Hollow point or large meplat

C

cdoc42

New member
I'm running out of Winchester .38 special 125gr HP, and they have discontinued production. I looked on Everglades website and they have the same h.p. bullet but for $10 less/500 they also have a 125gr with a large meplat.

My question becomes which produces a larger wound channel? Not that I need it, but, really just for a discernable difference. I vote for the meplat.

I posed the question to A.I.: the response:

Response stopped
According to an article in American Hunter, a wide meplat creates a larger wound channel and helps the bullet stabilize in flesh, thereby penetrating in a straight line 1.

A hollow-point bullet is designed to expand on impact, creating a larger wound channel than the bullet diameter would suggest 23.

A large meplat, on the other hand, can also create a larger wound channel and transfer more energy upon impact 1.

In conclusion, both hollow-point and large meplat bullets can create larger wounds than bullets with smaller meplats. However, the exact size of the wound channel depends on several factors, including the bullet’s construction, velocity, and the target’s anatomy.

ANY THOUGHTS?
 
I can't directly answer your question. But I can tell you that the Everglades 125 HP is a good bullet. I just bought 1000 of them to replace what I used last summer. Yes, I shoot a lot of these. Mostly out of 38 Special (+P); but also 357 Mag.

They look a lot like Remington ammo from back in the day so I suspect they're using "hand me down" tooling to make them. And that's why they're more affordable than other brands. Just a guess. At any rate, they look just as "high tech" as the state of the art bullets back in the 80's; so I have no reason to believe they won't perform as well from a terminal ballistics standpoint. I've never tested them in gel, or wet news paper, etc. I would use them for defense or small game hunting or whatever, should there be a need (not likely).

Hope that helps at least a little. Everglades are also prompt. Been doing business with them for about a decade. Good folks.
 
Thanks, Nick. As a matter of fact, I started with the Remington 125gr, but couldn't find them so switched to Winchester because it was available. I think you have answered my question; I'll stick with the HP rather than the large meplat and go with those available at EvergladeS.
 
The two bullet types perform different roles. The HP makes the biggest hole possible for a sshort distance. . Can be about 2 calibers in diameter.

The wide meplat tears the maximum flesh while penetrating the most possible. But thehole will typically be about 1.5 calibers.
 
Here's a thought, will the effect of the different bullet types be significant at .38 Special velocities and in typical .38 Special uses??

Are you getting full, or partial expansion from the HP at the speeds you are shooting them???

Reading other people tests and reviews can give you general ideas, shooting from your gun will show you what you will actually get.

Generally what you will get is what they got, but if it is different, I think that's worth knowing.
 
I have seen flat point bullets create larger wound channels than hollow points. However that was with a 44spl out of a 20in henry rifle at about 1000fps.

I have tried to replicate those results with both 38spl and 357mag out of a 6in revolver and have not been able to.

In my testing with 38spl shooting a ballistic gel block, I got the best performance with 100-125g hollow points and 158/180s hollow points failed to expand at all.
 
Mass with a large meplat is better for some things, none of which are going to be evident with a ,38 SPL.

A JHP covers a lot of space, bonded, solids, traditional cup and core. In most cases, in service pistol calibers, a JHP will absolutely produce a larger permanent and temporary wound channel than any flat nose. If that were not the case, we'd still see full wadcutters for .38 SPL defense loads. :)

You really need to be up into the 200 grain plus, with 1100 fps plus to start to realize the benefits of WFN bullets.
 
Thanks to all. It seems there is no advantage with the meplat over the HP in .38 special, so I'll stick with the HP.
 
The large meplat comes in where the hollow points don't expand. I shoot most of my 38's in a snub and have always heard that expansion is not always a given. For this reason I carry a full or semi wadcutter due to the larger meplat. They smack the full diameter of the bullet and Im ok with that.
 
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