Opinion
Ft Collins, CO –-(Ammoland.com)- It’s no secret that 9mm is king right now, particularly among Operators who routinely carry guns, for serious purposes.
- 40S&W is still around, but over the past five years it has assumed a distant second place, more distant by the year!
- 357Sig is all but dead. Scant demand from both private and pubic sectors.
- 45GAP is dead. No demand, from anywhere. Even Glock could not keep this caliber alive!
- 10mm, long-since dead and buried, is currently experiencing a “popularity resurrection,” but probably a brief one!
- 38Spl is steady and slow. People will always carry snubby revolvers!
- 45ACP, also steady and slow, but no growth in this sector.
For 9mm carry-pistols, I’ve long-recommended a +p HP round, between 115gr and 125gr, from a reputable manufacturer. Federal, Underwood, Super Vel, Cor Bon, Winchester, Black Hills, et al, all make suitable candidates. Muzzle velocities are between 1200 and 1350 f/s.
Until recently, most (even Federal’s pillared Hydra-Shok) have featured “cup-and-core” bullets, a soft-lead core, encased in a bore-riding, brass cup. This combination enjoys a long and respectable history. LEO friends in South Africa have shot hundreds of people with 115gr +p HP rounds (mostly Cor Bon), and they’ve been very happy with it, much happier than they ever were with hardball.
Starting several years ago, some manufacturers have offered the same projectile-weight and velocity, but with all-copper, HP bullets. Superior to cup-and-core bullets in reliable penetration and expansion, plus they are less deflected/deformed by intervening barriers, such as car-glass.
All-copper bullets do not come apart after impact, so penetration of car-doors is far superior to that of cup-and-core, HP bullets.
However, these bullets are difficult to manufacture! The ultimate external shape, along with the hollow cavity, must be extruded, via multiple steps, from a cylinder of copper, cut from copper wire (of appropriate diameter). In addition, there are multiple annealing stages, necessary to keep the copper soft and malleable.
Cost per bullet is thus much higher than with cup-and-core.
In any event, that is what I’m currently carrying in my 9mm pistol (Cor Bon 115gr DPX). I’ve shot a lot of it, and I’m confident this represents a good choice.
The “latest” pistol-bullet technology, and one with which I’ve had only a little experience, is (for lack of a better term) “scalloped bullets,” called by manufacturers non-descriptive names, like “Extreme Defense,” “Extreme Defender,” et al.
These bullets are also homogeneous copper but look like hardball, save for deep, symmetrical scallops in the ogive.
Scallops are cut-in, rather than extruded-in, so these bullets costs less to produce than “conventional” all-copper HP bullets.
In gelatin tests, this new technology appears to be very adequate! There is no hollow-point to plug-up, and there is thus no danger of the bullet failing to expand in living tissue. The bullet is not designed to expand, nor break-up, nor change shape in any way!
Scallops are said to “redirect fluids” and thus inflict as much tissue destruction as conventional, controlled-expansion bullets. Penetration conforms to the respected FBI Protocol (12″-18″)
However, the jury is still out!
Until we dig a few of these new bullets out of decedents, I’ll not have a factual basis upon which to establish an authoritative opinion.
For now, I’m continuing to carry 115gr, all-copper, HP +p 9mm ammunition in my pistol. I’ll let others “experiment” with this new technology!
Maybe a year or so from now, I’ll be sufficiently confident to carry it myself!
“Experience is a hard teacher, because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.” ~ Vernon Sanders Law
/John
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If jacket separation is your concern simply switch to a bonded core bullet like the Speer Gold-Dot. Recovered bullets retain 99.8% of their weight and are far less expensive than a solid copper HP.
It sounds like they are counting on hydrostatic shock from low velocity pistol bullets, which has been proven in the past not to occur. Until we see street results I’ll stick with proven designs. Remember bullet A expands to .45, bullet B expands to .45, etc., etc. But with a 45 any expansion you get is a bonus.
One piece of very important info that is almost always missing from penetration/deformation data is barrel length. Many of us are carrying shorter-barreled pistols, and we all know this can have a large effect on the end result of bullet behavior. I’m trying to understand why this info is so didficult to find when we are considering purchasing new or unproven defnsive rounds.
Your jury is out i have been shooting the Lehigh bullets since their inception and find them excellent for daily carry. i disagree on 40 sw i believe there is a much larger population of people who use the 40 Smith and Wesson then you experts will admit to. 10mm is my nite and woods gun .357 Sig is the car gun. Not one 9mm as i will not be dictated to by gun bullies. Who cares what the FBI or military does. 40 will kick the crap out of you 9mm every and any day period.
I’ve spoken with many Ex LEO and a few Ex FBI agents at gun shows and everyone said the same thing the only reason the 9mm was chosen by the FBI and LEO was not because the 9mm was better because it’s not, it was because there agents and officers were only hitting their targets less than 30 percent or less of the time (look it up)which they the LEO and agents blamed on recoil of 40SW and 357Sig and with the 9mm you got less recoil and 2+ extra rounds. So rather than better training there officers and agents… Read more »
What happened to the school of thought of carrying two guns? I carry a m&p bodyguard .380 that is equipped with a laser in my pocket and keep a 9mm close at hand also. A lot of law enforcement carry a backup in case they need it. You never know when your primary weapon might jam or you get it taken away during a struggle. The .380 goes in places where I want to be discreet and not have to worry about printing. It also would come in handy in low light situations where I might need to aim without… Read more »
I too appreciate Mr. Dunlap’s viewpoint. I am a retired Marine who packed a bolt-action long gun, so .45 acp was my sidekick in RVN, with the usual old 230 ball, but more than once it sufficed. Fast forward to a federal career in a job where most likely encounters were out in the woods, affording plenty of cover, and at some distance. Then I realized how much my personal favorite, 10mm, would have been my choice for work use. Alas, the FBI short romance with it removed it from the federal carry options except for spec ops. Thankfully, .40… Read more »
What about accuracy? I used to carry a 9mm as my duty gun, until one day I experimented with a 45ACP, and found that the 45ACP was far superior than any of the 9mm rounds, even when experimenting with several 9mm makes and makes, models, and brands of ammo. Yeah, I know that accuracy shouldn’t be a serious concern, in the 3 to 7 yd range where most gun fights occur, but the 45ACP gave me a lot more confidence that my round was going to hit what I was aiming at.
The new popularity with the 9mm is, in part, because it is easier to shoot (less recoil) than the .45, .40, 10mm and other pistol rounds. The .40 was created because the FBI agents couldn’t handle the recoil of the 10mm. Supposedly the advancement in bullet technology is the other factor, along with less recoil for the resurgence of the 9mm. From personal experience and from a lot of research over the years (forensic ballistics) it appears to be logical that whatever you can hit with consistently, is what is going to be the best caliber/gun for you to choose,… Read more »
I always though that the gold standard of testing is getting a dead pig or cow of suitable thickness and shooting side by side comparisons. Sure, the gel block is nicely clean and perfectly textured. But it still isn’t the real thing, and the closer you get, the more realistic your expectations can be.