by kind i mean the ones that for the most part just flatten out/mushroom into a large flat disk, or the ones that seem to more like peel back the copper jacket and leave sharp petals?
this isn't a thread of "which one kills better" just simply which kind of expansion you guys prefer
I usually use Winchester PDX in the .40 and DPX or Gold Dot (Buffalo bore or Double Tap ammo brand) in the 9mm. I use PDX or Gold Dot in the .45.
I use Hornady Critical Defense in the .38 special--primarily because this is what my gun shoots the best. I have used the BB 158 Gr. LSWHP +P in the past--but my current carry LCR doesn't seem to like this accuracy wise.
In .45 LC, I either use the Gold Dot 250 gr HP or the Buffalo Bore 200 gr GD, or the Buffalo Bore 255 Gr. Keith.
__________________
God gives us free will; the statist tries to take it away
by kind i mean the ones that for the most part just flatten out/mushroom into a large flat disk, or the ones that seem to more like peel back the copper jacket and leave sharp petals?
Nick,
Interesting question. I have wondered about this also. Since I have tested a bunch of various bullets in water jugs and see what happens to them, I can see there is a drastic difference in the final shape. Of course, this is the pure and simple "only water" expansion and all bets are off if you start hitting something harder. But...I have noticed three types of bullet performance...
1. Bullet fragments and goes into pieces (Federal 357B 125 grain in .357 Magnum and also a 135 grain Corbon in .40 S&W). Turns out at least the .357 is supposed to break into pieces...I didn't know that at the time of testing, so I basically blew off these loads because, even though they penetrated well, they were in small pieces.
2. Bullet hangs together, and forms a nice round mushroom. Speer Gold Dot has some of the prettiest expansions of any out there. Hornady Critical Defense also looks great, but it is a little smaller.
3. Bullet gets all ugly and wicked looking and has sharp edges. These would be the Ranger SXT and Winchester PDX1. These look a little scarry.
The biggest thing I see the manufacturers doing is trying to get their bullets to hang together. Several have "bonded" ammo available (Ranger, PDX1, Speer, some Golden Sabers, and others). They don't want the jacket coming off the lead. Right now, I tend to lean this way and prefer the bullet to stay intact, and probably form a nice flat circular shape as in #2 above. Speer looks to be very consistent, but I have had them turn into round spheres when certain rounds were fired from certain guns...I try to match up a round with a gun, so with the given velocity the penetration is good (into about the 4th jug) but not too deep, and the bullet hangs together and opens well. If shooting through denim, all bets are off except with the Critical Defense.
All this is open for debate and everybody has their favorite round. They all work, its just a matter of preference and how much you shoot water jugs in fun.
I tend to shoot what's cheap and works. Following up on Bassoneer's thoughts, though is interesting. It seems a bullet that makes the petals is intended to cut tissue, much like a razorhead on an arrow. One that flattens into a mushroom might be intended to deliver more of a punching effect. The idea of the bullet fragmenting would tend to make one think in terms of multiple projectiles taking different paths through the target, causing more widespread damage and perhaps greater fluid loss.
This seems like a variation on the old momentum versus kinetic energy debate. If you knew ahead of time exactly what the bullet was going to hit, you could choose the correct one for the job -- I would think the mushroom would work better at smashing bone than the sharp petals would, for example, while the petals would probably be more effective in lung tissue if the bullet snakes between the ribs. But you usually can't decide with that degree of precision about where the bullet will enter the target. Even if I could shoot well enough to put my .44 bullet in between two ribs on a deer, I don't know the anatomy of a deer well enough, nor can I see well enough from 50+ yards away to guarantee that a well placed bullet will not hit a rib on the way in.
__________________ Teach
Taxpayers voting for Obama are like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders.
as pieces break off when fragmenting they can leave nastyness also BUT they loose energy much quicker when separated from the larger part of the projectile. so when consistent shroomage happens , it has a more focused transmittal of energy. does that mean more damage? who knows. the cavity may not be the same shape , the edges on some of them may cause damage durring extraction etc etc .
in the end i personally prefer rounds that fire well as rule number 1 . hit what your shooting at still applies.
just ammo for thought
In my Kimber Ultra CDP II I found that the Remington Golden Sabers were the most reliable. They do produce a little more muzzle flash than a few of the others tested but I will put up with that over non feeding issues. My Full size Kimber and my Target both have fed pretty much every hollow point I have put in them. In my 10mm I like the 200gr Hornady XTPs over a full charge of Blue dot. They were penetrating very deep in the wet phone books and were staying together pretty well. For factory fodder the Winchester 175gr silver tips work well as do the Corbon Pow R Ball ammo.
Sharp petal talons like Rangers or the true "Black Talon". They cause more bleeding and are more dificult to remove. Dead men can't point a finger at you in court. I hope I never have to shoot anyone but if I do I hope they aren't with us when I have to explane to a judge the reason I felt my life was threatened.
__________________ Inferior Firepower Can Result in Death or Serious Injury.
This may seem dumb, buy why are defensive handgun bullets different from hunting bullets intended for deer size critters? Both targets are relatively thin skinned, about the same size, etc. It would seem that bullets intended to function for one purpose would be completely suitable for the other, no matter which one you put first.
Archetype is the only guy here who intends to hunt with a 1911 that I know of. It would be legal here in Ohio, but no one does it. Why not?
__________________ Teach
Taxpayers voting for Obama are like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders.
Teach
