FRANGIBLE BULLETS and EXTERNAL SAFETY
Good stuff.
Terrific comments.
With bullet construction technologies and powder mixes having made major strides in recent years, those documents containing current research dating to within the past half-decade are of most interest.
This is a reason why I chose the Glock 39 as it provided the highest handgun output potential from a subcompact pistol.
Remember: The bad guys live in the 21st century and so should we.
Regarding the use of frangible rounds, understanding the likely deployments of the round would be helpful.
During 2008 we read about a pilot for example who, when storing his weapon just prior to landing, experienced an accidental discharge that created a bullet hole all the way through the fuselage.
Here we might suppose that a resource such as the Extreme Shock "Air Freedom Round (AFR)" may have a place for a pilot or Air Marshall as well as many other environments not at all related to aircraft.
Has anyone seen any fairly recent independent test results or reviews published on the current frangible rounds, such as the previously cited Enhanced Penetration Round (EPR) by Extreme Shock?
http://www.extremeshockammo.net/prod...9&productID=33
Local range testing continues to look extremely favorable to me which is why, at this time, I have carried them.
Never interested in compromising safety but always looking for a better technology, I remain extremely interested in reviewing whatever documents and/or experiences that I can find related to the current flock of frangible rounds.
In like manner, a manual safety in certain scenarios can make sense, as well.
Reflect again on the circumstances of a pilot or Air Marshall where the wellfare of hundreds of passengers is in his charge.
Other scenarios might include a pistol grab (slow down the perp who is not looking for it) and/or reholstering.
During the summer of 2008 a Colorado law enforcement officer discharged his weapon during reholster at the range.
If you know the external safety is there and practice constantly with it, there is no increase in time-to-discharge because it is released as the weapon is drawn from the holster (or pocket in certain implementations).
Just like the reason many people concealed carry in the first place: Extra insurance... if done right.
To those of you that have shared your opinions... Thanks.
For those that have shared documents, facts, and test results, I greatly appreciate that.
Always interested in more...
The problem with ALL, and I mean ALL fragmenting handgun ammunition is that it lacks penetration on soft targets, and it lacks any ability to penetrate hard targets. Whether it be Extreme Shock, BMT, DRT, or Glaser....all work on the same premise of shallow wounding which does not reliably damage the internal organs of the body or the central nervous system. This is NOT a desirable trait that you want in a life and death fight for your life. Here's a quote from FBI Agent Urey Patrick in an FBI briefing on "Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness":
"Physiologically, no caliber or bullet is certain to incapacitate any individual unless the brain is hit. Psychologically, some individuals can be incapacitated by minor or small caliber wounds. Those individuals who are stimulated by fear, adrenaline, drugs, alcohol, and/or sheer will and survival determination may not be incapacitated even if mortally wounded.
The will to survive and to fight despite horrific damage to the body is commonplace on the battlefield, and on the street. Barring a hit to the brain, the only way to force incapacitation is to cause sufficient blood loss that the subject can no longer function, and that takes time. Even if the heart is instantly destroyed, there is sufficient oxygen in the brain to support full and complete voluntary action for 10-15 seconds.
Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The much discussed "shock" of bullet impact is a fable and "knock down" power is a myth. The critical element is penetration. The bullet must pass through the large, blood bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid bleeding. Penetration less than 12 inches is too little, and, in the words of two of the participants in the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop, "too little penetration will get you killed." Given desirable and reliable penetration, the only way to increase bullet effectiveness is to increase the severity of the wound by increasing the size of hole made by the bullet. Any bullet which will not penetrate through vital organs from less than optimal angles is not acceptable. Of those that will penetrate, the edge is always with the bigger bullet."
This testing was performed by the Firearms Institute:
From a Glock 17 the 9 mm 85 gr “Air Freedom” load offered:
Bare Gelatin: vel=1598 f/s, pen=3.9” to 5.5”, small fragments
Denim: vel=1596 f/s, pen=14.6”, rd=0.42”, rl=0.48”, rw=56.6 gr
Wall: vel=1587 f/s, pen=6.7”, small fragments
From a 1911 the .45 ACP 185 gr “Nytrillium Fragmentable JHP" gave:
Bare Gelatin: vel=1117 f/s, pen=5.5” to 9.0”, small fragments
Denim: vel=1120 f/s, pen=9.3” to 12.2”, small fragments
Wall: vel=1110 f/s, pen=20+”, rd=0.42”, rl=0.57, rw=181.1 gr
No photo for this one.
