With all the interest in things like HST's and Gold Dots I thought it might be interesting to see how a couple of the less expensive hollow point loads perform in gel.
This is the 230gr Winchester White Box USA45JHP 45 Auto load as sold by Wal-Mart and other big box stores compared to a rival's 230gr JHP load. The rival's load is also available from major retailers, etc.
I first fired two rounds of the WWB into bare gel from 10 feet to get a baseline. These two bullets penetrated 16.5 and 15.5 inches. The chrono only picked up the first round and gave me a muzzle velocity of 847.7 feet per second.
Next I fired two rounds of WWB through the cotton/insulation/denim fabric. Velocities were recorded as 893.7 and 846.6 feet per second. Penetration was 23 and 23.5 inches through clothing.
I finished the morning with two rounds from the rivaling company. These two rounds gave muzzle velocities of 800.8 and 788.6 feet per second. In both cases the bullets penetrated the first block and entered the second. Penetration in bare gel was over 30 inches with both bullets. Given the excessive penetration and lack of expansion in bare gel I didn't shoot any of these through the clothing barrier. Given the lack of penetration I figured I'd withhold the name of this ammo.
The rival load did pretty much exactly what I figured it and the Winchester bullets would do. Act like hardball and show excessive penetration. But it turns out the Winchester bullet actually did alright. Probably not the best choice on the market for defensive purposes but I think it would do alright in a pinch.
Here are some photos:
The Winchester bullets are on the left and center. Clothing barrier on top. Rival bullets on right.
Micrometer measurements for the Winchester. Bare gel .76in clothing .58in.
All six recovered projectiles are still in the 230gr weight range give or take a few 10ths.
Thank you for reading.
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