Ideally, a bullet should penetrate between 12 to 18 inches in ballistic gelatin for maximum performance. Agencies must look at integrated systems. You see, the lack of expansion caused it to travel through two of my blocks (24 inches) and out the other side. This loss in velocity was a danger to the public. When I shot it in another gun, with a barrel a mere half inch shorter, it failed to expand because it travelled nearly 100 fps slower. That is, the bullet penetrated the requisite depth in media, and expanded satisfactorily. Years ago, I tested a cartridge that really performed in standard testing. For example, some of the ones I have tested do well in a 4 inch barrel, but if the user uses it in something shorter, the results are disastrous. The best cartridges are usually from the companies that vet them in more than just a handful of circumstances. Others do well in some areas, but lack reliability or produce a significant flash at night. Some perform very well in some areas like accuracy, but fail when fired into media. There really isn’t a “best cartridge” for duty use, although some are definitely better than others. The truth is, the ability of a cartridge to stop a threat is only a factor, not the factor. After that, I just sit back and watch the fireworks begin. Occasionally, I will go to a gun store or the range and strike up a conversation that begins with, “The best caliber for a handgun has to be_”. My friends all know that I have an unusual sense of humor. These two factors test the efficacy of a bullet as it is fired into simulated tissue and auto glass. This abbreviated testing included the two factors that most law enforcement officers want to know about their cartridge: bare gelatin performance and after barrier performance.
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