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Old January 29, 2006, 01:08 PM   #1
Brutus
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handloads for Sig P220

Would like to find a good self defense handload for my Sig P220. Favorite 1911 loads seem either a bit hot or lack accuarcy. Best results so far are with Federal 230gr. Hydroshocks, so I know the gun is capable.
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Old January 30, 2006, 02:49 PM   #2
Unclenick
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I think you have to follow the dictum that the most reliable load you can shoot accurately with is what you should carry. Even if it is just ball. Shot placement comes first in stopping scenarios, but an accurate gun that doesn't function may become a paperweight, so gun function comes even before that.

Much is made of expanding handgun ammunition. I have always been under-whelmed by the idea for several reasons: For one thing, Dr. Martin Fackler says that handgun bullets create crushing injuries. Medium and high power rifles have enough energy so the temporary cavities they make do adjacent tissue tearing and damage. But Fackler says that at autopsy a pathologist is hard put to distinguish between a wound channel created by a solid handgun bullet and one created by a hollow point handgun bullet. The temporary cavity created by the passing of an expanded handgun bullet generally does not stretch tissue beyond its elastic limits. Any benefit depends on nerves responding to that cavity like they would to the tissue being deformed by absorbing a punch. Whether this works or not depends on the adrenaline or artificial stimulant levels in the person being shot. There is also less momentum being absorbed than with a punch and it is over with faster, so the response may actually be rather less.

Anecdotal evidence collected by Evan Marshall suggests the hollow point effect is helpful, but the last time I looked at his data (some years ago, now) he was restricting it to one-shot stops and not collecting data about shot placement. Since the best trained marksmen normally use the hammer (double-tap), this data likely eliminates the work of the best marksmen. Without knowing shot placement, you get funny results like the .44 magnum not performing as well as the .357, because it is more likely to cause a flinch. So this is a shot placement issue. The data wasn't really isolating ammunition performance, but rather was reporting those ahooter-ammunition-firearm-situation combinations that remain after you eliminate the work of the best trained marksmen. No. I'm not sure what it means, then, either. It might be useful and it might not. It would be interesting to see whether data from two-wound shootings changed the cartridge ranking?

Second, handgun hollow points don't always expand. Especially if the perpetrator you shoot is wearing leather or other heavy clothing. The tips clog. Again, high power rifles don't exhibit this problem, having the energy to expand heavier jackets that better penetrate thick hides. Expanding handgun bullets are thin by comparison and have to expand with much less energy, and so can't be made to penetrate as well.

Much is made of the idea of overpenetration. Two problems with this: First is the infamous FBI shootout in Florida where a number of agents lost their lives because their Winchester Silvertip 9mm's couldn't quickly stop two combat-experienced robbers armed with .223 carbines. At autopsy it was determined the FBI agents had successfully placed several shots in line with vital organs, but which stopped short of those organs because the expanded bullet did its job; coming to a halt fast so all its energy was deposited in the target in four inches or so. This is a bad mistake if that energy is too pusillanimous to do a lot of temporary cavity damage. A little more penetration and a little less energy depositing would have brought these guys down faster and saved agent's lives.

The second problem with overpenetration is specific to hollow point expansion reliability. You don't know what angle you will hit a gremlin at in advance, much less exactly where (bone on the way in or no bone on the way in, for example), so you can never anticipate exactly how much penetration you will need. It is a little late to begin working up different loads when the flag goes down (though you can load alternating rounds in the magazine for expansion and penetration; expand to shock, penetrate to prevent recovery from shock).

Despite the above, one can imagine situations in which it might be prudent to limit penetration over that of .45 hardball; living in a thin-walled apartment, for example. My point is that hollow points can’t be relied upon to do it. One self-defense forum included an anecdote in which the author's med school student girlfriend was doing a rotation in pathology and witnessed the autopsy of a gremlin brought down by LEOs using .45's. They used a hollow point that had a polymer sphere in the nose to help initiate expansion. The author thought these might be the Federal EFMJ’s, but I've looked at Federal's pictures and it doesn't look like the rubber insert is spherical. I haven't taken one apart, so I don't know? In any event, the 5 wounds in this guy all went clear through. The wound channels looked like any other, except the autopsy team was puzzled by these little round polymer balls they found inside.

My dad observed that the .45 is a pre-expanded caliber (compared with the .38’s). Taking a cue from Fackler’s observation that handgun wounds are crushing injuries, I load a flat-nosed truncated cone bullet. 5 grains of N320 under the Hornady 230 grain FP FMJ Enc, which is a military hardball load pressure and energy level. For an overpenetration avoidance situation, such as living in a thin-walled apartment, rather than rely on a hollow point, I would go to a lighter flatter-faced bullet (assuming it feeds well in your gun). For example, you might load a Hornady or Winchester 185 grain JSWC up to hardball momentum level. It is even flatter than the truncated cone, so it will lose energy faster, behaving much like a pre-expanded .38. Perhaps even the 150-160 grain cast SWC’s would be a good choice for this? I haven’t played with them.

Nick
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Old February 4, 2006, 10:54 AM   #3
WESHOOT2
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how good a handloader are you?

If you're reallyreally good e-mail me direct and I'll offer (one of) my proprietary 'defense' load data.

Technique........
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Old February 4, 2006, 03:55 PM   #4
enstorm
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My p220 load is 5.2 grains of Bullseye, 230 grain Remington Golden
Saber at 1.18". Accurate, no feeding problems, and 850 fps.
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Old February 4, 2006, 06:07 PM   #5
enstorm
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Oops. That oal should read 1.218", not 1.18".
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Old February 4, 2006, 07:31 PM   #6
Steve in PA
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For range work I reload using 6.0gr of Unique and a 230gr FMJ. Shoots just as accurate (which is very) as my duty carry loads, Federal Hydrashok 230gr. When I am no longer required to carry the Federal, I'll be loading up with Hornady HP-XTP's.
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