Self-defense ammo: FMJ or untested JHP?

[Fremmer]

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?

 

[Schwing]

I would never carry untested ammo in my carry gun. IMO, you are better off with tried and true ammo.

 

[TruthTellers]

Use only what you know works.

 

[Artofgolf]

....You know the 1911 feeds your FMJ ammo fine. ...a reliable pistol and has never jammed through hundreds of rounds of FMJ.

Seems the answer is pretty clear .....

 

[Tallball]

FMJ. You know it works.

 

[bannockburn]

Fremmer

In this scenario I would go with the tried and true FMJ ammo. When I was staying for an extended period of time at a hotel I use to keep my Beretta Model 84, loaded with FMJ ammo, on a nightstand next to my bed. I usually had a towel or a couple of magazines on top of it to keep it out of plain sight but easy enough to get at should the need arise.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I would put the JHP in question in the tube then load the mag with fmj


With quality ammunition you have a pretty reasonable expectation it will go off and cycle the gun. It's the feeding that the main concern when you are doing ammo testing for a brass puker

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I test all of my 1911s with HP ammo during the first range trip. If I couldn't but knew FMJ would work for sure, FMJ would be what was in it.

 

[Ironicaintit]

Put reliability first, of course.

 

[psyopspec]

Another vote for FMJ. If we were talking about a different caliber I might hesitate, but with .45ACP over penetration is less of a concern than with, say, .40.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Yeah use ball, preferably which ever load you've used the most without issue, and if at all possible use judicious shot placement and be mindful of overpenetration.

Besides, a 1911 with hardball will kill 'em dead every time.

 

[1911 guy]

Load up the FMJ. In a perfect world, you'd have time to run a few boxes of the new stuff. But the world is seldom perfect.

 

[Fremmer]

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.

 

[Wanderling]

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.

Around here, at a gun shop / rental place / range a box of JHP would be around $20-25 (for 9mm anyway) and the line rental for 30 min is around $10. Don't think 45 is that much more expensive. So for less than $50 you get to test your gun and some peace of mind. That's what I'd do - go to the rental range, buy whatever .45 JHP they carry, rent a lane, shoot half the box, and if there's no malfunctions keep the rest for self defense. Shouldn't take you more than an hour.

 

[R.W.Dale]

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.

Around here, at a gun shop / rental place / range a box of JHP would be around $20-25 (for 9mm anyway) and the line rental for 30 min is around $10. Don't think 45 is that much more expensive. So for less than $50 you get to test your gun and some peace of mind. That's what I'd do - go to the rental range, buy whatever .45 JHP they carry, rent a lane, shoot half the box, and if there's no malfunctions keep the rest for self defense. Shouldn't take you more than an hour.

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

 

[ontarget]

I carry my 9mm loaded with fmj because it has never malfunctioned with fmj. Simple, no worries.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Like a previous post HP in chamber and rest mag ball . Ball will shoot clean thru in 45 acp Don't think it won't . Depends on where hit and size of target.

 

[MedWheeler]

I've done this as well, had a gun that had only been run with FMJ, and that's what I stoked it with until I tested and proved a JHP load.

 

[TwinReverb]

I would at least chamber it, sort of like a dry fire drill, to test it.

But yes, I would prefer JHP to FMJ. All day every day.

 

[Walkalong]

Load it with the FMJ of course.

 

[ROAshooter]

"Use only what you know works."

Advice like this...is always appreciated....without it....many would be using what does not work.

And many would have never thought about it.....

 

[Fremmer]

I appreciate the ideas and comments from everyone, thank you all!

(I need all the help I can get right now!)

 

[huntsman]

Advice like this...is always appreciated....without it....many would be using what does not work.

And many would have never thought about it.....

Until they went to use it

Carry what you shoot, don't fret the "magic" bullet craze.

 

[ETXhiker]

How effective is the .45 Auto FMJ for self defense? I've never looked at the numbers/stats etc.

Google "World War II"

 

[GBExpat]

I would put the JHP in question in the tube then load the mag with fmj ...

This ... is what I would do in the scenario described.

FWIW.