My friend Aim4myhead sent me a note saying, "Have you ever tested RBCD Platinum Plus Ammunition? I have some and think it is great stuff. If I sent you some, would you test it?"
I said, "Sure. But I will only report what I observe. If it doesn't do so well, that's what I will say."
He replied, "No problem. Just tell the truth about what you see. I believe it will be impressive. You will also notice very little recoil with this ammo."
He graciously sent me some rounds to test.
They were:
.32 APC - 37 grains, rated at 1815 fps velocity
9mm - 60 grains, rated at 2010 fps
.40 S&W - 77 grains, rated at 2100 fps
.45 ACP - 90 grains, rated at 2036 fps
This ammo is said to be "Ultra High Performance Center Fire Pistol Ammo, Blended Metal Technology, Ultra High Velocity/Energy, Low Recoil, Superior Stopping Power, Nonricochetting"
That's a mouth full!
These folks obviously believe in the "light weight, high velocity" school of thought regarding ammo effectiveness. Let's see what we can find out.
We will be shooting the rounds into the Waterbox O' Truth. Previous tests have shown that the most effective ammo must penetrate at least 4 water jugs to reach the 12 inches of penetration into ballistic gelatin that is required by the FBI tests for effective ammunition. 24 inches of water will equal approximately 12 inches of penetration into ballistic gelatin or human flesh.
First, we will try the .32 ACP in my P-32 Keltec.
The water jugs will have a layer of blue jean material in the front to simulate clothing.
It made an impressive spray of water!
The bullet penetrated through one jog and stopped in the second, for around 9 inches into water, or 4.5 inches into BG.
Notice that the second jug had the jacket, the small plastic nose plug, and some BBs in it.
The round left a "smokestack" in my P-32, so we decided to try another round to test feeding.
It fired just fine, but the next one in the magazine jammed due to "rim lock", a problem common with short cartridges in the .32 ACP.
A lot of testing would be required to establish "confidence" in feeding.
With the high cost of this ammo, that would not be likely with most shooters.
Let's try a 9mm out of my Springfield XD-9.
Again, the water spray was very impressive.
Not only did I and the gun get wet, but Tman and the camera also got drenched.
It penetrated 2 jugs for a BG penetration of 6 inches.
Only half the penetration recommended by the FBI.
The jacket and other pieces were in the second jug.
How about the .40 S&W out of my Glock 22.
It penetrated into the second jug and broke into pieces.
Then a round of the .45 ACP out of a 1911.
It penetrated 2 jugs with a piece of lead making it into the third jug.
Lessons learned:
I said, "Sure. But I will only report what I observe. If it doesn't do so well, that's what I will say."
He replied, "No problem. Just tell the truth about what you see. I believe it will be impressive. You will also notice very little recoil with this ammo."
He graciously sent me some rounds to test.
They were:
.32 APC - 37 grains, rated at 1815 fps velocity
9mm - 60 grains, rated at 2010 fps
.40 S&W - 77 grains, rated at 2100 fps
.45 ACP - 90 grains, rated at 2036 fps
This ammo is said to be "Ultra High Performance Center Fire Pistol Ammo, Blended Metal Technology, Ultra High Velocity/Energy, Low Recoil, Superior Stopping Power, Nonricochetting"
That's a mouth full!
These folks obviously believe in the "light weight, high velocity" school of thought regarding ammo effectiveness. Let's see what we can find out.
We will be shooting the rounds into the Waterbox O' Truth. Previous tests have shown that the most effective ammo must penetrate at least 4 water jugs to reach the 12 inches of penetration into ballistic gelatin that is required by the FBI tests for effective ammunition. 24 inches of water will equal approximately 12 inches of penetration into ballistic gelatin or human flesh.
First, we will try the .32 ACP in my P-32 Keltec.
The water jugs will have a layer of blue jean material in the front to simulate clothing.
It made an impressive spray of water!
The bullet penetrated through one jog and stopped in the second, for around 9 inches into water, or 4.5 inches into BG.
Notice that the second jug had the jacket, the small plastic nose plug, and some BBs in it.
The round left a "smokestack" in my P-32, so we decided to try another round to test feeding.
It fired just fine, but the next one in the magazine jammed due to "rim lock", a problem common with short cartridges in the .32 ACP.
A lot of testing would be required to establish "confidence" in feeding.
With the high cost of this ammo, that would not be likely with most shooters.
Let's try a 9mm out of my Springfield XD-9.Again, the water spray was very impressive.
Not only did I and the gun get wet, but Tman and the camera also got drenched.
It penetrated 2 jugs for a BG penetration of 6 inches.
Only half the penetration recommended by the FBI.
The jacket and other pieces were in the second jug.
How about the .40 S&W out of my Glock 22.It penetrated into the second jug and broke into pieces.Then a round of the .45 ACP out of a 1911.It penetrated 2 jugs with a piece of lead making it into the third jug.Lessons learned:
- 1. As is usual with light/fast bullets, these rounds made spectacular explosions on the first water jug. But then they fail to penetrate much farther.
Might these rounds work? Sure, they might.
But why trust "might", when bullets are available that will meet the 12 inch minimum penetration standard? - Recoil was indeed light, due to light bullets.
- All rounds, except for the .32 ACP, functioned just fine.
- If I didn't know much about bullet performance, the violent explosive effects on the first water jug would be very impressive. But I know that penetration is also required and these rounds do not meet the 12 inch minimum penetration standard.
- It's hot on a July morning down in southeast Texas. But it's still fun to shoot stuff.
