Glazers...will they blow up by hitting the blue nose?

I used to keep a full size USP .45 loaded with glasers. Never actually tried one on a watermelon or anything, but I really think any JHP ammo will do the job. People worry needlessly about overpenetration where good, modern ammo is concerned (and so long as you're not using a .223 or something for home defense).

Edit - that's assuming you HIT your target.
 
I found out recently that an old friend had his "home defense .45" loaded with 'em. But had never test fired to see if they cycled the slide - which in some semis they don't. :eek: (weight often ain't right).

Years ago, I ran some of the .223s thru a Mini-14. Too pricey for much testing, but what I shot "grouped" inconsistently - typically several inches low and right from 100 yard sight-in with normal 55 grainers. (I suspect sumthin to do with all those little pellets getting spun so quickly inside jacket ... So, yea, that's somewhat what causes them to "explode" upon impact.)

At the time, I was testing for "richochet-resistant coyote load" for semi-urban environment. Hornady's newer "exploding" varmint loads found to be much less expensive - and far more accurate. ;)
 
Greybeard - that makes a lot of sense. It figures that the ballistics on these things (as far as bullet path) would be weird and inconsistent. It's meant for use at typical self-defense ranges, but I reiterate that glasers aren't really necessary. Any decent JHP will do a more than adequate job and my guess is that they would be far more reliable.
 
I seem to recall that some years ago, I think it was the Indiana State Police, had a specially designed Glaser with a black tip made for them. Anybody remember those and what the difference was? :confused:
 
had a specially designed Glaser with a black tip made for them
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Rumor only, not verified but I was informed that the black tip glasers were capable of going through soft body armour. I repeat rumor only.

NukemJim
 
If it were still a blunt-tip, why would a claim that it would penetrate soft body armor be credible? I thought a pointed-nosed bullet was necessary for that. Was there supposed to be something special that would happen with the bullet on impact?

-blackmind
 
blackmind, you better knock on wood...

What's it to you if Ledbetter feels safer with a Glaser in the chamber? He's not necessarily planning for an ND, any more than someone who carries a DA/SA decocked and safety on is planning to put themselves at a disadvantage. For some people, it's a peace of mind thing.
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Well, any person could be the recipient of any other person's negligent discharge, speaking in the loosest sense. (As in, I could be at a range where he is operating his weapon and he has his ND while I'm proximate, and I get hit.)

So that's "what it is to me" if he wants to rely on the "harmlessness" of a less penetrating round. It just sounded to me as though he were copping out, saying that it's not so bad to have an ND because that one first round won't go very far or through much material. I think that's a flawed line of reasoning.

The best defense against an ND is to keep your finger off the trigger until it's time to shoot; and for cryin' out loud, don't pull the trigger on a supposedly "empty" gun unless you have JUST MOMENTS BEFORE visually and manually verified an empty chamber.

How freakin' hard is THAT? :rolleyes:

People make this seem like it's rocket science combined with luck, to never have an ND. I say it should be plain ol' common sense.



-blackmind
 
Actual experience

I have fired Glaser Blues through a few things out at the "free range" in the national forest.

They will not go through a TV. They will not go through a computer. They will not go through a bad guy. From my viewpoint, they are the ideal FIRST round in the magazine. Especially in .45 Cal.

Just my opinion, you do what you want, balls and all.:)
 
Well, any person could be the recipient of any other person's negligent discharge, speaking in the loosest sense. (As in, I could be at a range where he is operating his weapon and he has his ND while I'm proximate, and I get hit.)
blackmind said:
So that's "what it is to me" if he wants to rely on the "harmlessness" of a less penetrating round. It just sounded to me as though he were copping out, saying that it's not so bad to have an ND because that one first round won't go very far or through much material. I think that's a flawed line of reasoning.

The best defense against an ND is to keep your finger off the trigger until it's time to shoot; and for cryin' out loud, don't pull the trigger on a supposedly "empty" gun unless you have JUST MOMENTS BEFORE visually and manually verified an empty chamber.

How freakin' hard is THAT?

