Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics Test
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:10 pm
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-de ... tic-tests/
Lucky Gunner recently released a quite comprehensive, well designed, and incredibly well presented ballistics test focusing on handgun self defense ammo. All pistols used were compact models to better reflect real world concealed carry situations. The Kahr CW45 (.45 ACP) had the longest barrel length at 3.64", while the Glock 42 (.380 ACP) had the shortest at 3.25". All tests were shot through two layers of cotton shirt material, one layer of fleece, and one layer of denim because we don't typically shoot naked people. As such, the results show the worst case shooting scenario... using a short barreled pistol to fire at an attacker wearing multiple and varied layers of clothing.
Notes:
The ONLY .380 ACP cartridge to perform as designed and acceptably was the Hornady 90gr FTX Critical Defense. ALL other .380 ACP loads either failed to expand, failed to reach 12" every shot, or penetrated too deeply. Both CorBon 70gr Pow'RBall and Remington 88gr HTP penetrated reliably and acceptably, but failed to expand at all. The CorBon Pow'RBall apparently experiences projectile failure (either jacket separation or failure to expand) regardless of the conditions, as I can't find any testing anywhere that shows it working as designed... even in CorBon's official advertisements. That said, the Pow'RBall and HTP DID penetrate better than the Hornady FTX Critical Defense. It's up to you whether a little bit more expansion or a little bit more penetration is most beneficial.
Some brands and models that perform very well in one caliber might not perform well at all in another. For example, Barnes all-copper hollow points performed pretty well in 9mm, didn't penetrate quite deep enough to give me confidence in .40S&W, and not a single round expanded reliably in .45ACP
You can sort by name, average penetration, average expansion, or muzzle velocity. Sorting by name is obviously the best way to find a particular cartridge. Sorting by average penetration and cross referencing average penetration to see if the round expanded properly is the easiest way to determine the "best" cartridges.
Lucky Gunner recently released a quite comprehensive, well designed, and incredibly well presented ballistics test focusing on handgun self defense ammo. All pistols used were compact models to better reflect real world concealed carry situations. The Kahr CW45 (.45 ACP) had the longest barrel length at 3.64", while the Glock 42 (.380 ACP) had the shortest at 3.25". All tests were shot through two layers of cotton shirt material, one layer of fleece, and one layer of denim because we don't typically shoot naked people. As such, the results show the worst case shooting scenario... using a short barreled pistol to fire at an attacker wearing multiple and varied layers of clothing.
Notes:
The ONLY .380 ACP cartridge to perform as designed and acceptably was the Hornady 90gr FTX Critical Defense. ALL other .380 ACP loads either failed to expand, failed to reach 12" every shot, or penetrated too deeply. Both CorBon 70gr Pow'RBall and Remington 88gr HTP penetrated reliably and acceptably, but failed to expand at all. The CorBon Pow'RBall apparently experiences projectile failure (either jacket separation or failure to expand) regardless of the conditions, as I can't find any testing anywhere that shows it working as designed... even in CorBon's official advertisements. That said, the Pow'RBall and HTP DID penetrate better than the Hornady FTX Critical Defense. It's up to you whether a little bit more expansion or a little bit more penetration is most beneficial.
Some brands and models that perform very well in one caliber might not perform well at all in another. For example, Barnes all-copper hollow points performed pretty well in 9mm, didn't penetrate quite deep enough to give me confidence in .40S&W, and not a single round expanded reliably in .45ACP
You can sort by name, average penetration, average expansion, or muzzle velocity. Sorting by name is obviously the best way to find a particular cartridge. Sorting by average penetration and cross referencing average penetration to see if the round expanded properly is the easiest way to determine the "best" cartridges.