Hollow points vs. FMJ

Hollow Points vs. FMJ

  • Total voters
    79
  • Poll closed .
right now, all the revolvers I carry or would use at home for self defense
are loaded with modern hollow point ammunition.

I keep about 1500 round fmj on hand for plinking and target practice.

for self defense it's hollow point ammo for me.
 
I only shoot hard cast bullets and the meplat is the business end of the bullet. I don't rely on expansion so if I were to vote it would be FMJ. I like pre-expanded bullets and the 11.5 mm (.452) is a good place to start.
 
It depends on the caliber and intended use. For self-defense with .380 Auto/.38 Special or larger, I'll take a hollowpoint. With smaller calibers, I'd rather have FMJ to ensure adequate penetration.
 
Feds made me turn in my .600 Webley, . . . have to carry a puny .45 now, . . . gotta have them hollow points to get that expansion.;)

May God bless,

Dwight
 
It depends. What are you shooting? Which hollowpoint? Summer or winter in North Dakota? I'd hate to rely on Silvertip HPs with a 380 to penetrate heavy winter clothing. I'd have no doubts whatsoever using a 45 ACP with 230 grn FMJ for SD. It has too good a track record.

If you're going to hunt deer or pigs not just any HP will do nor will any bullet weight. I'd always opt for penetration as the first, essential criteria. FMJs kill the largest, most dangerous game on earth. If you are using this primarily for SD, I'd only buy the best HP rounds I could find, the kind where the core and jacket will stay together. These would be the premium, law enforcement rounds that are ridiculously expensive!!
 
I have an easier time answering than most because I carry for self defense and shoot for practice. Even so, my answers depend on what I'm doing:

* For carry in town/SD against humans -- .38 +P JHP (Speer Gold Dot short barrel, by choice.)

* For carry in wild lands/SD against bears & cougars -- .357 JHP (Winchester by choice.)

* For carry in wild lands/SD against snakes -- .38 +P #9 "snake shot" cartridges. (Usually in 2 of 5 chambers, at the ready.)

* For practice at the range/on BLM land -- .38 sp FMJ and .357 FMJ.

I'm sure others will have even more complex answers. :-)
 
For most SD situations I'm sure hollow points are better. But in some situations FMJ might actually be more appropriate. Like in 9mm, FMJ has quite a bit of penetrating power. If you had to return fire against an attacker firing from inside a vehicle, that extra penetration might win the fight.
 
Too many variables. Target/plinking FMJ. SD, 9mm Luger & up HP. 9X18 & 380, toss up leaning toward some HP like Gold Dot, Golden Saber, and Critical Defence. Less than 380ACP FMJ for penetration.
 
Hollow points are designed to penetrate sufficiently at the right velocity but then fan out to prevent overpenetration (in theory) and produce cavitation. With all the +P++++ and such everybody uses nowadays, not so sure they're gonna stop in a human. Most humans aren't too thick. I have rarely seen FMJ perform as well as HP for real target shooting either, assuming a person is good enough to measure their accuracy to this level. HPs are all around higher performing bullets, but they also have a higher price. HPs shouldn't jam up a good semi (Glock, Sig, Beretta, S&W M&P, etc, etc).
 
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