QUOTE (UncleMike @ November 5th 2009 10:09 PM)
The Glaser rounds, (If you can find them.) cost about $2.00 each.
Mike
I once was asked for recommendations on designer frangible-type ammunition for armed security in a public building with a lot of people present. Their concern was, of course, over-penetration of a violent criminal or over-penetration of walls.
I had never really thought to much about the Glaser rounds or other frangible stuff - it just sort of made sense to me. However, I was not about to make a recommendation without doing some research. Once I started, I spent about two weeks researching it. I'm not talking about surfing forums and stuff, I'm talking about studying serious LE testing, actual shooting studies, etc. Here is what I found.
While frangible bullets (Glasers, Powrballs and others) have produced a few spectacular one-shot kills, this is definitely not the norm. Compared to traditional HP ammo, the designer bullets have a very poor performance record. This is why:
Most companies advertising designer bullets are basing their claims on the idea of energy transfer. They claim that when a fast moving bullet fragments and "dumps its energy on the target" it creates a hydraulic shock wave that shuts down the target's body. I read on a box of Glaser .380s a claim that they were more effective than a .45 hollow point because they transfer more energy. There have been many attempts to prove this theory, but there has been no evidence produced that a target can be killed by an energy dump.
What has been proven, over and over, is that penetration kills, and under-penetration does not. If your particular bullet does not have the ability to penetrate a minimum of 12 to 16 inches consistently, it won't be a reliable self defense round. Over-penetration is far less a worry than under-penetration. The frangible rounds don't penetrate deeply enough to reliably stop a person. If an arm is in front of the chest, the fragments often don't even penetrate the arm with enough force to enter the chest. A very ugly shallow wound is not much better than a not so ugly shallow wound.
Here is what the manufacturer claims for Glaser, "Glaser Blue penetrates five to seven inches in International Ballistic Wound Association protocol testing, while silver penetrates eight to ten inches in the IWBA testing protocol." This is not through clothing and bone, this is just in ballistic gelatin. These bullets are more adversely effected by clothing and bone than traditional HP ammo. It must be understood that the few fragments that do penetrate to the depth claimed are tiny pellets that are actually doing very little damage.
On the issue of wall penetration, the tendency for the frangible designer cartridges is to crimp and become in effect a full metal jacket when they hit drywall, penetrating as much or more than standard HP ammo.
Data from real-world shootings shows that over-penetration of the target is rarely an issue. Penetrating the skin from the inside out (as the bullet exits) is equivalent to penetrating several inches of flesh. The skin is tough and flexible. This is why the bullet is often found just under the skin or in the clothes. If a pistol bullet does fully penetrate skin and clothes and exit the primary target, it very often lacks the energy to penetrate another person, even if another person is struck. Statistics show that bystanders are almost never struck and injured by bullets that over-penetrated the target. Of course, don't use anything that is bound to over-penetrate, like an FMJ.
People are killed and injured by bullets that missed the target, so no mater what bullet you choose, train until you can be proficient at hitting your target. (Statistically, civilians have a surprisingly high hit rate in self-defense situations, averaging higher than averages for police shootings. I'll have to dig up the source for those statistics.)
When choosing sour self-defense round, ignore the hype and look at the following to make your decision:
- Does the cartridge consistently penetrate deeply enough to be effective? (necessary)
- Does it function reliably in my weapon? (necessary)
- Does it expand reliably? (9mm and larger - smaller than 9mm use FMJ or hard cast for penetration)
- How does it react to heavy clothing?
- Does it use flash-suppressed propellents?
Not all of these are necessary for every situation, decide what is important for you.
Find something that gives you enough penetration and then be sure you can hit your target. Winchester, Remington, Hornady, and many others have spent millions to develop and test effective LE ammo. Look at what they have developed and are selling to LE - it works. The designer stuff sees very little LE use.
November 6th 2009 5:20 AM
