U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)-A while ago I saw a video testing out the R.I.P. ammunition by G2 Research. The video seems to talk about how the ammo doesn’t penetrate as well as other ammunition. Although the creator is sure of his conclusions, I wasn’t so sure. It seemed like he forgot about the physics of energy transference.
The G2 Research R.I.P. ammunition is frangible round that is referred to as advanced energy transference (AET) ammunition. Frangible rounds have several advantages over a standard hollow point or full metal jacket round. Just how much of an advantage has been at the center of a lot of debates between gun guys.
When a frangible round leaves the barrel, it travels as a single solid piece until it hits the target. Once the bullet hits the mark, the bullet will break apart into multiple pieces causing multiple wound channels in the target. The G2 Research R.I.P. round in 9MM breaks into nine pieces for example. This feature is the first advantage of a frangible bullet.
The second advantage of a frangible bullet is that it doesn’t over penetrate a target as much as other types of ammunition. There is less of a chance of collateral damage in a shooting situation when the shooter uses a frangible bullet. All rounds still can over penetrate, but frangible rounds have less of a chance. G2 Research claims the R.I.P. 9MM penetrates 14 to 16 inches.
This lack of over penetration leads directly to the third advantage of a frangible round. Since it doesn’t over penetrate more energy is absorbed by the initial target. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but that doesn’t mean the energy cannot be transferred from one medium to another. This reason is why people sometimes refer to the ammo as advanced energy transference ammunition.
I ran into the guys from G2 Research back in January at SHOT Show. I asked them about the physics of the R.I.P round and specifically about the YouTube video. They were aware of the video and strongly disagreed with the creator’s conclusions. We exchanged cards and I went on my way.
I went home from Vegas and didn’t think about it for a while, but in the back of my mind, I wanted to test out the G2 Research R.I.P. ammo. Then my phone rang a few months later. It was the guys from G2 Research. They wanted to know if I wanted to test the ammunition.
I wanted to test the ammunition, but I wanted to do it right. I explained to G2 Research that without ballistic gel blocks I wouldn’t be able to accurately test the ammo out to the point of being able to come up with a conclusion to see if it worked or if it was all hype. I would have to pass.
Then G2 Research offered to send me ballistic gel blocks to test out the ammo. I was finally going to get the answers about the R.I.P. ammo for myself. I agreed to do the testing and write an honest review of the ammunition.
The ammunition and ballistic gel blocks arrived on my doorstep a few days later. I couldn’t wait to test out the ammo, but first I had to decide the protocols for the testing of the ammunition. I decided to test out the G2 Research R.I.P. 9mm against Hornady’s Critical Defense 9mm ammunition.
Both the G2 Research R.I.P. and the Hornady Critical Defense ammunition are for self-defense, so I figured this would be the best option instead of testing the R.I.P. round against a full metal jacket round. Plus, Critical Defense is the ammunition I use in my carry gun and my bedroom sub gun.
Now that I had the rounds I was ready to put it to the test. The guys from Sterling Arsenal volunteered their range for the testing. I was still skeptical about the ammo, but I was willing to approach the experiment with an open mind.
One thing that surprised me after the first shot on each block was a little bigger than a quarter-sized cavity about three to four inches into the gel that I fired the R.I.P. ammunition into. It would have been devastating to be hit by that round. The Critical defense didn’t have a cavity anywhere near that size.
The fragments of the bullet ended up between four to seven inches into the gel bock. Each left a nasty trail. The spread was about four to five inches wide. Removing all the fragments would be hard for any doctor.
Around ten inches into the gel that I fired the R.I.P. round into there was another wound cavity about the size of a quarter. This cavity surprised me. I was not expecting another cavity that size that far deep. The final portion of the bullet came to rest at 14 inches into the gel. The Hornady Critical Defense round stopped 13 inches into the gel.
The G2 Research R.I.P. ammunition damage was devastating. I wouldn’t want to be shot with the either the Hornady Critical Defense or the R.I.P. ammo traveling at 1,250 fps, but the difference in damage was night and day. I was able to replicate the results multiple times. Both are great rounds, but the R.I.P. did do a lot more damage.
Another concern I had with the round is whether it would be reliable or not. I only had 100 rounds of the G2 Research R.I.P. to test out using my Glock 19, so I couldn’t do as much of reliability testing as I would have liked. At the range, the accuracy was just as good as with the Critical Defense. All 100 rounds of the R.I.P. ammo fired without a single failure.
The one advantage that the Hornady Critical Defense round has over the G2 Research R.I.P. is the price. You can pick up a box of Hornady Critical Defense rounds for around $20 for a box. The G2 Research R.I.P. rounds will run the shooter around $38 for a box.
The G2 Research R.I.P. round does what the company claims it does. In fact, it does it quite well. I was surprised by the performance of the ammo. I am still split on whether the R.I.P. round is worth the extra money.
The only thing else that I don’t like is the naming of the round. It gives the anti-gunners another talking point. In the end, I don’t care what the Bloomberg crowd thinks, but I also don’t like to provide them with anything that the can be used to misrepresent the gun community to the general public.
In addition to 9mm, the G2 Research R.I.P, ammunition comes in .380ACP, .357SIG, .40S&W, 10mm, and .45ACP. G2 research also offers a 12G R.I.P. shell for shotguns.
Readers can find out more about all the G2 Research products at https://g2rammo.com/
Sterling Arsenal testing range is not open to the public, but their shop can be found at https://www.sterlingarsenal.com/
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
Another consideration is, frankly, the name. In court the attorneys opposing the shooter would have a field day in front of a jury with the name R.I.P.; “You clearly meant to kill” etc. That alone is why I would not use that ammunition.
Magsafe did this years ago and they did it better until Joe Zambone, a true rocket scientist lost his life in a traffic accident and the company was placed in other hands.
I’m also curious about how it penetrated clothing prior to the ballistics gel? The FBI tests their ammo with several layers of denim in front of the gel.
Meh… I’ve seen the other videos that individual did different style tests showing the RIP round to be more gimmick than anything else. Certainly not worth the price.
Another important test involves barriers and penetration after the barrier. Any such test of walls, car doors, cloth, or windshields?
My questions and comments, not in that order: 1. I understood that the only correct ballistic gel to use, to replicate FBI standards, has to be made within a certain frame, refrigerated and used within 30 minutes or so after being removed from refrigeration. There are, to my knowledge, three grades of gelatin. Only one is acceptable for firearms testing. 2. I also understand that in order to replicate accurate FBI results and adhere to their standards you have to use a certain size gel block. 3. Given the above, what gel did they send you, what size block, what… Read more »