.45 ACP FMJ for defense: the truth.
The .45 ACP cartridge is a legend. It served as the Untied States’ front line service pistol round for 75 years, and with specialized units still to this day. In those years, it developed an almost mythic reputation as a “man stopper.” While scientific research has since proven handgun “stopping power” itself is a myth, the .45 ACP is still regarded as a premier self-defense cartridge.
Those who choose this time -tested war horse for their defensive needs debate which load is the best. One camp maintains hollow points, such as Speer’s Gold Dot, are the most effective bullets available. Another–and perhaps more vocal–cohort claim the original full metal jacket load remains the prime choice.
There is some qualified merit to the latter argument. We at LocaCarnivore have tested several .45 ACP hollow point loads with our exclusive “frost giant” gel test. (Just search our site for “.45 ACP” to watch them.) This test simulates a worst-case scenario: a cross-torso shot against a large person wearing heavy winter clothing. In each case, the hollow point loads have been stopped dead in their tracks by the ultra-heavy clothing. This severe under penetration could prove fatal for a defender.
This begs the question, if hollow point .45 ACP loads can suffer from insufficient penetrations in certain circumstances, will FMJ overcome this? If so, how significant is the over-penetration risk with this ammunition? FMJ loads are designed to satisfy military requirements: comply with international treaties, reliable feeding under combat conditions, and intermediate barrier penetration. Soldiers are seldom concerned their rounds might perforate their primary target and another person behind the target. In fact, given the probability the next person in line is also an enemy combatant, they would welcome a “two-for-one-sale” from their ammunition.
We decided to see for ourselves whether FMJ is a better choice than hollow points for self defense. The test results surprised us. See for yourself, watch our terrific video.
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At time of publication, LocaCarnivore had no commercial interests in any products or brands mentioned in this video.
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