hollow point disadvantage?

Question

hey yall, i read in dave lauck's book that because hollow point tips are soft enough to expand, they will get deformed when you load/unload the bullets over time. any thoughts on this?

pertaining to semi auto pistols

.45 acp caliber

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Hollowpoints in Semi-Auto Pistols ...

Most semi-autos do not function properly with hollowpoints by design. Generally, semi-autos do not have the feed ramp throated. This is one modification you will want to make if your new .45 is not already throated.

On the plus side, most hollowpoints designed for use in semi-auto pistols take the metal jacket completely up to the hollowpoint ... no exposed lead. One of the better known hollowpoints for use in semi-autos is Speer's 200 grain jacketed hollowpoint ... nicknamed the flying ashtray ... it is very effective.

Hollowpoints generally are used to increase transferred energy. With th e.45, this is not a necessity .... use of 230 grain full metal jacketed rounds (commonly called "hardball") are extremely effective. Hardball feeds reliably, functions 100% (no jams), and is a proven man-stopper with one-shot ... plus ... many times if you carry hollowpoints (and use them) you can find yourself in court on not only criminal charges but also a civil liability suit.

Answer 2

My son has been agonizing whether to buy an M-16 or M-14. Part of his decision involves ammo, and on some thread he sent me was a comment that one should not chamber a round more than once or so.

But, that was because some rifles will make a small dent on the round where it fires, just by putting it in the chamber. And, repeated insertion of the same round may eventually result in a found firing off, which usually means in a place where there will be a lot of grief -- such as in your own house... This is called a slam-fire.

It said military rounds will take a small dent on the round from the firing pin, but doing this too much may eventually fire it off. Commercial rounds may fire the first time...

So, it sounds like there is more than one reason not to load/unload the same round a lot of times.

At this time, I simply can't remember if it had such a statement on the bullet shape itself which is what you are asking. If I had more time, I'd dig through his recent mails, but I also would have to dig through the URL's, and they are lengthy.

The obvious thing to do is try it, looking carefully at the firing point, to make sure it does'nt get dented as I described -- or better yet take it to the firing range so if it slam-fires, there are no bad repercussions, such as the SWAT team storming your house, chamber the same round a bunch of times, then compare it's shape to a virgin one, with a good magnifier.

If it gets bad enough to cause problems, you will be able to see the shape change.

Answer 3

If the hollowpoint ammo you mean was loaded in a tubular magazine (such as the 1894 Winchester lever action), yes, I can see how loading and unloading over time would damage the bullets. Ammo loaded in revolvers or magazine fed are less likely to become damaged from loading and unloading.

You shouldn't keep ammo you've 'carried' longer than a year. If its been in and out of the weather and air conditioning humidity can condense within the casing eventually causing it to loss its efficiency and even fail to shoot altogether.

A friend of mine was once attacked by a vicious dog. His department issued S & W Model 10 .38 Special misfired six times. He saved himself by climbing onto the roof of his patrol car. It was determined that the ammo in his revolver had gone bad over the course of a year by entering and exiting his air conditioned patrol car in a very humid enviroment.

Shoot older ammo at the range for target practice. Be safe.

H

Answer 4

Lead tipped rounds can do that a bit, but copper or steel jacketed hollow points won't deform without a large amount of pressure applied to them (such as striking flesh at 3000 feet per second)

Answer 5

This is no more of a problem than the casings themselves which will show scratches from being taken in and out of a chamber. Really a non-issue as any lead bullet will deform.

Answer 6

wish i knew what cal.
hollowpoints are jacketed , so i dont think they will deform from being chambered multiple times.
I have read that some calibers , such as 9mm para , will have the bullet pushed back to deep in the cartridge if it is chambered excesively. If this happens it can cause chamber pressures to rize and destoy the gun and/or shooter.

Answer 7

I really doubt it would be a problem for the average hunter. The only problem would be rough handling which would add nicks and significant scratches that would really mess up your targeting,,:-)=

Answer 8

maybe if your clumsy and drop them and knock them around..i had a job where i loaded and unloaded the same rounds for about two years, no problem...that was a revolver however.