Killing power vs Stopping power?

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Super-Dave

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Okay, I was wondering if ball ammo had more "killing power" than jhp, but jhp had more "stopping power" than Ball.


It would seem to me if a bullet completely passed through a target causing 2 holes that it would be more likely to kill a target than a round that penetrated half as much but expanded.


I know people will say that hunters always hollow points or jhp. But that depends on game. I know many people who only hunt Hogs with fmj or slugs.
 
repeat topic

This post should be closed.
The ?s are already in FMJs vs JHP. That has pages of reply messages with the same details.
 
With regards to humans, seems most of the "experts" recommend JHP for maximum stopping power. My use of a deadly weapon is to terminate/eliminate/stop the threat, not necessarily to kill. It is for that very reason that my EDC gun is chambered in .45ACP and I use ball ammo. I want to stop the threat and most anyone taking a round of .45 is going down/will be slowed down.

With lesser calibers such as 9MM or .380, JHP for SD ammo would almost be mandatory because of the expansion of the round causing more tissue damage and therefore more injury to the body.
 
Generally speaking, it is not the number of holes in the skin that makes the difference on either a kill or a stop, but the internal damage, bleeding, and compromise of function that ultimately affects brain activity. That damage is usually maximized by having the round dissipate its energy inside the target; thus, JHPs that penetrate well but stay in the body generally incapacitate more quickly than a bullet of the same caliber that passes all the way through and take with them a portion of their kinetic energy. The path on the way through, of course, has a lot to do with survivability, and thus the word "generally" was used twice in this paragraph.
 
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