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110 Posts
There is so much to terminal ballistics. I've been looking into it for a long time and still have only a basic grasp of the subject.
We don't use magic fragmenting bullets on animals when we hunt. Why would I use such a bullet when my life is on the line? We know what works and the human body has not changed since the first bullet was made.
I decided upon the following long ago:
1) Handgun terminal ballistics suck in comparison to rifle terminal ballistics.
2) In an encounter, I will be liberal in sharing my ammo.
3) Multiple wound channels are better than one because bad guys bleed out faster. This causes them to stop fighting faster. I will continue to be nice and share my bullets with the bad guy if he deserves it. After all, they are $1 apiece.
4) I will shoot as fast as possible while continuing to place the shots on target.
5) I will use JHP ammunition and hope that it expands. If it does not expand, the permanent wound channel will be as large as the mouth of the bullet. If it expands, then the permanent wound channel will be slightly larger. Either way, I will liberally share my bullets with the bad guy!
6) I don't worry about overpenetration. I worry about missing. If a bullet goes through the bad guy, then that's the way it's meant to be. Any bullet that won't penetrate drywall probably won't penetrate a leatherclad crackhead.
7) I will try to consider what is behind the bad guy, but I make no guarantees because the situation could dictate that I have to fight immediately.
8) I do not worry about caliber so long as it's on the list of commonly available calibers considered good for defense. 9x19mm is the lowest I'll go. They're all about the same, which means performance sucks. I will assume failure to stop and be liberal in sharing my ammo until the bad guy no longer deserves it.
9) I don't believe anything I read written by marketing departments or gun writers when it comes to bullet performance.
10) I will use FMJ bullets if that is all that is available. I prefer JHP and flat point ammunition. However, FMJ will do just fine if I do my part.
We don't use magic fragmenting bullets on animals when we hunt. Why would I use such a bullet when my life is on the line? We know what works and the human body has not changed since the first bullet was made.
I decided upon the following long ago:
1) Handgun terminal ballistics suck in comparison to rifle terminal ballistics.
2) In an encounter, I will be liberal in sharing my ammo.
3) Multiple wound channels are better than one because bad guys bleed out faster. This causes them to stop fighting faster. I will continue to be nice and share my bullets with the bad guy if he deserves it. After all, they are $1 apiece.
4) I will shoot as fast as possible while continuing to place the shots on target.
5) I will use JHP ammunition and hope that it expands. If it does not expand, the permanent wound channel will be as large as the mouth of the bullet. If it expands, then the permanent wound channel will be slightly larger. Either way, I will liberally share my bullets with the bad guy!
6) I don't worry about overpenetration. I worry about missing. If a bullet goes through the bad guy, then that's the way it's meant to be. Any bullet that won't penetrate drywall probably won't penetrate a leatherclad crackhead.
7) I will try to consider what is behind the bad guy, but I make no guarantees because the situation could dictate that I have to fight immediately.
8) I do not worry about caliber so long as it's on the list of commonly available calibers considered good for defense. 9x19mm is the lowest I'll go. They're all about the same, which means performance sucks. I will assume failure to stop and be liberal in sharing my ammo until the bad guy no longer deserves it.
9) I don't believe anything I read written by marketing departments or gun writers when it comes to bullet performance.
10) I will use FMJ bullets if that is all that is available. I prefer JHP and flat point ammunition. However, FMJ will do just fine if I do my part.