Picked up a gunzine yesterday,
Guns & Ammo Handguns issue Feb/March 2012.
Dick Metcalf does a review of the new
Hornady Critical Duty ammo. Harder lead, locked in thicker jacket, but still retains the polymer insert of the FTX to prevent plugging. Bullet has cannelure for crimping to resist bullet setback from chambering. It defeats ALL the FBI barrier tests and still penetrates past the 12" minimum.
He states
"no expanding bullet handgun load has ever passed all the penetration tests - the killer barriers being the glass and auto-body steel."Sounds like this will force the other manufacturers to keep those R&D Depts working.
Now for the part that pissed me off.... Metcalf writes:
But it is critically important for the armed citizen understand that personal defense ammunition standards and law enforcement ammuniton standards are not the same.
Police officers may be called upon by their duty to exchange fire with criminals concealed behind walls....or inside a vehicle. But for an armed citizen, legally justifiable "personal defense" is just what term implies: personal. Up close, exposed, face to face.
Even in the most armed-citizen friendly states, a civilian who shoots at a criminal hidden behind a wall or inside a vehicle will likely be considered by law to be engaged in a gunfight, not engaged in self-defense.WTF!?!?!?
I've got a
news flash for Dick Metcalf - IF I'M IN A GUNFIGHT, IT IS MOST DEFINITELY SELF DEFENSE!! I am not going to be shooting at Pedro and Jamal because they're slingin' crack on "my" corner. If I'm in a gunfight it's because some SOB is trying to kill me. The distance that might take place at is not going to be my choosing.
And the "shooting at someone behind a wall is not self defense"? What if the azzhole is shooting at me through the wall IN MY HOUSE? I'm supposed to wait for the BG to get "face to face" in my bedroom? I may choose to deal with some drywall dust.
What if the vehicle glass or auto body I'm wanting to shoot through is MY TRUCK because
I'm inside and can't hit the gas to get outta Dodge?
I realize that cops and citizens have different responsibilities. That's why I don't pull people over for 'swerving while texting' and almost hitting me. But to think that two groups of people who are using low powered pop guns (handguns) to stop a deadly threat have vastly different ammo needs is ludicrous.
As the guys at Hornady informally put it, Critcal Defense ammo is for us. Critcal Duty ammo is for cops. Give me a friggin break.
At least Hornady doesn't resrtrict sales to LEO...not that the restrictions of others amounts to squat anyway.