Frangible vs hollow vs fmj what do you carry?

[shane34652]

I've carried hollow points for as long as I'vs had a gun but have been thinking about going to frangibles. Any body have thoughts as to what round you carry and way. pros and cons of frang.

 

[Deanimator]

LSWC-HPs in my revolvers and JHPs in my semi-autos. FMJs, NEVER.

 

[MamaLiberty]

I've carried hollow points for as long as I'vs had a gun but have been thinking about going to frangibles. Any body have thoughts as to what round you carry and way. pros and cons of frang.

Frangibles are useful to consider in certain environments, but not usually considered adequate in most self defense situations.

I'm wondering why you would consider carrying frangibles under ordinary conditions. What do you think the advantages might be? Are you clear on the disadvantages... one real one being considerably increased expense. Do you plan to practice with this round?

From an industry professional: Link Removed

RRLP ammunition may be of benefit for personnel conducting VBSS, GOPLAT, and in extremis missions in maritime environments or industrial settings with hazardous materials. Likewise, the use of frangible training ammunition is an important safety consideration for close range exercises using reactive steel targets. On the other hand, frangible training ammunition is NEVER a good choice for duty/self-defense use! Anyone recommending frangible training ammunition for duty/self-defense purposes is grossly misinformed or is ignorantly repeating specious gunrag myth and should be disregarded as a source of valid information…

 

[shane34652]

recieved 200 rds for free so cost isn't the problem. i know the frang are supposed to shred on impact but uncertain of depth of penatration. so i'm just putting my feelers out to see what people think and if someone carries it, why they do.

 

[MamaLiberty]

recieved 200 rds for free so cost isn't the problem. i know the frang shred on impact but uncertain of depth of penatration. so i'm just putting my feelers out to see what people think and if someone carries it, why they do.

Penetration depends on a great many variables. You have zero control of the variables in most self defense situations. Hollow points have good penetration in most situations, and seldom overpenetrate like ball ammo can. Hollow points are a good compromise in that particular area, with some notable exceptions. But they still penetrate better than most frangibles.

I would suggest you use your free ammo for practice at a busy range or something like that. Continue to carry the hollow points for self defense.

 

[sgtbill]

Do yourself a favor and blow them off for practice and continue to carry the hollow point ammo. Where the frangable will break up on any surface the hollow point will open up upon contact with fluid and expand and also slow down some and hopefully stay with the perp and not over penetrate. On a very hard object or multi layers of clothing the hollow point will at times close in and become a solid round with good penetration. For my money I would use the hollow point for the best of both worlds. Where the frang. will only break up and be done.
Bill

 

[chikinhammr]

Good, premium hollow point ammo from major manufacturers is the way to go.

 

[JSDinTexas]

I use HP in all self-defense scenarios and have no application for frangible rounds.
Here is a fairly comprehensive explanation of the frangible. Frangible Ammunition

 

[SGB]

I carry which ever JHP round I get the best buy on that passes the DOJ protocol.

Link Removed

 

[S&W645]

Winchester Ranger-T 230gr JHP (RA45T)

 

[NCIC105]

I'll stick with my JHP's...Critical Defense..

 

[techiej]

JHP's -- Federal HydaShok 147gr

 

[Caribou]

Hollow points are my choice. Since you have all that frangible ammo take some out to the range with a bunch of old milk jugs full of water four layers of denim, a scrap of plywood, and a scrap of sheetrock. Test the HP and the frangible. All the studies I have read fall in favor of the HP but you have a great opportunity to do your own testing. Have fun and let us know what you found out.

 

[Ringo]

Hollow points in my .357's and "anything" 230gr in my .45 auto's.

 

[fudo]

Penetration depends on a great many variables. You have zero control of the variables in most self defense situations. Hollow points have good penetration in most situations, and seldom overpenetrate like ball ammo can. Hollow points are a good compromise in that particular area, with some notable exceptions. But they still penetrate better than most frangibles.

I would suggest you use your free ammo for practice at a busy range or something like that. Continue to carry the hollow points for self defense.

Absolutely! No frang for duty or SD.

 

[Flanmedic51]

230g +p HP for my .45. Get a little extra velocity through the 4" barrel. But HP for sure.

 

[mrdompub]

I have loaded the first 2 rounds with frang, then the rest with fed hydra-shock. I live in a warm climate year round and so heavy clothing is not a huge concern. Having used frang rounds before I can attest to their stopping power, but the trade off is lower penitration. significantly lower penitration. like 6 " versed 9-14 with JHP's. If you live in an area where heavy winter clothing is normal, then I wouldnt trust frang rounds. In the summer season I like that extra soft tissue damage, but I figure that if I need to have more than two shots then there will be barriers, walls, glass, ect. and frang rounds are useless against anything hard, or even remotly hard.

 

[SGB]

Link Removed

 

[Steven Harder]

I'm really surprised at the responses from Instructors even?!? :frown:

Have none of you heard, read, or studied the "Strasbourg Tests"??? Maybe you should! If you don't understand what the test was and why it was commissioned, maybe you should ask.

Having said that, I do agree that Frangible Ammunition is not the best for penetration . . . and while HP's are definitely better for penetration, they aren't perfect either. FMJ does have a purpose, while most do not consider it a viable choice for self defense (it really isn't), it does have the penetration to kick a perp out from cover that frangible and HP can't.

This also brings up another discussion . . . double tap or triple tap. Many of the people I know, including LE and SD instructors, are now teaching the triple tap method of self defense. Personally, I've used the triple tap for years and practice it every time I go to the range. (I first learned it in Spec. Op's training.) The discussion on double or triple tap is another discussion, for another thread.

My carry load is alternating:

1st - MAGSAFE's (Glaser for wife's load)
2nd - HP (Custom factory loaded CorBon or Golden Sabers or HydraShok's)
3rd - Ball (FMJ)
4th - repeat

If the perp manages to get behind cover and the 1st two rounds can't do their job, the 3rd round should kick them out from behind their cover and allow #'s 4&5 to do their job. I really doesn't take that much, with todays easily available body armor to stop a Frangible or HP round. Stopping a FMJ is another matter.

I also agree with the practice requirements. I does get expensive taking Frangible bullets to the range to practice, but, you need to do that, if you're going to carry them. There is a noticeable difference in recoil, report, and ballistic's, especially when it comes to MagSafes.

 

[BigSlick]

I had some .40 105gr frangible bullets and was playing around with them at the range. We placed a 4x4 inch oak posts up that we found laying around. I was expecting to see a rather large crater in the impact area from the frangible. To our surprise the frangible passed cleanly through 4 inches of oak and hit a dirt bank. Some people consider them a boutique round but as time goes by and the technology gets better I think you will likely see them being adapted by some of the main stream agencies.