Animal
12-24-2013, 03:09 PM
I've tinkered around with some basic Redneck Ballistic testing recently and found some interesting results in bullet expansion/penetration. The purpose of this load is for urban area defense. (I am well aware of the arguments, please do not address them in this thread). I'd like to consider the different variables behind my results:
Firearm: Rock Island Armory GI 1911 .45acp
Load #1: 5.2grn of Red Dot, Hornaday 230grn XTP jhp, WLP primer, Book Vel approx 910-940fps
Load #2: 4.0grn of Hodgdon Clays (not universal), Hornaday 230grn XTP jhp, WLP primer, Book Vel approx 730fps
Media #1: 4 inches of wet phone book (soaked for 15 min) supported upright against 2 1gal jugs. One layer of denim blue jean was wrapped around the media.
NOTE: this media was used with Load #1
Media #2: 4 inches of wet catalogs, scrap paper and junk mail (soaked for 45 min) supported upright against 2 1gal jugs. One layer of denim blue jean was wrapped around the media.
Note: this media was used with Load #2 (phone book was not available, so I attempted to replicate the same material as well as I could. This media was soaked a great deal longer because I felt the papers may have been a bit tougher than the phone book papers. Not the best scientific practice, but it was all I had).
Distance: 7 yards
Results for load #1: Bullet penetrated the phone book, both jugs of water, hit the dirt backstop, lost its steam and rolled down to the ground.
No noticeable expansion was found. The point was deformed and jagged, but not expanded. The exit wound of the media was blown apart and represented an extremely devastating injury.
Results for load #2: Bullet penetrated approx 3 inches into the media and became lodged. Beautiful expansion was observed. Measured expansion was .994. The wound cavity expanded along great with the bullets expansion.
Conclusion: Based on the performance of Load #2, I feel confident in its performance to enter the predators body, dump its energy and eliminate the threat. I also feel confident that the bullet will likely not over penetrate and pose a threat to bystanders, and if it should exit the body I believe it will not have enough energy to cause further injury to others.
Observation for further questioning: Why did the higher velocity bullet not expand? It left a trail of destruction after it exited the primary media. Hornaday only uses this bullet in there +P SD loads rated at 950fps, approx 200fps higher than what Mr. Richard Lee states my second load should be traveling. If my first load velocity matched the books stated FPS, then Hornaday might be selling a horrible SD load. Or, at least Midway is marketing this ammo incorrectly as "self-defense".
Regardless of how this ammo is marketed, my personal testing reveals that Hornaday is loading this bullet in such a way that may not allow reliable expansion of there famous XTP.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/155424/hornady-custom-ammunition-45-acp-p-230-grain-xtp-jacketed-hollow-point-box-of-20.
Or perhaps my testing methods were completely hosed up and do not represent potential scenarios that SD ammo might be good for.
Please, feel fee to criticize my work for any flaws that you may think are contributing to my contradiction. Or, feel free to explain why you feel my results are reasonable. I'd really like to get to the bottom of this. Thanks.
Again I say that I am aware of the arguments of SD handloads and I am not interested in discussing the philosophy, legalities, opinions or thoughts of the subject. I'm only interested in the ballistic behavior of the two loads that I tested.
Firearm: Rock Island Armory GI 1911 .45acp
Load #1: 5.2grn of Red Dot, Hornaday 230grn XTP jhp, WLP primer, Book Vel approx 910-940fps
Load #2: 4.0grn of Hodgdon Clays (not universal), Hornaday 230grn XTP jhp, WLP primer, Book Vel approx 730fps
Media #1: 4 inches of wet phone book (soaked for 15 min) supported upright against 2 1gal jugs. One layer of denim blue jean was wrapped around the media.
NOTE: this media was used with Load #1
Media #2: 4 inches of wet catalogs, scrap paper and junk mail (soaked for 45 min) supported upright against 2 1gal jugs. One layer of denim blue jean was wrapped around the media.
Note: this media was used with Load #2 (phone book was not available, so I attempted to replicate the same material as well as I could. This media was soaked a great deal longer because I felt the papers may have been a bit tougher than the phone book papers. Not the best scientific practice, but it was all I had).
Distance: 7 yards
Results for load #1: Bullet penetrated the phone book, both jugs of water, hit the dirt backstop, lost its steam and rolled down to the ground.
No noticeable expansion was found. The point was deformed and jagged, but not expanded. The exit wound of the media was blown apart and represented an extremely devastating injury.
Results for load #2: Bullet penetrated approx 3 inches into the media and became lodged. Beautiful expansion was observed. Measured expansion was .994. The wound cavity expanded along great with the bullets expansion.
Conclusion: Based on the performance of Load #2, I feel confident in its performance to enter the predators body, dump its energy and eliminate the threat. I also feel confident that the bullet will likely not over penetrate and pose a threat to bystanders, and if it should exit the body I believe it will not have enough energy to cause further injury to others.
Observation for further questioning: Why did the higher velocity bullet not expand? It left a trail of destruction after it exited the primary media. Hornaday only uses this bullet in there +P SD loads rated at 950fps, approx 200fps higher than what Mr. Richard Lee states my second load should be traveling. If my first load velocity matched the books stated FPS, then Hornaday might be selling a horrible SD load. Or, at least Midway is marketing this ammo incorrectly as "self-defense".
Regardless of how this ammo is marketed, my personal testing reveals that Hornaday is loading this bullet in such a way that may not allow reliable expansion of there famous XTP.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/155424/hornady-custom-ammunition-45-acp-p-230-grain-xtp-jacketed-hollow-point-box-of-20.
Or perhaps my testing methods were completely hosed up and do not represent potential scenarios that SD ammo might be good for.
Please, feel fee to criticize my work for any flaws that you may think are contributing to my contradiction. Or, feel free to explain why you feel my results are reasonable. I'd really like to get to the bottom of this. Thanks.
Again I say that I am aware of the arguments of SD handloads and I am not interested in discussing the philosophy, legalities, opinions or thoughts of the subject. I'm only interested in the ballistic behavior of the two loads that I tested.