9MM Hollowpoints: Not impressive

[PointOneSeven]

Not impressive looking at least . I now see why they use .45 or .40 for the glamor shots on websites. And I wondered why the ones in the plastic cases (federal?) were in cardboard for 9mm.


The numbers look good, and a few water jugs will probably impress me, but I think I was spoiled from the bigger ashtrays . I think I've tried every caliber except 9mm, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

[Creature]

Not impressive looking at least

They may not look impressive to you when they are all lined up in their little box, but I bet you would be very impressed with them if you caught one. Dont you know you shouldn't judge a bullet by it's looks? In fact, I would bet you would respect a little .22lr a whole lot more as well if you werent able to get out of its way...

[flyby]

Not impressive looking at least

..They look fine to me

[44Magnum]

Like I always say, almost any bullet will to it's job if you do yours. I once shot a deer with a factory .44 magnum bullet that for some reason did not expand at all. I mean, if I didn't see the striations on the bullet I'd have thought the thing was unfired. The deer still dropped after 15 feet. Why? I did my job.

[Smaug]

The trick is to show them in photos next to 22LR or 25 ACP instead of 45 ACP.

Expanded, they do look impressive enough to me.

[Recon7]

It's not how impressive they look, it's how dead they make BG's.
9 out of 10 people killed by 9mm bullets agree it's an effective round

[Tom2]

Looking at that photo chart, I can see little reason to carry the +P+ version over the +P version considering the stress on the gun and shooter. Numbers except MV are so close that I can see them trading places in performance from one cartr. to another in testing. Sometimes the one might outdo the other and vice versa, depending on variations in the cartr. with such small diffs. I think though, that all those were hand picked ideal shots for their chart?

[Double Naught Spy]

..They look fine to me

Ah yes, comparing the +P and +P+ 9mm to standard .40 and .45 acp.

How about using standard 9mm?

[nate45]

Ah yes, comparing the +P and +P+ 9mm to standard .40 and .45 acp.

How about using standard 9mm?

The standard 9 mm, at least the 147 grain, does just as good as the +P and +P+.



I don't believe you would be able to tell much difference in the wound channel any one of those made.

[SteelJM1]

I do have to say though, no matter what, those .45 slugs always look mean!

[tekarra]

Yup, they are impressive.

[Tom2]

Does this mean we can stop nitpicking with up to date state of the art HP ammo or something? Like don't they all appear to work well?

[gwnorth]

Well. given the prevalence and history of 9mm around the world, we know there are LOTS of people who would tell you that they are dern effective. If they could still talk, that is

[44 AMP]

I grew up in the days before reliable 9mm hollowpoints. It was true then, and its still true now.

[flyby]

Originally Posted by Double Naught Spy

Ah yes, comparing the +P and +P+ 9mm to standard .40 and .45 acp. How about using standard 9mm?

It is right to compare the 9mm in Top form against rounds such as the 40 sw(which is not light loaded) ..but to make you happy, heres a well known comparison chart that used Standard 9mm ..and it still did its job ..even if the profiles(TC) don't look as impressive(similar to the others) as they would have with +p

[Double Naught Spy]

Ah, you changed the standard. What is the expansion difference?

[danweasel]

I know what your're saying. I just bought my first 9mm. Bout a box of HPs for it as well as one for the man gun (.45). They just look silly side by side. But hey, the Mazda Miata is considered a sports car just like the 'Vette so....

[HoraceHogsnort]

The top two wound channels (9mm) are definitely smaller than the remaining four.

[roach4047]

What do the dark areas (black areas) along the mid line of the wound channels indicate/represent?

I notice the higher velocity .40 S&W rounds lead in that department.

Roach

[flyby]

Ah, you changed the standard. What is the expansion difference?

Originally Posted by roach4047

What do the dark areas (black areas) along the mid line of the wound channels indicate/represent?

Is Dye that is injected into the disruption caused by the temporary stretch cavity (splash from the impact of the bullet) for easier viewing ..also gives an idea of how a round might dissipate its energy in the target

[Creature]

The top two wound channels (9mm) are definitely smaller than the remaining four.

That's like a kid saying he came up one jellybean short than what his brother got. The difference is negligible.

[Deet]

If you are looking for an impressive wound channel like me you'd use a 357 magnum.

[woad_yurt]

I wonder what the picture above would've looked like if they'd have used 9MM Pow'rBall ammo (1475 fps & 483 ft lbs.) It's a different animal entirely.

[flyby]

I wonder what the picture above would've looked like if they'd have used 9MM Pow'rBall ammo (1475 fps & 483 ft lbs.) It's a different animal entirely.

Probably more like this ..though this pic is from an older article(when PowRball just came out) ..more recent articles and Brass Fetchers (links) indicate it may have been recalibrated to get around 12" pen now ..instead of 10"
I've used it..it does hit hard, yet recoil is pretty light much like standard ammo ..from a G19 anyway ..is a bit pricey now though .
http://www.brassfetcher.com/100%20gr...7R%20Ball.html
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/CorbonPowRball.htm

[nate45]

These are good pics, but they are even better when coupled with the text that goes along with them.



As you increase bullet size and mass from 9 mm/357 Sig, to .40 S&W, to .45 ACP, more tissue is crushed, resulting in a larger permanent cavity. In addition, the larger bullets often offer better performance through intermediate barriers. For some, the incremental advantages of the larger calibers are offset by weapon platform characteristics. As is quite obvious from the photo above, NONE of the common service pistol calibers generate temporary cavities of sufficient magnitude to cause significant tissue damage. Anyone interested in this topic should read and periodically re-read, “Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness” by Urey Patrick of the FBI FTU, as this remains the single best discussion of the wound ballistic requirements of handguns used for self-defense -- it is available at: http://www.firearmstactical.com/hwfe.htm .



Keeping in mind that handguns generally offer poor incapacitation potential, bullets with effective terminal performance are available in all of the most commonly used duty pistol calibers—pick the one that you shoot most accurately, that is most reliable in the type of pistol you choose, and best suits you likely engagement scenarios.