Self-defense ammo: FMJ or untested JHP?

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If it was a Glock, Sig or even a Ruger P90 I would say go for the JHP's as these guns in my experience feed anything without modification. 1911's on the other hand can have problems with JHP's.

For the 1911 you could load the chamber with a jhp but follow with a mag loaded with FMJ's that you know will likely cycle with an optimal first shot.
 
Do either bring your JHP ammo or buy more at your destination. Then seek out a range and function test with JHP at that new destination.

Life is full of:
-time management
-planning
-priorities
 
If you miss fmj bullets go through walls and inanimate objects just like fmj.

JHP bullets only expand in media that are mostly water. Like people
Doing some reading, I have to agree with you. Seems non-fragmentation JPH bullets have no problem zooming through walls of modern "ticky-tacky" homes.

Still, I think FMJ overpenetration is a concern, and going to the closest range only takes an hour if that.
 
500 rounds, 0 malfunctions with any name brand ammo. If not 500 rounds malfunction free, fix handgun.
 
Handgun rounds, even JHP, do not upset or fragment at the rate people expect. This is due to the lower velocity. Every shot is a separate little science experiment, do not expect exactly the same results every time. However, a lot of study has gone into most handgun rounds penetrating structure more often and deeper than high velocity rifle rounds.
 
Stuff one JHP in the chamber, then fill the rest of the mag. with what you know works. Unless I had no other option, never would I carry with untested ammo.

GS
 
Let's say you're moving in a week to an extended stay hotel in another State. You will bring a 1911 for lawful personal protection. You know the 1911 feeds your FMJ ammo fine. You've never tested the other JHP ammo you have through the pistol, and you won't have time to test before you move. The 1911 is a reliable pistol and has never jammed through hundreds of rounds of FMJ.

Would you load it with the FMJ, or with the expensive (but untested) JHP?
Untested ammo? Oh look, an excuse to go to the range :)
 
At least in your home you know what is behind each wall but hotel walls would have me very concerned with any ammo, and much more concerned with FMJ.
 
@ kokapelli

JMO, but I think a 45 in a densely populated setting like a hotel is just too much gun.

Service caliber handguns are a suboptimal starting point to begin with, so what caliber and platform would be appropriate in that setting?
 
Well, I don't have a .380, I've got a .45 ACP, so it's gonna have to work.

Some times a fella has to use what he's got.
 
Google "World War II"
^ +1.
Given the 1911 platform .45ACP is what is in question I'd be 100% serene loading up any quality mfg 230gr hardball. The round as designed by John M Browning was intended to unhorse a cavalryman by killing the horse or man with equal aplomb.

I don't fret finding 185gr hollow points or whatnot for my 1911s. If I did though, it'd be Hydra-Shock. Just my $0.02 YMMV.
 
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JMO, but I think a 45 in a densely populated setting like a hotel is just too much gun.
^ Respectfully disagree. Even 9mm 124gr of good design may over penetrate residential/hotel walls. That is at least the point of Hornady and other makers "barrier blind performance" claims. Auto glass, drywall, sheet metal, and plywood are all supposed to have nil effect on Critical Defense, Gold Dot, et al. Only Glaser blues or other frangibles would make much diff. Make your shots count!
 
if FMJ is all you got right now, by all mean use it, it's better to have a working gun with FMJ than a jammed gun with JHP, on the other hand, lets hope you never have to use it, but always be ready.
 
How effective is the .45 Auto FMJ for self defense? I've never looked at the numbers/stats etc.

WWB 230 grain FMJ is what I'll use.

In a hurry or something?

WWB is hardly reliable defensive ammo. But it's better than nothing. At least it's a big .45. If you have no time to get to a range with a shop, then it'll have to do. Cheap FMJ is lightly loaded, extremely weak at stopping in the smaller calibers especially, and may not be well sealed. JHP's get the extra care and attention. FMJ is just for plinking, not betting your life on. I've done it myself, in a pinch, but would have hated myself if I did get into trouble and was only able to send ice picks down range.

If you can get to a range to test 50, Walmart sells Winchester JHP's at many locations that aren't cutting edge, but much better. And they'll most likely cycle fine in any 1911 that like WWB. I'd venture to guess that Federal EFMJ or HST will also feed fine.
 
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Man, in a hurry is an understatement. Been running the last 2 weeks taking care of the family, sorting stuff in the garage, buying new clothes, dry cleaning old clothes, finding a temp place to stay in Colorado Springs, while working full time. I leave Saturday. Start new job on Monday.
 
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I'd carry what I know works, adjust tactics if possible to account for penetration, and remedy the situation as soon as possible. The best thing you can do is not miss. ;)

There are lots of gun people in Colorado Springs and you should be able to find someone and someplace to let you test out the new stuff as time permits.
 
I once bought a CZ 75 and fancied it as a new on property HD gun. I chose to keep it in my safe and use an IMO inferior gun for HD duty because until I could test my CZ with my preferred ammo it was a paperweight.

I'd use FMJ or a different guaranteed to feed and shoot gun. If your only option is an FMJ tested JHP unknown weapon as outlined, use FMJ.

Remember, the primary function is effective self defense but an equally valid and secondary function is peace of mind. How much peace of mind will an untested, unknowable firearm provide? I'd probably think about my unreliable gun more often than I'd think about being unarmed to be honest. It would nag at me.
 
Hardball is a terrible choice for self defense but it's better than untested JHP's.

Not due to over-penetration but due to little to no tissue disruption. This not from theory or reading it on the internet but from killing critters with the stuff. It's terrible.

IMHO, the issue of over-penetration is greatly exaggerated and little understood. There is no good self defense JHP that will not go completely through at least one or two walls with enough oomph to kill someone on the other side. Four layers of sheetrock and a little fiberglass insulation offer little resistance. Folks will be safer in a hotel than at home because the walls are thicker and usually sound-proofed.
 
Test JPH. You may end up killing someone because of FMJ overpenetration. When I took my CLP class, the instructor, a retired Detroit Police Officer, stressed that we were not ever, ever use FMJ for self defense. He told us of an older gentleman who was being robbed, pulled a gun, shot at his would be robbers, missed them yet ended up killing a girl in a house nearby because his FMJ bullet went right through the wall.

A JHP round might've gone through that wall, too. A lot of JHP, when it hits something like gypsum board, wood, etc., doesn't expand all that well, as the open front of the bullet gets filled with material. Using a hollow-point round is no guarantee that the shot won't penetrate things its not intended to penetrate.

A surprising number of self-defense rounds don't open up well when they hit heavy cloth or denim. And wallboard, etc., seems to have little effect if the miss the target and hit an unintended barrier.

Check out the various tests on YouTube or other sources when making your ammo choices.
 
If it's all you got, then it's all you got.

As for the hotel scenario someone mentioned above. 5.7x28mm is purpose built for that. I haven't tested heavy subsonic 9mm, but that may be another option.
 
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