Originally Posted by
wtm75
Since you are asking...(I don't want to offend anyone here otherwise) Because everyone else did. When the FBI adopted the .40 after the 10mm because no other 9mm hollow point at the time had consistent penetration, most departments followed suit. Now most are following them again back to 9mm.
In most cases the move to JHP was motivated by the frequency of accidental shootings caused by ricocheting and/or overpenetrating solid bullets.
From the NYT:
Originally Posted by
NYT
According to statistics released by the department, 15 innocent bystanders were struck by police officers using full-metal-jacket bullets during 1995 and 1996, the police said. Eight were hit directly, five were hit by bullets that had passed through other people and two were hit by bullets that had passed through objects.
53% of these accidental shootings were missed shots, while 33% were because of a “shoot-through” of the intended target.
If we count bullets that went through objects to hit unintended victims (13 percent), approx 46% of these accidental shootings were by over-penetrating bullets.
Originally Posted by
NYT
In that same period, 44 police officers were struck by police gunfire using the old ammunition: 21 were hit directly, 2 were struck by bullets that ricocheted and 17 were struck by bullets that passed though other people.
42% of those shootings were by bullets that passed through the bodies of the intended targets after the bullets struck the people they were aimed at.
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/09/n...r-bullets.html
You guys (you, Uni-Vibe, etc.) are advocating using a target (or hardcast hunting) bullet as a self-defense load because you want it to over-penetrate, and have stated you know the solid projectile will most likely exit your target without much loss in velocity, something you seem to view as a positive.
I can only imagine you see this as a plus either because you're completely indifferent to the impact it might have on a bystander (should you have to actually shoot someone), or because it just never occurs to you to consider anyone other than the person you imagine shooting at. I suppose you might just believe you'll never miss and can always be sure there's nothing important behind your target, but a person would really have to be pretty naive to believe something like that.
Originally Posted by
wtm75
I think you misunderstand what's being said. No one here is saying that a FMJ or Hard Cast is better...etc....etc...
You say this before going on to state that FMJ & Hardcast are better because JHP don't consistently penetrate past 18" all of the time...
I understand your point just fine, I just disagree with your conclusion in part because I think you're ignoring the liability of shoot-throughs.
In the end, you guys seem willing to accept the consequences of massive over-penetration and any injury to innocents that might accompany it. Yes, you should absolutely know what's behind your target, but why take a chance with a projectile that is almost certain to pass through your attacker, potentially injuring or killing a bystander (who may even be one of your loved ones)?
As has been said before by others, good quality modern expanding pistol bullets (not older designs, cheap crap, or target hollow points), those that meet FBI standards and those put forth by folks like Dr Roberts, provide a balance between adequate penetration (including through heavy clothing), tissue damage (in the event you don't make a CNS hit), and prevention of over penetration.
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