jacketed vs plated

[nelsonatlbuilders]

I recently tested a fmj against a plated bullet. both from the same 226sig, both 9mm at 15yds through 3/4" mdf target. bullet 1 was a hornady 115gr. fmj rn. "target projectile" the other from barry's plated bullets 115gr plated rn. expansion for the hornady was .642"a gain of .29" in diameter. while the plated bullet expansion was .455 a gain of .10". weight retention for the hornady fmj was 108gr. while the plated was 111gr. I did not have any hollow points on me at the time, but i cannot imagine they would keep as much mass or expand any further than the hornady fmj did. has anyone tested a quality fmj against a hollow point of the same weight and caliber? i would be interested in seing the results.

 

[b.a.customkydex]

Plated is what I shoot, it puts a round hole in cardboard, and knocks down steel just fine.

 

[RamRoddoc]

The only penetration test I tried was years ago on a junk 1970's Ford pickup. It was with 22 LR, 9mm and 45 ball/FMJ. .45 Ball rounds are impressive for a pistol. The thick 70's metal bed/cab yielded to the .45 even when shot through the lift gate, bed and into the cab disappearing into the dash. 9mm ball failed to penetrate through the cab when fired through the gate and bed.

I assume the velocity was similar with your FMJ and plated 115 grain loads. I don't use plated as I can get FMJ for about the same price and I can push the velocity on the FMJ without fear of destabilizing it.

The FBI did a lot of ballistic testing of pistol ammo and calibers. I'll see if I can find a link.

I can't find the FBI data and it's probably restricted viewing.

Here are some good reads:

http://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/index.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/1904trial.html

http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/ammodata.htm

 

[protective measures]

Not sure what you're after but if it's anything related to defensive applications you might want to look into the FBI testing protocols for pistol ammunition that were developed after the historic "Miami massacre" on 4/11/1986. They performed numerous performance tests against ballitic gelatin after shooting through sheetrock, denim/cloth, car doors, plywood, automotive glass etc. It's lengthy but very interesting.

Bonded hollowpoints are what most agencies issue nowadays. Their weight retention is excellent & I believe in most cases the same or better than FMJ's.
They were designed to meet the FBI's desired perf. criteria including expansion & weight retention AFTER passing through intermediate barriers.

For deep penetration such as what is preferable for penetrating cover, use in the woods, or for possible use against med. to larger animals I lean toward heavy Hardcast rounds from Buffalo Bore, Doubletap, etc.

 

[nelsonatlbuilders]

I loaded these with 8gr. of blue dot, remington small pistol primers. Say a quality hollow point expands 10% more than a quality fmj. i believe the fmj is structurally more sound than a hollow point by design enabling it to retain more of it's weight into a target. so if the h.p. expands more but the fmj holds more weight, which one will transfer the most energy everything else being the same, i.e. initial bullet weight, caliber, velocity. I am speaking specifically for the 9mm due to huge variables with other calibers such as 5.7's or 10mm's etc. where over penitration could be a problem.

 

[protective measures]

I loaded these with 8gr. of blue dot, remington small pistol primers. Say a quality hollow point expands 10% more than a quality fmj. i believe the fmj is structurally more sound than a hollow point by design enabling it to retain more of it's weight into a target. so if the h.p. expands more but the fmj holds more weight, which one will transfer the most energy everything else being the same, i.e. initial bullet weight, caliber, velocity. I am speaking specifically for the 9mm due to huge variables with other calibers such as 5.7's or 10mm's etc. where over penitration could be a problem.

I think you will find that the bonded hollowpoints, unlike old technology jacketed H.P.'s, hold their weight as well as FMJ's.

Ammo mfr's & the FBI spent a great deal of time & money testing ammo to produce the best rounds possible for use against criminals.

Also energy transfer from pistol bullets has much less effect on creating tissue damage through temporary or permanent crush cavities due to the fact that they are terribly weak when compared to rifles & shotguns & do not generate the hydrostatic shock of the larger guns.
Pistol bullets work more like arrows in that they mainly achieve their wounding potential by cutting tissue than from generating a huge crush/ stretch cavity from hydrostatic shock.
That's why hollowpoints work so much better due to the sharp edges that cut tissue that it comes into contact w/ as opposed to the tearing effect that FMJ's produce.

Massad Ayoob has published several articles on this topic as have other experts in the field.

 

[Chuckdog]

I've never felt the urge to shoot plated stuff. I shoot cast in most target pistols and jacketed in my carry stuff.

With common defensive handgun calibers I'm more concerned with penetration than expansion.

Though a bit more difficult to find in stock now, I've been able to buy fmj's for the same money or less than many prices I see on the Berry's and similar plated swaged bullets.

 

[1006]

The biggest problem with plated bullets is that they are generally swaged instead of hard cast before they are plated. So, they are soft and unable to be loaded to the highest velocities. In a 9mm, the 147 grain might work okay in a max load, but the 115 and 125 may just break up as they leave the barrel. Berry's gives a max speed on the web site. Glock and HK barrels are really good at tearing up plated bullets. My HK USP compact would cause the berry 155 grain 40S&W bullets to fly apart when loaded to the max load in my book.

I would guess that Berry bullets would be fine for killing dog sized or smaller animals, but I would not trust them in my carry gun. For that, I prefer the Speer Gold Dot in the 125+P.

 

[Hayata]

All of the Freedom Munitions pistol ammo I shoot is plated. Shoots great at the range. Don't use it as defense ammo, though.

 

[Zombie]

Interesting. Thanks for posting those pics.