[andy]

is DESIGNED to limit its shock effect and tissue destruction. The only reason guys even CONSIDER it as combat ammo is they are PLANNING on missing a lot, and too cheap and lazy to build up a supply of proper ammo.

 

[SatCong]

I believe ball ammo is considered the most reliably feeding ammo, and perhaps this and it's general purpose nature are good reasons for it's common use in most military situations, where one is trained to be effective with same.
Self defense ammo, from HP, SP, to frangible and beyond is all good stuff, but impractical for various reasons in staged battle and other scenarios. Again, the mission should dictate the appropriate tools, and a willngness to be supple with mission planning is only smart. For me, at least I never plan on missing a lot, it happens with suffiecient frequency on my part without any planning!
SatCong

 

[Garand]

Please tell us how much ammunition that you currently have on hand. That way we have a yardstick towards measuring our progress! I'm sure that a number of us here already exceed the quantity that you have on hand. So how much do you have?

 

[Rich Z]

It is my understanding that in some tactical situations a wounded enemy is more desirable then a dead one. 2,000 dead soldiers would be a clean up problem, later on. 2,000 wounded soldiers would severely tax the support infrastructure, NOW.

But unless you are a soldier in the military engaging enemy soldiers, you don't have to follow their rules of engagement.

Personally, I feel that a wounded enemy is still dangerous. They can still shoot back. If you have to shoot someone, you shoot to stop them from doing what they are doing that endangers YOUR life. Whatever it is that results in the bad guy being down and out of the game, and you still being alive, is fair and proper.

 

[84 C4]

Enemies who're wounded also have the capability to return to battle at a later date, and possibly wreak significantly more chaos than the first time they were engaged. In WWI, MacArthur was hospitalized on a number of occasions for mustard and chlorine gas exposure (although he was also noted to be leading his troops from a stretcher). Imagine what would've happened in WWII if MacArthur had died. In Korea David Hackworth was shot in the head and survived, he's one of (I'm pretty sure he is) America's most decorated soldiers. The list goes on...

 

[Magnum88C]

If you are a competent shot, and place your bullets properly, ball will get the job done. That being said, there are plenty of good premium bullets that will reliably feed in autoloaders. They are expensive, but I assure you, I have more than 84 rounds of it.

P.S. Dead men don't shoot back. . .'nuff said.

 

[mrostov]

only *****s use ball,in any caliber. The stuff is DESIGNED to limit its shock effect and tissue destruction. The only reason guys even CONSIDER it as combat ammo is they are PLANNING on missing a lot, and too cheap and lazy to build up a supply of proper ammo.

A hit by milspec M193 55gr ball ammo at 150m or less from a 16" barrel would tear you open like a can opener. In hunting live critters, in many instances I've actually found it to be more destructive than old fashioned lead tip 'softpoints'.

Ballistic tiip ammo can be more deadly further out but due to the M193's frag properties, they are not quite as destructive closer in.

Most combat encounters are at 100m or less and most hunting kills in the lower 48 American states are at 180m (200 yards) or less.

 

[Terry G]

Absurd. You get hit with a M193 .223 round or a 230 Grain .45 Fmj and your whole world will change. Full Metal Jacket in ANY round will change your whole day.

 

[DJetAce]

Charles Askins wrote about how in WW2 he had a .38 revolver with FMJ ammo. One time a kraut started running by him and he shot time through and through. The Nazi dropped right there.

Askins felt FMJ was ok as long as you shot strait. Same goes for other experts like Cooper. They only wanted more powerful ammo cause many, like gunkid, would spray all over and would be lucky to hit them anywhere.

And ball 9mm, or any ball ammo, is designed to reliably feed under all conditions. It is also designed to be more penitrative than led bullets because in war, many times you will have to shoot through cover to disable anyone.

 

[Garand]

Statistics are one thing, but it has always been my belief that as long as a hostile has a functional trigger finger, he is a threat to my personal well being..................

 

[Glenn Bartley]

FMJ, even if not armor piercing, is always preferable when you may have to shoot someone through cover. To use soft lead points or hollow points in these situations is to put oneself at a disadvantage. While this may not hold as true with rifle rounds as it does with pistol round, it is true as an overall sattement regardless of the type of firearm versus an uncovered target to a target behind cover.

 

[Magnum88C]

There's also the matter that in military operations, you're often going up against people carrying equipment that you might have to penetrate. Either through a pack, or a vest. Problem with non-FMJ loads, especially those like the Partition which use an exposed lead nose, tend to break up on impact with hard objects, at best creating a painful, but not terribly deep or life-threatening wound. Whereas FMJ rounds will go right through much of the same. Check out AWRM (have to search), where someone found out just how well FMJ ammo goes through loaded magazines carried in a vest.

 

[mrostov]

In a land of 300 million cars, cars are a factor of the environment that you have to consider.

The M193 round is awesome against opponents inside of autos. It'll go through one side of an auto and then fragment like a small shotgun at point blank range. You start pumping M193 into an occupied car, you're going to shred whoever is inside.