People make this seem like it's rocket science combined with luck, to never have an ND. I say it should be plain ol' common sense.
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While keeping one Glaser in the chamber and JHP ammo in the magazine might seem like an unnecessary measure to you and I (no offense to the person who posted about this practice), I doubt it will cause him to be notoriously unsafe in his practice of handgun safety. That's all that matters, really.
 
blackmind said:
How freakin' hard is THAT?
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Ask almost any experienced shooter. If they haven't had an ND, they most likely know someone, who they would rate as competent, who has. And anyway, that was no retort to my question. I asked why you care if he feels safer having an extra layer of (admittedly minimal) security. I'm pretty confident he doesn't just walk around, finger on trigger, safety off, waiting for an ND.
 
Glasers are not safe in any sense of the word.I've shot hundreds & hundreds of them.

When Glasers penetrate wood, drywall, 2 x 4's...the kind of fold in upon themselves and stay together, thus not apartment safe. They have plenty of penetration for their weight. When they hit something soft (tissue) they frag real good. If they hit something hard like rock, marble, steel, then they shatter so there's your ricochet proof:rolleyes: feature.

The blacktip Glasers use a heavier than lead tungsten shot (and a smaller tip IIRC) with a larger shot / smaller payload to increase penetration while keeping them able to retain velocity. I've not shot any of these ones but read about them. Supposedly they will penetrate soft armor.

I shot my Chrony with a (homemade) Glaser. It went through the front and hit the dividing metal plate and pretty much folded it over 90 deg. It landed about 10 or 15 ft downrange. The tip, mangled jacket and loose bb's were in the Chrony.

Early Glasers were TC flat points with non compressed shot. Typically #12 shot is in them. Todays Glasers are RN and the shot is compressed. They started compressing the shot in them for two reasons. To get a bigger payload in them and stabilization. Seems the non compressed ones would destabilize and weren't very accurate from the loose shifting shot.

I've made (safety slugs) in many weights from 140, 160, 185, 190, 200, and 225's. Their very easy to make, just two pulls on the swaging press. The little blue balls are freakin expensive at 4.5 cents apiece though so I've taken to capping them with a single OO buck which are much cheaper.

I bought the tooling to make them for the wonder bullet syndrome and I'm cheap.:o As it turns out, I care less for the wonder bullet angle and continue to make them because they are scary accurate as a handload and easy to make. Who cares if it frags but I can hit with these babys like no other. So they're like a JSP. If it don't frag, its like ball 45 and if it does frag, woe to them hehe. I don't carry them for SD though prefering to stick with a conventional HP. I like shooting steel with them at the range because they make me look (sound?) good and do break up on steel giving a mediocre assurance of no fly backs. Eh.

I've made a few guys gawk at the range at my full trays of 'Glasers':D When capped with the blue tips, they are indistinguishable from the factory ones.
 
I don't know the answer to your question, but are you talking about incendiary rounds? A buddy of mine gave me a handful of .223 blue-tipped rounds which he said were incendiary. I shot one into a stump and it gave off about a one foot diameter flash on impact and a bit of smoldering. Not sure what I'll use them for, but pretty cool regardless. I'd like to find some more....
 
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A year or so back, some friends and I built a mock-up of an outside wall: panelling, sheetrock, plywood, & siding. We built a shelf behind the wall and put gallon jugs of water on the shelf. Then we shot at the wall with a bunch of different stuff, various calibers etc. from a typical room distance of 15 to 20 feet.

Everything went through. Including the blue nose Glasers.

I wouldn't rely on it not to shoot someone in the room next door.

pax
 
Then that makes two reasons. :rolleyes:


I mean, if you're hoping that the choice of first round might make the difference between life and death, might as well make it a freakin' snap cap! :barf:

NO one has ever been killed by one of those, unless maybe they choked on one.

But I really protest the idea of choosing your first round based on what might not do so much damage or penetration if it's fired as an ND. Really bad thinking there. :(



-blackmind
 
I would not carry Glaser's if someone paid me too. Magsafe either for that matter. BTW-the pictures on that one site someone posted are of a temporary cavity, and in dealing with handgun calibers, has no effect. The permanent cavity is what matters, and so does penetration. Frangible rounds lack both of whats needed to be good terminal performers. Ill just say it flat out-they suck. And over penetration is not an issue with the top performing HP's on the market today either.


http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs5.htm

And good info here @ http://www.tacticalforums.com in the terminal effects forum
 
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