Can change factory 9mm FMJ with JHP bullets?

[Reefinmike]

WOAH! glad someone finally wrote that swapping bullets can cause increased pressures.

If you were to take some hotter 115gr fmj loads and swap the bullets out with say a 147gr hollowpoint, you will be way over max pressures. possible gun kersplosion.

if you really for whatever reason want to swap bullets, toss the powder and work up an acceptable safe load using data for the bullet you are using found in a loading manual. if you dont have reloading gear and were just wanting to swap bullets- that wont work, you need a press and dies to bell the case mouth out, seat the bullet and recrimp it.

 

[1SOW]

Folks - is it possible (safely) to change FMJ bullets on factory 9mm ammo to the same weight JHP bullets that, say, I purchase from a reloading supplier

The OP specifically said same weight bullets, and yes you 'can' with the right oal.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

When my Son was in Afghanistan he said a fellow soldier altered his FMJ bullets in his sidearm by drilling a hole in them. He got into major trouble for this.
GS

When your country is a signatory of the treaties resulting from the Geneva Conventions using HP ammo is a major NO-NO without a doubt. I think you can actually be charged with war crimes for using HP ammo! (although I see no reason not to use it against terrorists since they are not signatories and they don't qualify for protections afforded under those treaties)

 

[rcmodel]

Modified ammo in war?

In certain wars in the past, you would be stood against a wall and killed by a firing squad.
If not just knocked senseless with a rifle butt and shot in the back of the head by the first officer to come along with a pistol.

rc

 

[1SOW]

ArchAngelCD , good point. I may be wrong, but I don't believe it specifies "among consignatories". We have fought in a number of countries that weren't signers of the treaty.
I could be wrong. I didn't look it up, but HP ammunition for small arms was not permitted anywhere against anyone.
A dull knife, a garrot or a blunt instrument was good-to-go.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

From what I've read the USA and other friendly nations usually treat all enemies the same even if they are not signatories. The thinking is if we treat their people well they will do the same for our people. Yeah right, is there a human way to cut someone's head off with a dull knife that I don't know of?

 

[longshot7.62x51]

The only folks that had up ammo when I was there was the sf cats and after some resurch I found that the NATO countries aloud special rules to them because of their small size and the limited use of such ammo in an overall conflict. So as long as your aproved by higher. ( and I mean alot higher) you where ok. Now modifying ammo to increase its pontenal for damage I.e replacement of ball with hp or poisenig or any of that is considered a war crime.

 

[TheCracker]

Yeh but it would be a waste of time. Either buy some HP ammo or reload some from empty cases

 

[DefiantDad]

This discussion is veering off to a domain that isn't within the scope of my initial query.

Since some people brought up a few concepts that put this whole line of questioning into questioning I just have to say that it was basically a query along the lines of when SHTF (and you can't buy what you want at the store and are stuck with whatever you got) but without having to say THAT since we are not to talk about SHTF here (which makes for complications like this), but now you know

Anyway the query is answered and I am happy for this to be locked.

 

[FROGO207]

Any change of components would compel me to work up a load again for safety. Also the use of reloading tools and some data would be musts. As I said earlier, even more so with the 9MM and 40 S&w due to the higher operating pressures they run at when at MAX.

 

[bonez]

If you do decide to go ahead, remember to load the bullet to the appropriate overall cartridge length (it probably not be the same length as the FMJ round was). Seating it too deep, especially in such a small case, can cause pressures to spike quickly, turning a mild load into a proof load or higher. IIRC, as little as .2 of an inch deeper into the case can almost double pressures in some instances. As elmer used to say, "be werry careful".