What calibers would you carry FMJ? if any?

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badbadtz560

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pretty self-explanatory... let's make it more fun..

say if you have a pistol of all the popular calibers, and they're still loaded in their range ammo (i dunno.. u just came back from the range or somethin).

BG invades - which caliber guns would you feel comfortable grabbing and which wouldn't you?

and.. does it differ where you are?



I'll start by saying I carry .45 FMJ just b/c I'm cheap to buy HP... but I wouldn't feel nearly as comfy w/ 9mm FMJ.. and those are the only two calibers I know
 
.45 FMJ bullets are as big around as, and twice as heavy as, an expanded 9mm JHP. So, I suppose if you trust expanding 9mm for defense, you ought to be able to trust non-expanding .45.

That said, an expanded bullet does a better job of transferring energy (helping to stop an attack), and is less likely to overpenetrate and hit someone behind the BG.
 
If I HAD to use fmj, it would be .45 only.

But since I am not forced to use it, I'll pay the going price for JHP's, because my life is worth a couple extra dollars.....

It's stupid to skrimp on my last line of personal defense.

.
 
I carry PD ammo in all of my carry guns except for the .380, but I really don't think PD is a complete necessity.

I know there is a danger of a round continuing to travel beyond your target, but I'm not sure the probability of that round causing huge problems is EXTREMELY HIGH.

I would not take a shot at someone if there was another person directly behind my target regardless of what kind of ammo I was using. So while the round impacting objects that are not alive is assured, the round(s) impacting living targets is extremely small.

There is always the chance of a ricochet, or a stray round flying far way and hitting a person; however after about 70 yards the odds are about as good as winning the lotterey. I'll take those chances.

I am of the opinion that you should find a SD/ PD round for your carry gun, stick with it, but not purchase it too often. The costs are ridiculous, and ball ammo will kill too...

In fact most ball ammo will leave two holes instead of one. Instant kills are not likely no matter what kind of ammo you use, and most people proabably take about 120 seconds to bleed out. So unless you devistate the heart or hit someone in the head, the phsycological effect of being shot is what will most likely bring them down.

I don't want to shoot, or kill anyone, but If I had to I'm not trying to save their life, I'm trying to save mine, so I could really care less what kind of ammo they are being shot with.

A lot of people really get pumped up with PD/SD ammo and they do for good reason. Some of it is "proven" and it is really good stuff, but I have a hard problem buying into all the hype because I am also a hunter. I have recovered all kind of rounds from large animals. Most ammunition is absolutely devistating when shots are placed where they are supposed to be.
 
off the top of my head, .45 ACP, 5.56 NATO 55 gr FMJBT, 7.62NATO (.308Win).

The 9mm FMJ here is all 124gr NATO ball. Carry in 9mm is 147 gr Gold Dot JHP.
 
FMJ is a carry round, not a home defense round. Home defense means revolvers loaded with all sorts of nasty stuff; hollow points, shot shells, wadcutters, etc. The primary home defense handgun is a revolver, and no revolver need be loaded with FMJ.
 
FMJ is a carry round, not a home defense round. Home defense means revolvers loaded with all sorts of nasty stuff; hollow points, shot shells, wadcutters, etc. The primary home defense handgun is a revolver, and no revolver need be loaded with FMJ.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I follow this?
 
FMJ in:
.25 ACP, .32 ACP, & .45 ACP sometimes.

LSWC, JHP or SP in:
32-20 WCF, .380 ACP, 9mm, .38 Spl., .357 Mag, .44 Spl, .44 Mag. & .45 Colt.

BTW: There are very few FMJ even made in any revolver calibers other then .38 Spl.

rc
 
rhoggman: "I'm not sure I follow this?"

What I mean is, for carry the FMJ is fine because high-capacity and reliability take precedence over stopping power. But in your rec room, stopping power is king, and capacity doesn't matter. If for some bizarre reason a half dozen .44 magnum hollow point rounds dont stop the assailant, grab another revolver and put 6 more into him. And if that fails, RUN.
 
.45, 10mm, .40, .38 Super (130 grain flat point @ 1,250 fps).

Of those the .45acp is least likely to over penetrate, or be the least lethal if it does.

I would feel just fine about using .45acp hard ball at home.
 
In a handgun FMJ is range fodder with the exception of .45 ACP. The only FMJ calibers known for their stopping potential are for rifles.
 
rhoggman: "I'm not sure I follow this?"

What I mean is, for carry the FMJ is fine because high-capacity and reliability take precedence over stopping power. But in your rec room, stopping power is king, and capacity doesn't matter. If for some bizarre reason a half dozen .44 magnum hollow point rounds dont stop the assailant, grab another revolver and put 6 more into him. And if that fails, RUN.
Click to expand...

I still dont follow your path of thought. You can never count on being able to grab another gun. IMO the concept of ball and HP would be exact opposite. I would rather have HP for carry because of the reduced risk of through and through. In my home its me and my wife and kid. A lot different than a crowded downtown street or some such. A lot easier to keep from hitting 3 people with a stray round than a possible 300. I also dont understand why you would want to be less armed in your home.
 
The only gun I make a specific point of carrying FMJ in is my .32ACP KelTec P32. In this tiny caliber, I want penetration penetration and more penetration. Small caliber, weight, velocity combined with short barrel, no way there will be consistent expansion and penetration from a JHP.

I would have no problems carrying FMJ in any of my other calibers though, just don't make a specific point to do so.
 
lj: "I still dont follow your path of thought. You can never count on being able to grab another gun. IMO the concept of ball and HP would be exact opposite... I also dont understand why you would want to be less armed in your home."

Not less armed; MORE armed. .44 magnum beats any regular autoloading round, especially with hollow points. And in my place, you can ALWAYS count on being able to grab another gun.
 
Not less armed; MORE armed. .44 magnum beats any regular autoloading round, especially with hollow points. And in my place, you can ALWAYS count on being able to grab another gun.
Click to expand...

I dont know, personally I would take 13+1 rounds of .45acp hollowpoints over 6 rounds of 44 mag anyday. Dead is dead, you arent going to kill them any more "deader". Plus, when the lead is flying at you, and you are pinned in a room where there are no extra revolvers, then what? Its not like you can leave a loaded revolver in every room of your house, if you did they would probably be used against you in this situation.
 
Since you don't have to worry about size and weight so much, a belt-fed home defense firearm is probably the most desirable.
 
BG invades - which caliber guns would you feel comfortable grabbing and which wouldn't you?
Click to expand...

Given your scenario of the BG invading right after you come back from the range, I'm going to feel comfortable with whichever one I can grab first.

I'm not going to waste precious time looking for a particular gun.

If it happens to be the .22, then it's head shots.
 
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When I get back from the range, I'd be SOL. I'm usually not carrying any ammo. Sometimes, I no longer own any ammo for the guns I took to the range, though I may have a bunch of empty, dirty brass.
 
I'd trust surplus 7.62x54r to take a BG out, did you see what it did to the gel block? (on brassfetcher)
I know it is a poor comparison, but there is something to it.


Armedbear: I guess you'd be relying on the rack of the shotgun to scare them away then? :neener:
 
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