Bullet Weight....

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kdw75

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I have read quite a few discussions about bullet weight and the consensus seems to be that heavy gives better penetration, but I haven’t seen that in my one test that I did. I am planning to do some more testing with multiple calibers. I tried shooting metal, cinder blocks and other random objects and the lighter faster bullets seem to penetrate better. I tried a 240 grain and 400 grain for comparison out of my revolver. I found that the lighter bullet punched holes better than the heavy bullet.
 
There's penetration and there's penetration.

If you're talking about driving into something that gives somewhat as the bullet impinges on it, then heavier bullets at lower velocities (higher momentum) will probably go deeper.

If you're talking about blowing craters in hard objects that tend to shatter when hit, then lighter bullets at higher velocities (higher energy) will probably give more impressive results.
 
I was testing with my .454. I carry a .40 S&W daily, and I always worry about bullet performance after it goes through a barrier, such as a car door or something similar hence the reason I play around with shooting hard objects. The only time I ever had to draw my weapon in self defense would have required me shooting through my truck door so I want the bullet weight that will do best penetrating objects.
 
There are a lot of factors that play into penetration and bullet weight is just one. Probably the biggest factory is bullet design. A solid bullet is going to penetrate more than a hollow point as long as the velocity is fast enough for the HP to expand. At 1000fps a 130gr FMJ would penetrate more than a 158gr Lead HP bullet. Also what is being penetrated will play a role as well. Some clothing will actually "fill" a HP bullet and it will penetrate more than if just hitting flesh. Shooting through sheetrock can also cause the same failure to expand. But with bullet type being identical and velocity the same, I would expect the heavier bullet to penetrate more. Also a heavier bullet would be less effected by bone
 
I carry a .40 S&W daily, and I always worry about bullet performance after it goes through a barrier...
The FBI performs testing with an eye toward barrier penetration. If you purchase self-defense ammunition that passes the full FBI protocol for handgun ammunition, you can feel pretty confident that it will pass through common barriers and still penetrate deeply into a target on the other side.
 
I was testing with my .454. I carry a .40 S&W daily, and I always worry about bullet performance after it goes through a barrier, such as a car door or something similar hence the reason I play around with shooting hard objects. The only time I ever had to draw my weapon in self defense would have required me shooting through my truck door so I want the bullet weight that will do best penetrating objects.
Look for the Barnes xpb or swift aframes or Lehigh penetrators or extreme defense (also from Lehigh) and compare again. A 240 xpb will cut deeper than a 400 gr hp or lead etc etc, on the reverse side, a 400 gr aframe (just painting a picture here not saying I've ever seen these exact weights) will push deeper than a 240 hp etc etc, construction matters.
 
That's good to know if attacked by cinder blocks. These theories have been tested for well over 100 years, you aren't the 1st and probably won't be the last to try. But you could save some time by looking up the results that others have gotten.

You 1st have to consider bullet construction. Some bullets are designed to expand rapidly at slow speeds to limit penetration. Others are designed to stay together and penetrate deep. And there are all sorts of variables in between. You 1st have to make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Some 9mm bullets will only penetrate 8-10" in ballistics gel. Other 9mm bullets will penetrate 60".

And it's not just weight. It is weight in relation to diameter. Generally long bullets penetrate better than short bullets.
Within the same caliber heavier is usually longer, but when comparing bullets of different diameters it gets interesting.
A 147 gr 9mm bullet and a 230 gr 45 caliber bullet have virtually the same diameter to weight ratio and will give virtually the same penetration.

At the end of the day it can get pretty complex. The best indicators are the tests done by the FBI and others in ballistics gel. But even then you have to remember that just because a bullet penetrated 18" in gel that doesn't mean it will always penetrate 18" in a living human or animal. But with the same shot placement and bullet consruction a bullet that penetrates 18" in gel will penetrate farther than the bullet that only went 12" in gel.
 
Unless you hit support beams or electric motors in your door, any regular weight (155-180 grain) 40 S&W
bullet from a reputable manufacturer is going to blow through that door like a hot knife through butter.

I switched to 9mm for duty carry for a number of reasons. But one area the 40 S&W does particularly well in is immediate barrier penetration.
 
Spalling and cratering are forms of penetration. They are somewhat different from what we normally think of when we think of penetrating ballistic gelatin or flesh but they still result in holes.
 
There's penetration and there's penetration.

If you're talking about driving into something that gives somewhat as the bullet impinges on it, then heavier bullets at lower velocities (higher momentum) will probably go deeper.

If you're talking about blowing craters in hard objects that tend to shatter when hit, then lighter bullets at higher velocities (higher energy) will probably give more impressive results.

Or to put it another way, what hits harder, a bus with no passengers, an 18 wheeler loaded with chickens, or a cement mixer with a full load?
 
There's penetration and there's penetration.


.....and penetration is not always a goof thing. How I want my 357 to penetrate when hunting deer is much different than how I want it to penetrate when using it for HD.

I was testing with my .454. I carry a .40 S&W daily, and I always worry about bullet performance after it goes through a barrier, such as a car door or something similar hence the reason I play around with shooting hard objects. The only time I ever had to draw my weapon in self defense would have required me shooting through my truck door so I want the bullet weight that will do best penetrating objects.

I don't know the scenario you were in where you would have had to shoot thru your own truck door for SD. From the inside? Regardless, it's hard to decide on the "perfect" SD ammo from one "almost" scenario, unless that is the only scenario you perceive as ever needing to use deadly force for SD. Most LEOs, are issued either bonded or jacketed HP ammo for duty use, and they are much more likely to have to shoot thru some form of barrier with their duty gun as any civilian in a SD scenario. Most of those time the bullet weight is what is standard for the caliber, i.e. for the .40S&W is 165/180gr.

But, what one uses for SD/HD is a personal choice. IMHO, one should use what they are most comfortable with, most confident in and are most proficient with, in the platform they are using.
 
These theories have been tested for well over 100 years, you aren't the 1st and probably won't be the last to try. But you could save some time by looking up the results that others have gotten.
But then he wouldn't have the fun of shooting up stuff and telling us about it.
:)

What ever it takes to give you an excuse to get out and shoot!
:)
 
Bullet construction is of absolute importance. It’s easy to go overboard on weight. If you tested 240 to 400 grain bullets, can I assume they were through a .44 Mag?
 
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