It’s also interesting that they show the diameters of the none expanding XDs to be significantly larger than the other hollow point bullets that actually do expand. That and the lack of any information about who did the testing makes me suspicious about its authenticity and methodology.
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I see they have the document you linked to on their website but it still doesn’t tell me who did the testing. Nor does it explain having expanded diameters on non expanding bullets.
If the results are real and the testing was done to proper standards with proper controls I would expect several agencies to have switched to fluted bullets by now since they appear significantly more effective based on these numbers. Unless the fluted bullets don’t perform as well in real bodies as they do in the gel tests.
The original gel tests took bullets that were known to work well in real targets and tested how they performed in gel so they could be compared to new designs. But this does make it possible to game the system by designing a bullet specifically to work great in gel testing even though it may not perform well in the real world. Do the flutes increase the pressure enough to induce hydrostatic shock in live flesh like high velocity rifle rounds do? Does a permanent wound cavity in gel directly correlate to a significant damaging wound cavity in live flesh?
Maybe fluted bullets are superior to HPs. But until I see a significant number of the people who put their lives on the line every day carrying them I’m gonna stick with options that I know have been proven to work.
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That really is what it comes down to. People that put their lifes on the line every day are most likely spending more time focused on shot placement rather than being the test case finding out if the newest bullett design stops the bad guy faster. Until some do, the gel test is what we have to work with for data today.
Fortunately, it has technically not mattered what I carry so far because I have not had to real world test what’s in my firearm.
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Gary, thanks for posting the link. I will read the whole document. 
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This! Elite units of the Military and Federal law Enforcement bet their bacon every day on the equipment and ammo they carry. Winchester XST and Speer GD dominate that world in current latest configuration they helped develop and test.
These folks are the biggest purchasers of ammo in the WORLD, and the true driving force for ammo SCIENTIFIC developments and they work directly with manufactures to continue improving bullets. They also buy and test every new gadget out there throwing out anything that does not make the cut. Local and State LEOs take their word as bible and buy whatever THEY buy.
So, I don’t see the Seals, Deltas, CIA Field Ops, FBI HRT or BORTAC carrying fluted ammo. I asked one of my mentors who is a member of one of those outfits about the stuff and he said “gimmick” meant for mall ninjas. That’s all I need to know. This MIGHT change in the future, but that’s the current state of affairs.
And folks, ballistic gel is only ONE indicator of ammo performance and not a particularly reliable one. With the exception of most GenZs humans are not made of solid jelly 
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All of you ballistic aficionado’s should take the time to read this, I did, all 51 pages. 
Much more then “Ballistic Jell” was used.
The Underwood XD uses the Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defense Technology
bullet. They are the same bullet and in some cases Underwood uses slightly
higher pressure which produces more velocity. The radial flutes increase tissue
pressure and direct the tissue outward to increase wound diameter. There is one
main characteristic to XD performance…. Velocity. The faster this round goes
the larger the wound diameter. We tested the 9mm XD, 9 +P, 9+P+ and the 357
SIG in multiple tests in gel and tissue. That’s 4 of the exact same projectiles with
the only difference being velocity. The wound channel size increased exactly in
proportion to increase in velocity. Unlike hollow points which are designed for a
certain impact velocity to best perform as designed, the XD always works better
when faster.
The data sheet shows results from Phase 2/3 with enormous wound diameters.
The radial flutes work perfectly in fluid/gel. Calculated PWCs are the largest
ever recorded in all calibers!
Many of our testers wondered if vectoring real compressed tissue sideways into
tissue would actually destroy that adjacent tissue that is not directly in the path
of the projectile. For those who think this will only work in a non-compressible
fluid like gel as we initially did, we can confirm that this technology works
extremely well in actual animal tissue with or without barriers. Remember that
hollow points expand because tissue which fills the hole in the hollow point is
compressed to such a point that the outward pressure inside the bullet pushes and
tears the metal and forces it outward where friction then takes over to complete
the expansion. If tissue can be compressed to the point of tearing metal (hollow
point) then tissue can certainly be compressed to the point of tearing tissue. The
Phase 4/5 tissue tests confirmed that in over 100 shots the measured wound
channel was not only larger than that of an FMJ but in most cases was the largest
wound channel produced in that caliber compared to all other rounds to include
fully functioning hollow points.
a. Penetration. All rounds in all calibers tested penetrated 15.2 – 20 inches
with and without barriers.
b. Reliability and Consistency. Every single shot did roughly the same thing.
