can clone somebody/thing. JHP work as designed most of the time and expand wonderfully …UNLESS … you have chambered them repeatedly and have beaten the “petals” shut, let them get full of lint, punched through a heavy jacket in which case they act just like an FMJ. Conversely those that are most “Dynamic” have the distinct possibility of “grenading” on impact with a hard surface which may result in an inefficiently lethal but ugly superficial wound.

I run heavy JHP in my EDC because I can and am confident in their performance with the knowledge that a follow up shot may ALWAYS be required no matter what round is used. I have used 45 and 9mm FMJ too many times to discount the efficacy of that round in places your Uncle sent me. Yes, yes I hear the argument now “Over penetration and innocent bystanders…” … Sorry, the terminal dynamics of a boolit have NEVER been quantitatively defined by anyone. What it does going in and where it comes out is a total crap shoot and you have better odds hitting the Mega Millions than you will predicting where a boolit will exit or not exit on a live target.

Run what you brung and it it makes you feel better run what you can afford to practice with because if you carry 147gr 9mm JHP and practice with 115gr FMJ you are cheating yourself.

Cheers,

Craig6

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I have been treading in probable bear territory for the majority of the past two plus decades. Often unarmed due to State or work requirements. Wildlife attacks are incredibly rare and not something I worry about much. Most animals are predictable and can be reasoned with without physical violence. Many of the rare attacks that do occur are caused by human error.

It is the the much higher probability of running into dangerous two legged critters in the wild that worries me. Though I would much rather have a rifle when I run into them also;) But a handgun is the most I am willing to lug around when on foot (and when my 2A rights aren’t being violated). Unless I am hunting of course.

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The .40 FMJ is just a back up pistol Kept in my “3day bag” when I travel or intend to be home way. I edc all hollows but I like knowing if the sky starts to fall a Glock & two .40 mags is waiting worst case.

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Same here.

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Very well stated @Shamrock most animals are more afraid of us than we are of them. I don’t doubt you a bit as I’m not quiet as familiar as you with that terrain. In agreement, a firearms outdoors or concealed carry used if necessary and I don’t intend aim if I don’t intend to eat.

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Federal Premium Tactical HST .45 ACP 230 Grain Hollow Point

Hornady Critical Defense , 9x18mm Makarov, FTX, 95 Grain

Hornady’s Critical Defense.22 WMR 45 gr FTX

Never leave home without it!

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The Best ! Many Florida good people have been waiting for that ammo and standing in early
long line for a year now and the cost is up to x3 the true cost. wish the greatest for all.

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Yes sir, those HST don’t play games!

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Just a couple of comments. First, JHPs are designed to expand if they strike the target in a certain velocity window. If your JHP is designed for a duty-size pistol, you may not get any expansion when shooting it out of a CCW with a shorter barrel. One example of this is Hornady Critical Duty. It has a hard lead core for barrier penetration that requires a duty-size barrel to give reliable expansion. The better choice in the Hornady line-up for shorter barrels is their Critical Defense ammo. That’s what it’s for. That’s why it’s different. I suppose if you want FMJ performance out of a JHP in a subcompact 9, you could always choose Hornady Critical Duty. I wouldn’t.

Second, this is just my opinion based on what I understand about terminal ballistics, but I think “energy” is the wrong way of thinking about effective handgun ammunition. With rifles you can have enough energy to cause hydrostatic shock which stretches the tissue beyond its elastic range when the bullet passes through. A rifle round damages more than it touches, way more. But handgun rounds shot from CCWs cannot achieve this kind of damage. They damage what they touch as if they were drill bits. If the round expands, it’s a bigger drill bit, and so has a better chance of hitting something vital and/or accelerating blood loss. However the energy dump of a handgun round, even if complete, isn’t an incredible amount of force. It’s essentially going to have the effect of punching the target, and not even close to what Mike Tyson could do in his prime. It might get the attention of an onrushing attacker in a way that a pass-through would not, I guess, but it’s not likely to be a big factor in stopping a determined attacker.

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HST .45(G30sf)
G2 Research RIP 9mm(HK P30)
Critical Defense 9mm(1911) .45(1911)

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Yes, sir, but most people don’t consider the difference in performance of a round fired at 900 FPS and one fired at 1200 fps. I think many believe that a hollow point shown in a YouTube video that has an “awe” factor acts the same way when fired from their hot-weather mini-handgun. For short barrels, when I want penetration, the FMJ will do better than one that expands and penetrates minimally. Especially for the south, having to conceal a weapon drives some to carry a mouse-gun chambered in .380. The hollow-point’s effectiveness is very questionable.

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