.223 hollow point penetration

9633 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Becks, Sep 27, 2014

Kendahl

Discussion Starter · Aug 25, 2014

I have heard a .223 rifle loaded with hollow point ammunition recommended as a home defense gun. Aside from its other virtues, the bullet is supposed to shatter easily on contact with typical house walls. If true, this would avoid the risk of hitting an innocent person outside. Have you performed any tests that would confirm or deny this claim? I looked but didn't find anything.

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Old_Painless

· #2 · Aug 25, 2014

I have fired a lot of JHP .223 bullets into wall board. They do not break up as you suggest. Of course, it depends on the type and brand of JHP as to how many walls they will penetrate.

The problem is that if you use a very light weight bullet and a very fragile bullet, it may not make the FBI penetration standard.

My AR-15s are loaded with Soft Point ammo of high quality.

Pick one from this site: http://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/index.htm

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applesmasher

· #3 · Aug 25, 2014

To expand upon what Old_Painless pointed out, you can figure out that there's something wrong with the idea that a well constructed hollowpoint would shatter on a wall.

What is a hollowpoint supposed to do? Expand. Expand, but hold together post penetration. Hollowpoints are not military rounds, so they're for tissue destruction in humans or animals (depending on whether you're trying to defend yourself or hunt).

If a hollowpoint were to shatter on gypsum, you could pretty much guarantee that it would shatter on bone, which is precisely what you don't want to have happening. Hollowpoint makers advertise based on how wide the expansion is, and how good the cohesion of the bullet design is. Ergo, a hollowpoint which shatters on wallboard is a really crummy hollowpoint and you should probably not buy or use it.

If I hit a bad guy with a hollowpoint right in the middle of his chest, over the sternum, I don't want my hollowpoint to tear open the skin and superficial muscle and fat. I want it to punch through, and disrupt the tissues behind the sternum so as to better get him to stop whatever he's doing which caused me to shoot at him in the first place. If it goes through his spine on the way out, so much the better. Shattering on the sternum just isn't in my game plan at all.

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Becks

· #4 · Sep 27, 2014

Kendahl said:
I have heard a .223 rifle loaded with hollow point ammunition recommended as a home defense gun. Aside from its other virtues, the bullet is supposed to shatter easily on contact with typical house walls. If true, this would avoid the risk of hitting an innocent person outside. Have you performed any tests that would confirm or deny this claim? I looked but didn't find anything.

When you're in a fight for your life, overpenetration should NOT be your primary concern. Ruler number 4 means nothing in a heated defensive situation, when your only concern should be dealing with the goblin that's threatening your life.

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