{"id":2253,"date":"2023-11-29T09:25:15","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T09:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/?p=2253"},"modified":"2024-06-19T18:49:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T18:49:39","slug":"best-self-defense-ammo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/best-self-defense-ammo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Self Defense Ammo – Interactive Ballistics Table"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Best Self-Defense Ammo<\/h2>\n
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Ballistic Test Results by Caliber For Best Self Defense Ammo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"9mm<\/a><\/td>\n\".40S&W<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"45<\/a><\/td>\n\"380<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"357<\/a><\/td>\n\"Best<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"10mm<\/a><\/td>\n\"Using<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Ballistic Testing Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For this project we followed many of the guidelines the FBI uses as testing requirements for their own duty ammunition. We analyzed penetration depth, retained weight, and the expansion capabilities for each hollow point projectile. You’ll be able to clearly see how each round performed under our test conditions.<\/p>\n

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FBI Ballistic Testing Protocol<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The FBI test protocol runs through a full cycle of eight test events. Each event tests hollow point bullets by shooting them through barriers like wallboard, steel, and auto glass before penetrating ballistic gelatin. The ammunition is then tested for velocity and accuracy. According to the FBI, the results are an assessment of a bullet’s ability to inflict effective wounds after defeating various intervening obstacles commonly present in law enforcement shootings.<\/p>\n

For our testing purposes we slightly deviated from the strict guidelines so that our results might reflect more of what a civilian may encounter in a self defense situation. We understand though that every defense situation is unique and we cannot just blindly group every shooting into a single category.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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With that in mind, our test focused more on one of the eight test events in which the ammunition penetrates heavy clothing prior to impacting the ballistic gelatin. While these guidelines are in no way an absolute set of rules for testing self defense ammo, they provide a great backbone to build off of.<\/p>\n

For our condensed version of the FBI test, we opted to simulate shooting through typical heavy cold weather clothing as our intermediate barrier. We placed the barrier in front of the gel, which consisted of one layer of Denim (14.4 ounces\/yard), one layer of Polartec 200 fleece, one layer of cotton dress shirt (3.5 ounces\/yard) and one layer of cotton T-shirt material (5.25 ounces\/yard).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ballistic Gelatin<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The FBI uses what\u2019s called 10% Ordnance Gel as their test medium. It is made of organic material, and is a massive hassle to deal with when testing ammunition. This makes storing the blocks for long periods of time difficult unless you have a commercial size freezer on hand. The blocks are also very opaque, making it hard to measure the damaging effects of the hollow point projectiles.<\/p>\n

To avoid those hassles we used 10% clear ballistic gelatin material from Clear Ballistics<\/a>\u00a0to simulate living tissue. Each block used was six inches square by 16 inches long. Each block was calibrated for testing by Clear Ballistics prior to shipment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"10%<\/p>\n

Ballistic Barriers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A round\u2019s performance can be greatly affected by the material or barrier the bullet travels through before impacting a target. <\/span><\/p>\n

In real world defense situations you may find yourself dealing with a number of different barriers in between your firearm and the vital impact zone to take down a threat. This long list can be things such as other body parts, clothing, glass and a number of other obstacles that can alter the performance of a bullet. We fired all rounds tested at a distance of approximately ten feet from the front of the muzzle to the edge of the gelatin block’s fabric barrier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ballistic<\/p>\n

While you can expect to see a decline in bullet performance when testing with heavy barriers such as wallboard and glass, a soft cloth barrier can actually hinder performance of a projectile just as much. Clothing materials tend to cause real problems clogging up the hollow tip of some brands of ammunition. This can prevent the round from expanding, in return making it less effective at stopping a threat. Unless someone is trying to attack you on the beach, it\u2019s not uncommon to potentially encounter a threat wearing similar heavy clothing. Understanding how your self defense ammo performs when impacting this barrier can give you a leg up on a potential threat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"9mm
Failure to expand due to hollow point tip clogging with clothing barrier – 9mm Speer Gold Dot 115gr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Terminal Ballistics for Self Defense Ammo<\/h2>\n

Self Defense Ammo Penetration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To meet the FBI penetration standard, a handgun bullet must consistently penetrate on average a minimum of 12 inches and a maximum or 18 inches into ballistics gelatin. This ideal penetration depth translates to reliable bullet performance to affect vital organs within a human target despite mitigating factors, such as angle of impact or intermediate barriers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Penetration<\/p>\n

According to the FBI Test Protocol, \u201cGiven minimum penetration, the only means of increasing wound effectiveness is to make the hole bigger. This increases the amount of vital tissue damaged, increases the chance of damaging vital tissue with a marginally placed shot, and increases the potential for quicker blood loss.\u201d<\/span>Along with barriers, many other factors help determine how far a bullet will penetrate a target; The velocity at which the projectile is traveling, the design of the bullet itself, even the rate of expansion will all help determine the penetration depth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Self Defense Ammo Expansion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Expanded
Successful Expansion After Encountering Clothing Barrier – 45acp Federal HST 230gr +P<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A consistently expanding self defense round is an attackers worst enemy. When a hollow point projectile impacts a target, the hollow cavity causes the bullet to deform or \u201cmushroom.\u201d This results in greater internal damage to a living target after impact. The expansion of a HP bullet creates a large wound channel, leaving devastating effects.<\/span>Rounds that have a better rate of expansion typically penetrate less than rounds that do not successfully expand. This explains why FMJ ammunition generally isn\u2019t considered a great choice for self defense, no real expansion takes place.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hollow<\/p>\n

As far as successful expansion goes, a commonly used measurement is an expanded diameter at least 1.5 times the original diameter. \u00a0This generally results in an adequate amount of expansion for a given caliber resulting in a \u201cbigger hole\u201d or wound cavity. <\/span><\/p>\n

Self Defense Ammo Weight Retention<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The weight retention capabilities of a self defense round can help a bullet achieve outstanding performance or fail completely. If a projectile breaks apart upon impact to a target the loss of weight that occurs can result in a corresponding loss of power. Sure, shrapnel can be deadly long term, but the main goal of stopping a life threatening presence is to stop that target as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Firing<\/p>\n

Going back to the FBI protocol, “with the single exception of damaging the central nervous system, the only way to force incapacitation upon an unwilling adversary is to cause enough blood loss to starve the brain of its oxygen and\/or drop blood pressure to zero. This takes time, and the faster hemorrhage can occur the better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Self Defense Ammo Velocity and Energy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the final steps in our testing process is to shoot the ammunition with a ballistic chronograph. This allowed us to measure the muzzle velocity of each projectile. The chronograph consists of two optical sensors that records the passage of the bullet over them. This helps us measure the muzzle velocity and muzzle energy of the ammunition being tested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Capturing<\/p>\n

All bullets behave differently at various speeds. It’s is important to know the rate at which your handgun fires a certain brand of projectiles. The more consistently your self defense ammunition performs, the more reliable it is to you.<\/p>\n

Firearms Used for Self Defense Ammo Testing<\/h2>\n

This is another aspect of FBI protocol that we didn\u2019t strictly adhere to. We didn’t use full size duty handguns. We chose one firearm for each caliber that a civilian was most likely to carry concealed.
\n\"Firearms<\/p>\n

Our 357 magnum test results were obtained using a Smith & Wesson 640 J-Frame revolver with a 2.125″ barrel.<\/p>\n

The length of your firearm barrel can have an effect on the velocity of a fired bullet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally speaking, the longer the barrel the greater velocity a round will have. In other words, one load may not perform the same out of varying firearms and barrel lengths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Self Defense Ammo by Caliber<\/h2>\n