Can plastic bullets in a standard handgun be used for self-defense?

Question

What are the disadvantages of using plastic bullets in a handgun for self-defense? What is the effective range? Do they have any stopping power -- how much does it hurt to be shot with them?

Joe, are you f-ing kidding me dude? What about the folks from VA Tech -- are you saying they had it coming because they didn't choose a safer school?
If a man seeks to harm me, I intend to be prepared to face him; and if you happen to be present, you'll thank me.

Fyi -- I don't mean home-defense, I'm talking bullets used in a gun for concealed carry. I know that they’d be pretty weak, but at close enough range it will still be sufficient to stun/disable an opponent, right? What kind of range would this be?

Answer 1

Ok Steve, here is the dope. I understand your concept. You want something that will wound or kill the badguys but not over penetrate and endanger innocent bystanders. Right?

Your desire is commendable, but the solution is not plastic bullets.

Some years ago, AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) Security forces experimented with plastic bullets for use inside nuclear power plants. These were not the primer fired target bullets some other person mentioned (They can be fun BTW), they were aerodynamically build of some super hard plastic and launched at some mighty impressive velocities, I mean about twice standard velocity.

They were acceptably accurate, and produced some fair wound channels in testing, but AEC dropped the idea because the range was far too limited, less than 25 yards IIRC, and the bullets lacked the ability to penetrate cover. AEC decided that if their security forces got into a firefight with terrorists, they would have so many bullets flying around from the badguys, that limiting the combat power of the good guys was wasted effort.

For defense on the streets, I must agree.

For one reason, if your intent is to create a less than lethal projectile, you will not have any more latitude for use than you would the best JHP on the market. You would still be governed by the rules of lethal force engagement.

For another reason, shooting to wound is bad tactics, regardless of the movies we watched as kids. If you have to draw a gun and fire, you must shoot to STOP your attacker, and if the attacker dies as a result, so be it. As it is, using the most effective bullets available, only 26% of gunshot wounds result in death. A wounded attacker may still be able to kill or injure you or a member of your family. So shoot to stop the threat, and don't stop shooting until the threat is ended. On the otherhand, if the threat ends, and your attacker is still on his feet and running away from you, you no longer have a right to use lethal force, so quit shooting!

In my opinion, you would be better served by a easily expanding or frangible bullet. Depending on your handgun, I would suggest a soft lead Semi-Wadcutter or Semi-Wadcutter Hollowpoint, or a light for the caliber Jacketed Hollowpoint. I use Federal 125 gr JHP's in my M-640, and 200 gr. Winchester Silvertips in my old Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Spl.

Doc Hudson

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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RE:
Can plastic bullets in a standard handgun be used for self-defense?
What are the disadvantages of using plastic bullets in a handgun for self-defense? What is the effective range? Do they have any stopping power -- how much does it hurt to be shot with them?

Answer 4

A plastic bullet is fired by the primer only, no gunpowder is in the shell. Some all plastic bullets and shells aren't the most reliable, and are prone to having very light primer strikes in some revolvers. You can make your own cases fairly easy, but you have to drill out the primer hole for a more effective firing of the plastic bullet, once you do that you have to keep those shell separated from the other cases if you do your own hand loading. It has a limited accurate range of around 7 yards which will put a nasty dent in a aluminum can, and that's about it. It's comparable to getting shot with a paintball, or getting snapped by a wet towel. perhaps if you shoot an eyeball you can cause serious damage, or maybe a shot to the groin would sufficiently stun, otherwise it's not going to do much in the way of discouraging a determined attacker. You might be thinking of the hard rubber bullets that the police or army use for crowd control, they are fired from rifles at much higher velocities and can kill people with a shot to the head, but they aren't legally available to the average citizen.
If you really want to go this route and you plan on using a revolver for C.C.W. I'd suggest you "stack" the cylinder with a couple of plastic bullets as the first rounds to come up, followed by the real deal . You may get lucky and discourage a fairly timid attacker , just by showing the gun might get him to break off an assault, but personally I wouldn't stake my life on them.

Answer 5

Plastic Bullets

Answer 6

A while back there was some surplus Swedish training 9mm ammo that had plastic bullets. I had a friend that bought some but it was wayyy under powered. I have never shot plastic bullets in a pistol, but i have tried South African made .308 with plastic bullets. Accuracy was acceptable up to about 30-40 yards and they would not cycle the action on my FAL. I would think they could break skin and hurt quite badly, but I wouldn't use them in self defense; I just don't think they would do enough damage to end a dangerous encounter. Also consider though that most people believe 22 lr, 25 acp, and 32 acp are not suitable for self defense even with jacketed hollowpoints. Remember the old addage "don't take a knife to a gun fight"? If your life could be on the line, use real bullets.
Honestly, does a piece of scum who wants to hurt/kill you deserve plastic bullets?

Answer 7

You could use plastic bullets, but the range and ability to stop an attacker would be basicaly nil. Firing a gun is considered lethal force, so using a 'less lethal' round isn't going to help you any more than being a 'little pregnant'. Your best bet is with a dependable hollow point designed bullet. Shooting someone with any handgun is not 100% on stopping someone. Too many cases have shown people taking very hard hit to the body and fighting on.

Answer 8

You pose an interesting question. I have to pot gophers at my homestead right next to a highway and don't want to hit a car or anything; so I bought a case of 7.62x39 east german training ammo; which was a plastic bullet they used for indoor shooting. It blows a hold right through 3/8 plywood and I can zap a gopher at 50 to 80 feet with no problem. The fact that it is so light means that at any distance it loses its oomph and cannot hurt anything. For close range self defense purposes you might test those snake shot shells; I use them in a 44 special when on the tractor so I can zap a gopher or snake if necessary. They are deadly at close range and pose no threat at a distance. I believe you can get shot cartridges in many pistol calibers. Get some and try them on a piece of plywood at varying distances. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

Answer 9

I would be wary of plastic bullets. If you are wanting a bullets for self defense would rather rather gamble with plastic bullets or the real deal to protect your family. Me personally I like a shot gun. You dont have to worry about bullets flying thru the wall as bad as say a .45. I dont know if I would trust the plastic bullets.

Answer 10

You're not going to stun or disable anyone with a plastic bullet, unless you shoot them by surprise. You wouldn't be doing that anyway.

You have no right to even pull a gun on someone if you are not justified in killing them. You may as well use real ammo, then.

Brandishing is for people who want to go to jail or get shot.