There is a 0% chance of failure to function because there can be no failure
to tumble or expand (because they don’t) and no chance to fragment. This
was the most Reliable and Consistent round tested.
c. Barrier Performance. The XD round, the 5.7 mm rounds and FMJs were
the most barrier blind rounds tested. Not only did barriers not deflect the
round it didn’t change the wound diameter much and only slightly reduced
penetration depth. XD Barrier degradation was approximately 5%.
d. PWC. In the Phase 4/5 realistic tissue tests the XD produced the largest
wound areas and with the incredible penetration depth exhibited in the
Phase 2/3 gel tests the XD recorded the largest overall PWC in all calibers.
As noted the PWC numbers are inflated in the Phase 2/3 gel tests due to
non-compressible gel, but the penetration depths are more realistic to
compare.
Overall: This was by far the most impressive round tested. After over a year
of testing this round became the most requested round to test after some of the
agencies reviewed draft shot data. In continued testing this round became the
most measured and compared round in this test. We had more XD data points
than any other round. Because the XD relies so heavily on velocity the results
showed that the 357 SIG, 10mm and 9mm were the best calibers in this round
followed by the .45 and then the .40, the exact opposite of the hollow point
results.
The solid copper rounds available in 9mm present some of the best bullets available
in this caliber. The jump in performance and wounding capability between hollow
points and solid copper is the largest of any caliber. Deeper more consistent
penetration, great barrier performance and the largest PWC was recorded with a
solid copper round.
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Forgive me if I missed it, but…is there any objective data comparing a good JHP with the XD?
Is there data for measured permanent crush cavity of any of the rounds they are discussing? Diameter of the projectile at the conclusion?
I mean, it’s a nice piece, but it’s clearly marketing speak picking and choosing what they choose to present to make their product look good.
Yes, read it.
I did read it, and apologize, but I don’t see that data.
Would you mind quoting and pasting the penetration depths, wound channel measurements, and expanded bullet diameters for the rounds in question? I’m not seeing that. The actual numbers, objective data, for the JHP’s in the same tests as the XD
I’m not playing your silly game, have a nice night. 
Just trying to find data or objective results
OK, to me ,and it’s just me opinion, fluted rounds are making more sense. The way I see it and to make a long story short, FMJ rounds traveling in a straight line will somewhat continue in a straight line, HP while traveling in this straight line will upon impact gather matter that will force the tip of the bullet open. A fluted round will travel in the same straight line until reaching matter and then just go off course and rip up anything in it’s path much like a meat grinder blade would rip up meat. I also read the same report or something very similar. Now I’m not trying to talk anyone other than myself into trying fluted rounds. No two people are the same, we all have our own preferences. I’m just thinking out loud. and it seems that there is less chance of a fluted round passing thru it’s target and injuring an innocent person.
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Thats what I got out of it also. I learned a lot. Also interesting is the lighter 9mm fluted did more tissue damage because of the higher velocity. 
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I see the opposite. That fluff piece by the manufacturer went to great lengths to explain that even through a barrier (like, your house walls) it still penetrates to or beyond the FBI window (window of 12-18"…and it’s 16-20" even after a barrier). 20" is a lot. Seems to me it’s more likely to over penetrate…barriers or the threat…and hit an innocent
And this takes me back to my original quest. Lighter rounds with less recoil. I’m getting older and my sidearm seems to be getting heavier.
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Did it do more tissue damage? There’s no data telling us how much permanent crush cavity it had vs JHP, let alone from a disinterested third party
There were no manufactures involved in any if the tests.
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You’re making me question my thinking. More research is definatly needed. Although I do trust Scott Wagner’s view. from USCCA. I read his article last night.
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I thought this was an interesting paragraph.
The Over-Penetration Myth:
Fear that a bullet will pass through a target body and damage a bystander are
unfounded. First, approximately 40% of all shots fired in the day do not hit any
target at all and even less bullets hit the target at night. That’s cause for real concern.
Secondly, shots passing through the target torso do not have sufficient remaining
penetration capabilities. Lastly, there haven’t been any cases where this has actually
happened. No recorded medical reports or lawsuits come from a bystander wounding
resulting from over-penetrating handgun bullets through the torso of a target. For
the purposes of this test we used International Wound Ballistics Association (IWBA)
18x6x6 inch calibrated gel blocks with a sideways block backstop providing an
overall maximum measured depth of 24 inches. Only Full Metal Jacket rounds and
rounds that failed exceeded penetrating that depth.
Except now they will have to add the Baldwin shooting. 
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