Ran across this stuff and it sounds pretty interesting: http://www.rbcd.net/Personal%20Defense-%20Ammo.htm What do you guys think of the idea? A fragmenting, lightweight (relative to the firearm being used) bullet fired at very high speeds to produce (claimed) energy of 828 ftlbs in .45acp. Has anybody seen or used this stuff? Would you use it for a carry load? HD load in an apartment building maybe? The Box o Truth did some tests with it: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot38.htm Their findings were that it was lacking in the penetration department, but I think that's sort of the idea with this ammo. Use a small, fast bullet that fragments to dump all the energy into the target. It would seem the stopping power could be impressive with these, but I think I might worry about under penetration if someone was wearing thick leather and several layers of clothing.
Sadly... not impressed. With the 9mm, "BG" penetration would have been about 6 inches according to how far it went through the jugs. That isn't sufficient for me to rely on something like that for the times when you may Not have the picture perfect bad-guy-standing-square-in-front target. If high speed and low weight were the answer, then everyone would be head over heels enthused about the 5.7x28 in a pistol. Sometimes there is no answer but to ..ahem, dig deep to reach the heart of the problem.
Any bullet that does not exit the body will "dump all of its energy into the target." But I'd rather have the bullet nearly penetrate the body, stopping on the opposite side just before it would exit. The bullet you're describing would be, against a big felon, similar to hunting deer with a .223 using a 45 grain ballistic tip expanding bullet. It would tear the heck out of the first few inches of flesh, then stop.
I carried Glaser Safety Slugs for a little while soon after I began carrying semiautos. I quit because there were always doubts in the back of my mind about their effectiveness. What if they deflect off of an arm or hand, what if they have an extra layer of clothes on and so on.
Ive never really seen the point in these. I have alwyas though the heavier the round the better penetration you get which equals bettr effectivness.
I typically carry the heaviest weight for any given caliber in my SD guns. 147gr in 9mm and 180gr in .40. Within a line of the same bullets, the heavier ones generally penetrate a little farther while expanding to a larger size.