4 ms·
> it's my understanding that hollow point is not very effective against targets wearing armor While that's true, the hollow point doesn't make a difference. Es
by nordsieck 7y ago
> it's my understanding that hollow point is not very effective against targets wearing armor
While that's true, the hollow point doesn't make a difference. Essentially all pistol ammo is bad at penetrating armor. What does make a (small) difference is velocity; you can see this by looking at ratings for NIJ level IIa and IIIa armor.
This is why pistol ammo that's designed to penetrate soft armor like 5.7mm is so small and light weight - it needs to be really fast. I'm sure the pointed shape helps a bit, but it's the speed that really does the job. That's also why it's garbage compared to normal ammo against unarmored targets.
- leetcrew 7y agointeresting, I always thought it was less effective than other pistol ammo because it would begin expanding against the vest. TIL.
- int_19h 7y agoLehigh makes lightweight and faster-than-usual 9mm ammo that can punch through IIIa, as well, without sacrificing terminal ballistics. The only problem is that it's expensive ( comparable to match rifle ammo), because the bullets have to be individually precision-machined to produce the necessary shape.