Is your ammunition any good when?

So you have looked at caliber of ammunition,penetration,fps lethality at your distances. However🥵 have you looked at how your ammunition performs when in contact with intermediate barriers?
A few examples of intermediate barriers are:
1)Ballistic gel
2)Ballistic gel in denim and heavy denim or tripled denim (spring,fall,winter)
3)Laminated Glass
4)drywall
5)sheet metal
6)plywood
7) particle board,
8)regular glass
9) and all variations of above(plywood or sheetrock thicknesses etc.)
Now you might want to say why would I need to know. However, sometimes bad guys : are dressed,or in winter garb,or shooting at you in your house ,or ducking behind a barrier while shooting at you( as an example- use that imagination).

Not every attack will be in your face per se

Does your ammunition fail,when hitting intermediate barriers?

Does a heavy winter jacket make it expand to uselessness? Etc.

Is your ammunition. Any good when?

Have you looked at any of the barrier ballistic results for your ammunition ?
Does your hollow point penetrate more deeply or less with heavier clothing?? What about the wound tracks?
(Hollow point,frangible,polytipped or other)

Is your ammunition any good when?

At what distance does it loose it’s lethality in terms of velocity or velocity after intermediate barriers.?

Is your ammunition any good when?

If a bad guy has a messenger bag across his chest as he is robbing your house,in his winter coat. You surprise him in your house. He fires at youyou draw and fire.
Your bullet must penetrate the messenger bag and contents,the winter coat ( in cold weather states),maybe even a sweater and then the criminal.

Is your ammunition any good when?

What say you all, for the barriers listed and described? Have you given any thought to your ammunition. And the various issues it could encounter?

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Dr. Richard, this is a great topic. I’m a geek first-class, an engineer, so ballistics and efficacy of ammunition fascinates me. I study it often.

However, I don’t get too far into the weeds. I think the bigger issue for noobs like myself is: when fit hits the shan, can I deploy my weapon and put rounds on target? I train to that, and train often. I carry a high-quality 9 mm hollow point that I’ve researched, that won’t fly through the walls of my house and kill the neighbors.

I’ve got too many friends who sacrifice caliber for training. They carry the largest-caliber, most expensive ammo they can buy, yet can’t afford to train with it.

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For example, a bad guy tries to rob you in a parking lot, with other people present. Can you guarantee you will not miss, and if do miss, do you want ammunition that goes through sheet metal and laminated glass?
I do not.

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I feel much the same way. It’s why I carry way more Hornaday Critical Defense than Critical Duty.

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I nerd out on this stuff. I’m a 10mm snob. My short version is I want a fast bonded hollow point bullet. The speed to make things happen and a well designed hollow point to apply the brakes when needed. I’m currently nerding out on .357 sig.

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If the messenger bag and jacket stops or absorbs the bullets energy, it’s going to knock them back from the energy transferred. If the round is a bit less effective, that where the shoot till the threat is gone and a 20rd mag with spare mags comes in handy.

I have critical defense/duty but those are aging and I’m about to switch out my carry ammo for Golden Saber 147gr. Getting a good deal on it I think, box of 50 for $18.

To swap out all my ammo in my various carry options, 359rds.

It’s starting to get warmer out so lighter clothing…

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This a great question. I carry critical duty / critical defense also, like someone mentioned. I believe shots on target is critical also. If they have a case held up in front of them, again as someone mentioned the energy transfer might make them think twice and run.

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I use Hornady Critical Duty in my Kimber Ultra +CDP 45 for carry. After seeing the penetration test, I got worried about that round over-penetrating because it can pass clean through a person causing collateral damage.

The round is 220 grain +p and easily went over 16 inches IIRC from the test. I’m wondering if I should continue to carry HDC round.

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Here is a
arhttps://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2014/7/16/overpenetration/ticle I found that might answer your question. Mike_T

Good topic. I like Federal HST rounds. However, I’ve heard good things about the Hornaday polymer-filled hollow points (Critical Duty)…good enough for the FBI…,good enough for me.

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I also favor the Federal HST 9mm 124 round…standard round, not plus P.

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Thanks for that Mike…and I get the point. In a defense situation I’m definitely more concerned about shots on the threat FIRST. However, we’re thinking beforehand.

I think when we consider ammo, we want it to be practical also. Meaning what is the purpose of our ammo. The Hornady CD round is designed to penetrate car doors, sheet rock, etc.

Make no bones about it…whatever is loaded in my weapon is coming out of the barrel…but I have to think of others too. I want my bullets to take out the perpetrator. We’re taught “be sure of your target and what’s beyond it”, so I have to be concerned about collateral damage or injury.

This link is the video on Hornady Critical Duty 220 .45 +p:

Give your thinking please.

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I completely understand - Va. Corrections taught us the same. More of what is beyond your target, I would like to see more testing with more real life clothing involved. I think jackets and denim and shirts and T shirts all slow the round down. I agree with you on all points you make, I am looking now as I am much older - watch beyond the threat and stop the attack. I guess once again we have look at our priorities. You make a very sound point with your post. Mike_T

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I do like to nerd a bit about this stuff. I don’t have the money to perform all the tests like the guys on youtube so I look for the most relevant comparison (barrel length, environmental conditions) and consistency (I want apples to apples, don’t compare 2" barrel of one and a 5" barrel of another, or shooting one into uncompromised media and the rest into compromised media). With that said I am not opposed to 9mm but I feel that it can be compromised by material too easily. 9mm is effective IF it can expand and it is well known to expand to the size of a 45cal slug at full expansion. But if compromised it is not as effective. I would prefer to start with a slug that is the size of a 45 and IF it expands it just gets bigger and more destructive. I still love to shoot 9 and 40, but 45 seems like a safe place to be for self defense.

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