Are hollow points really better?

[JB357Mag]

I have a co worker with alot more recent expiriance
with firearms that me and he thinks its no real advantage.

He preffers ball ammo. I wound think hp is better.

What the general view on this?

Jimmy

 

[cg21]

I have wondered if there is a TRUE advantage to this also... or if it was just a marketing scheme.

 

[avengedXT]

Not commenting on whether he's right or wrong, but was it simply stated that "ball ammo is better than hollow points"? If so that's like saying "Volvo is better than Mercedes", it would be better defined if it was "the Volvo S80 T6 is better than a Mercedes 240DL". So in that regard, I feel it should be more specific like "230gr lead ball ammo is just as effective as a 230gr Federal Hydra-Shok round when trying to stop a hostile". Just my two cents.

I personally have never done an ammo comparison, but it would seem that a hollow point would probably be more effective in how much force is done to stop a threat because if it works as I believe it should/does, it would mushroom out upon impact and therefore slow itself down. I have no idea how/what ball ammunition would do.

 

[mydoghasfleas]

They are usualy better at not overpenatrating.

 

[Goodcat]

They expand to a much larger diameter if they function properly, many many many test have proven that. Greater tissue shock, better in most ways. Less penetration with JHP I believe, which is desirable if balistic testing shows deep enough penetration to disrupt vital organs. This is my understanding.

 

[Que]

It's better to use in order to prevent over penetration and harming someone else unintentionally.

 

[HICKMAN]

What do you mean by "better"?

The top pro shooters shoot HP's because they claim they are more accurate.

I tend not to argue with those who make their living shooting.

 

[JB357Mag]

My coworker feels that it doesnt matter what type bullet is used,
but shot placement is key.

Just bringing it up for disscussion.

I myself would rather have HP's in my gun.

Jimmy

 

[white-eye]

I for one shoot nothing but ball ammo, my theory is that I would rather have something bleeding from two holes instead of one. just my opinion.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

There are multiple variables to the question. Ball is required for the military by treaty. HP, depending on caliber, can do a LOT more damage to soft tissue in the target. FMJ may drill a perfect hole through someone and they wind up bleeding from two holes, but JHP may put a big hurt on the inside. Look at the gel pictures. On the other hand JHP will expand more reliably at larger calibers; at .380 it's said that FMJ is superior due to penetration, but at .40 or .45 the JHPs will be more effective. Then you have barriers, including what the BG is wearing; the JHP may get clogged up, preventing expansion, so you get these ones with polymer tips. It's a study, I tell you. Yes, shot placement is important; you can get a single shot kill with .22LR, but I wouldn't carry one.

 

[Shwaisey]

It seems the co-worker is a .380 kinda guy


However, his perception seems to be HP's are only used for those who can't hit their target.
Most people like JHP/HP for the lack of penetration power.

 

[VUPDblue]

I for one shoot nothing but ball ammo, my theory is that I would rather have something bleeding from two holes instead of one. just my opinion.

I suppose by this statement that you don't know much/anything about wound ballistics. just because there may be an entrance and an exit wound, this is not an indicator of more/less tissue damage internally. what it is an indicator of is that the bullet did not deposit all of its energy inside the Target but rather used the energy to pass on through. personally, I would rather the bullet deposit as much of its energy as possible, otherwise it is only a large diameter ice-pick.

 

[KLB]

It's better to use in order to prevent over penetration and harming someone else unintentionally.

To me this is my biggest reason for jhp ammo. I have no desire to shoot a rd, have it go through the bad guy, through a wall and keep on going possibly into someone/something else. Or even worse to miss the bad guy and go through a couple of walls and onto who knows where.

Next is the fact that the jhp rd will deliver more tissue damage to the target if hit.

For target shooting I shoot fmj. They are much less expensive.

 

[JB357Mag]

It seems the co-worker is a .380 kinda guy


However, his perception seems to be HP's are only used for those who can't hit their target.
Most people like JHP/HP for the lack of penetration power.

Ding ding ding, "What do we have for him Johny?"

Yep. He has other stuff but his carry piece is a Bersa 380.
He showed it to me and I like it.

Jimmy

 

[Goodcat]

Ding ding ding, "What do we have for him Johny?"

Yep. He has other stuff but his carry piece is a Bersa 380.
He showed it to me and I like it.

Jimmy

Just a guess, but I'm going to assume he doesn't prefer ball ammo because it's a .380, but because of one opinion he heard and decided he would swear by.

 

[XtremeVel]

With the exception of very few instances, I feel the with the advancements in HP's such as Speer's Gold Dot, Federal's HST, Hornady's CD, and a few others make them a much better choice for SD than FMJ ammo. These modern HP's are designed to give optimal penetration and expansion.

A couple of exceptions that come to mind would be a smaller caliber where penetration is already a issue such as .25 ACP and maybe even .380.

Another exception would be if the weapon just doesn't feed the HP design with 100% reliability.

While I'm not crazy about putting my life into the hands of a handgun cartridge to begin with, I will at least choose a design made to give me the best chance rather than a design that I can't help thinking is best left for punching paper at the range.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Hollow points are designed to expand. When a bullet expands, it creates a larger wound cavity. It also dumps more energy into the body. A FMJ bullet in most cases will over penetrate. When that happens, less energy is dumped into the body. You also take of a chance of the bullet striking someone else. If used in a SD situation.

 

[Fullmag]

What do you mean by "better"?

The top pro shooters shoot HP's because they claim they are more accurate.

I tend not to argue with those who make their living shooting.

Agree 100% Take for instance 45 cal, the 185gr are mostly for target shooting and they are HP.

 

[ckcollins2003]

Agree 100% Take for instance 45 cal, the 185gr are mostly for target shooting and they are HP.

I've always wondered how a hollow point, which produces more drag, is more accurate than a round nose and obviously much more aerodynamic projectile...

Do you think it's word of mouth or is there really any scientific data to back up the "hollow points are more accurate" theory?

 

[badmac183]

I've always wondered how a hollow point, which produces more drag, is more accurate than a round nose and obviously much more aerodynamic projectile...

Do you think it's word of mouth or is there really any scientific data to back up the "hollow points are more accurate" theory?

It is because the center of gravity of the projectile is moved back farther making it more stable in flight.