Critical Defense Tested in Ballistic Gel

[MidwestPX 172]

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/06/30/299961/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

 

I'm a little surprised by the results as they run contrary to what I expect out of Hornady.  I use a lot of their bullets for reloading but have stuck to Speer Gold Dots exclusively in pistol calibers when reloading.  My carry ammo is factory loaded HST though.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Not sure what's surprising about the test?

[MidwestPX 172]

Not sure what's surprising about the test?

It failed to perform.  Generally, I really like Hornady products so this was a let down.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

9mm or .45?  I looked at LuckyGunner's test - worked just fine there...

[MidwestPX 172]

9mm or .45?  I looked at LuckyGunner's test - worked just fine there...

Both failed to perform reliably in this test though with different conditions.

[raz-0 1,259]

It failed to perform.  Generally, I really like Hornady products so this was a let down.

 

IT did not fail to perform.  The person posting fails to realize that the clear gel stuff isn't exactly the same as FBI standard ballistic gel. Heck there are multiple clear gel formulas, and they aren't the same as each other.  If it were 6" yeah, it'd likely still be a fail. Less than half an inch?  I'd question if it is within spec based on doing the math form the calibration. Especially since they appear to make play at calibrating with a bb, but don't list the exact speed. You are supposed to use a chrono, and the accepted range is 575-605fps IIRC, and not 500-600fps, which if they don't have a number, means they were probably trusting their bb gun based on past performance.

 

Given that it was almost there and varied form others tests, I'd suggest it is just as likely to be the tester as the test subject and you'd want to confirm. 

 

The other possibility is it could be seasonal. Other tests have seen the opposite results where 9mm works well and .45 comes up a bit short. 9mm is a high pressure round compared to .45. If those tests were in cooler conditions you can wind up with pressure creeping up on both. .45 in most modern guns and powder will just go faster. With some powders, they slow down a bit before they get to the big pressure spike (titegroup is such a powder for example). 

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Seems inconsistent that an unobstructed .45 would have less penetration then one that passed through "heavy clothing"

[NickySantoro 211]

FWIW, I've seen tests where the same round performed well in one test and poorly in another. It makes one suspicious of the testers or the test medium.