Self-defense ammo

I've been carrying 230 gr. 45 ACP Hydrashoks. Today, I traded my Kimber Pro CDP for a new Kimber Ultra Carry II. (Easier to conceal.) While I was there, I grabbed some lightweight CorBon PowRBall +P rounds.

From what I've been able to gather, "Mass penetrates, but energy stops." Since I'm a civilian, and don't need to be shooting through any car doors, I figure I'm better off with lighter, higher-velocity rounds.

I'm also concerned about getting consistent expansion from the Hydrashoks. I ran a bunch through my brother's Ultra Carry II last weekend, shooting at an old wooden fence post. When they say "Hydra", they mean it! I recovered a round that had the hollowpoint packed full of wood, and the round didn't expand a bit. Not even a hint of expansion. The serrations didn't even split open.

I figure if wood will do that, so will a leather coat, or other clothing.

The Pow-R-Ball rounds have a synthetic ball filling the hollowpoint. They expand no matter what they hit.

I've also carried the Federal EFJM (Expanding Full Metal Jacket) rounds. They are copper-jacketed, and have a synthetic rubber plug inside the tip. They, too, expand no matter what they hit. Great rounds, and very positive feeding! But I can't find them for sale around here. Had to get them from the Ammoman.

I may pick up a few boxes of the EFMJ and compare them against the Pow-R-Ball rounds, using my carry gun, and see which ones it likes the best.

-mickey

Heck, the problem is probably that there is NO best ammo. Best for what and under what circumstances? How many different places in a human body can a round hit? How many different ways will each of those areas affect what the bullet does while passing through?

What happens if it hits bone? Or will it pass clean on through the abdomen and out the back? Does passing through a heavy coat in wintertime give you the same results as passing through a T-shirt on a hot summer night?

Is using a light fast bullet that may basically explode on contact with flesh and muscle gouging out a 2 inch deep area of blasted material better or worse than a slow heavy bullet passing through with a .5 inch hole in the front and a .5 inch hole in the back?

How big will your assailant be? Is he wearing a vest? At what angle will the shot be fired? Are you standing or has the fight begun before you knew it and you're laying on the ground partially stunned?

You are shooting to STOP him, but you are in a very high stress situation and finesse is out the window. Aim?? Yeah, right.

Break out your scale for weighing powder when reloading. Check out how much material we are talking about for 40 grains of lead. Is that REALLY going to make all that much difference for a .45 ACP round? Is 200 fps going to be critical?

Quite frankly, I think it's a matter of any port in a storm. No matter what KIND of bullet you have, it is going to do something bad to whoever gets hit by it. But expecting one design to be a magic bullet over another and be the perfect one shot stop, well, I'm not sold on that idea at all. I think all said and done, I would favor penetration over expansion. Better chance of hitting something important that will shut the body down hard and fast.

IMHO, of course.

Since I'm a civilian, my thinking is this:

1. I want ENERGY, not PENETRATION. That means lightweight and high velocity. If I have to shoot, the guy is highly unlikely to be wearing body armor. I'm also unlikely to need to shoot through a car door or windshield. Stuff that cops need to worry about isn't a concern for me. Both mass and velocity factor into the energy equation, but energy is a fuction of the SQUARE of velocity. Increasing velocity is a much more effective means of increasing energy than adding mass. (Adding mass increasing momentum, and thus penetration. That's why cops want heavy bullets: So they can shoot through obstacles and/or armor.)

2. I want expansion no matter what. That means a hydra-shok or similar isn't the best choice. I want something that will expand no matter what it hits. I also want to avoid over-penetration. Not just because I might kill a bystander, but also because if the bullet exits the target it means that whatever energy is left in the projectile is wasted energy. I want 100% of the energy to be dissipated into the target.

3. I want positive feeding. In a 1911 or clone, that means a bullet that resembles the profile of a military hardball round. The Pow-R-Ball and the Fed. EFMJ fit the bill.


The ideal "civilian defense" round is actually going to have MORE stopping power than the ideal "police" round, because the intended mission is different. I originally bought the 230 gr. Hydra-shoks because they were "the biggest and baddest." Having studied up on the matter, though, I realized that I was thinking with my little head instead of my big head.

-mickey