Frangible carry ammo: worth the money?

So I was remembering some benefits of frangible ammo compared to hollow points. I know hollow points are supposed to expand upon impact and cause that extra damage. But I also know that frangible ammo prevents ricochet since it basically explodes (I know bad terminology but idk how else to describe it).
So does this once again boil down to preference?
Let me know what you guys think. :grin:

Frankly, I have concerns with possible over penetration and explaining to the police or prosecutor why I carry something so unique.

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If you live in a dwelling where through and throughs are a concern, frangible is an excellent choice. The 2 primary benefits to frangible rounds is

  1. All of the energy of the round is deposited into your target
  2. If you miss it will powder on whatever hard surface it hits.

Negatives are

  1. Light concealment, pretty much becomes cover when you are using frangible. That becomes problematic, John Lovell of the Warrior Poet Society (a very well regarded firearms and self defense lifestyle trainer) is of the opinion that having cover or the lack thereof dictates the outcomes of most firearms engagements.
  2. More expensive on a round per round basis.

So it’s a balancing act. I vacillate on frangible, I do use it in one specific firearm. YMMV

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By the way, I was talking about the G2 RIP ammo.

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As I understand it, frangible ammo is unlikely to fragment when hitting soft tissue. The surface impacted must have a certain amount solidity to cause the fragmentation. The exact composition of a particular frangible bullet and the power factor of the load will determine the conditions required to initiate fragmentation and also the degree of fragmentation.

Check with the manufacturer and request the ballistic data of their round.

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I saw that ammo and people basically said it was just to look mean. That it didn’t really work like it was said to. 🤷 But I never bothered getting any.

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As always, check the manufacturers data. Then look up the various forums that discuss the particular rounds.
I have chosen to stick with the Critical Defense Rounds that people love to hate or love as well.
Just for fun, I took some freezer burned meat, thawed it and put some holes in it. Shot it with FMJ, Wadcutters, and my CDR rounds. I have chosen to stay with the CDR rounds.
I have never tried Frangible rounds. I am beginning think that I will. Just to see what it does in a good thick ham at 5 feet. One of my friends is complaining about some freezer burned meat at his house.

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Let me know what you find man! Freezer burned meat like that should make a good target after it thaws for testing.

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I am concerned about the “jury” factor if I ended up in court after a self defense shooting. Believe it or not you WILL end up defending your ammo selection. It happens every single time. While I like Critical Defense, I use Federal HST because my local LE all carry that ammo (department issued). 124 gr +p out of my 4 inch Glock 19 has the same muzzle energy as a 40, especially if the user has a 3 inch subcompact EDC.

Most importantly IF I were to justify my selection, I would state that I called my local police to see what they recommended. They use Federal HST so I relied upon their professional wisdom to make the choice for me. Get it?

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I mentioned this in another thread about steel ammo. I use what my local LEO’s use. For the exact same reason.

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Shot Show 2020 video about frangible ammo:

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Interesting demonstration. I like what I think I see, I’d like to also go through 5k rounds in all calibers I run to believe what I thought I saw. That said, this stuff is going to be more prevalent over time, just simply because as a society we’re more becoming lead adverse. This isn’t a bad thing obviously. On the other hand, what we choose to go to should do everything we have come to expect and - as viewed here - do somethings better than we accept currently. The hollow point behavior is a nice demonstration of cause and effect… engineering: at last!

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