Here is an example of what you want your hangun ammunition to do(these are all Winchester Ranger Talons):
The gun and ammunition market in the United States is a feeding ground for snake oil salesmen. Customers are dazzled by bold and unconfirmed claims from salesmen looking for big commissions without fear. The likely hood that you will ever use your weapon in defense in so low that they need not worry if your ammunition is utter crap.
If you want to learn more about this subject, any book by Dr. Martin Fackler or Duncan McPherson will serve you well. If you want a quick answer, pick any load from the following to load in your 9mm, .40S&W, or .45acp pistol. For your GAP, I recommend the Winchester Ranger Talon 230gr or the Federal HST 230gr. All of the following loads have been testing according to standarized FBI protocols by the FBI, the Firearms Institute, and the National Defense Industrial Association:
Here are the protocols:
All testing is done in accordance with the standardized FBI protocols. The bare gel test involves 10% ballistic gel calibrated to mimic human muscle tissue. The other tests involve placing various materials in front of the bare gel to demonstrate what it would be like to shoot someone through such materials. After the bullet punches through these barriers it may become damaged /deformed or plugged with material(wood/cloth) which will reduce its expansion capabilities. When a hollow point expands it acts like a parachute reducing penetration. If it is damaged or plugged it may not expand very well which results in deeper penetration with less expansion. The FBI has done continued testing of ammunition for two decades and they take into account the results of actual street shootings and how that ammunition behaved against an actual person and/or barrier. With that knowledge, they still recommend that you use ammunition that achieves a minimum penetration depth of 12” in bare gel. They also conclude that good penetration is always more important than expansion, but as long as 12” of penetration can be maintained every bit of expansion improves terminal damage effects.
FBI Test Protocol:
Bare Gelatin = covered with T-shirt, Shot at 10ft
Denim = 4 layers shot at 10ft
Heavy Clothing = shot at 10ft
Steel = 2 pieces of 20 gauge, shot at 10ft
Wallboard = 2 pieces of 1/2" gypsum board, shot at 10ft
Plywood = 1 piece of 3/4" AA fir plywood, shot at 10ft
Automobile Glass = 1 piece of 1/4" laminated safety glass set at a 45 degree angle with an offset of 15 degrees, shot at 10ft
9 mm:
Barnes XPB 105 & 115gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124gr+P JHP (LE9T1)
Speer Gold Dot 124gr+P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 124gr+P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Partition Gold 124gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 127gr+P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135gr+P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147gr Ranger Bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364) FBI Load
.40 S&W:
Barnes XPB 140 & 155gr JHP (copper bullet)
Speer Gold Dot 155gr JHP
Federal Tactical 165gr JHP (LE40T3)
Winchester Ranger-T 165gr JHP (RA40TA)
Winchester Partition Gold 165gr JHP (RA401P)
Federal HST 180gr JHP (P40HST1)
Federal Tactical 180gr JHP (LE40T1)
Remington Golden Saber 180gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer Gold Dot 180gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 180gr JHP (RA40T)
Winchester 180gr Ranger Bonded JHP (RA40B/Q4355) FBI Load
.45 ACP:
Barnes XPB 185gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal HST 230gr JHP (P45HST2)
Federal HST 230gr+P JHP (P45HST1)
Federal Tactical 230gr JHP (LE45T1)
Speer Gold Dot 230gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 230gr JHP (RA45T)
Winchester Ranger-T 230gr+P JHP (RA45TP)
All of the above loads have been tested according to the FBI protocols and do very well.
A lot of this ammo can be bought here:
http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/
or
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/storefront.pl?ref=hotpig27
Anyone can buy this ammo as long as you show proof of legal purchasing age.
No real professional that carries a weapon for a living would use Extreme Shock ammunition if they have any knowledge or experience of the job. Frangible ammunition is used in training, but virutally never in the field. Do not use it if you value your life.
