Any new news on mono's for handguns?

The stats on handgun bullet effectiveness in stopping human targets make it very clear that there are no magical calibres. From 380 on and assuming quality modern bullet construction there's not much in it. Handguns are whimpy things and depend completely on drilling holes through critical bits to make bad people go good. Whether that hole is .38 or .45 in diameter isn't the critical factor.

********************************
Handguns are not very good killing choices until they become impractical or no longer really a handgun.
When barrels get to 9 - 10 inch's and - or calibres reach .50 then terminal ballistics change enough to be very affective.

The stats on handgun bullet effectiveness in stopping human targets make it very clear that there are no magical calibres. From 380 on and assuming quality modern bullet construction there's not much in it. Handguns are whimpy things and depend completely on drilling holes through critical bits to make bad people go good. Whether that hole is .38 or .45 in diameter isn't the critical factor.

This is one of the reasons why I'm getting a FN57 ;)

Seriously though, one has the choice between a slow, heavy thump (45ACP), or a stiff whack with a 9mmP etc.

The 45ACP came into being because the newest handgun cartridges they had (.38/200?) couldn't do the job.

If I recall we had same results on old car doors (old style found at dump cars stuff 1990) the 45 ACP lead bullets made huge dents but often did not pass through - mostly making a dent with a like cap torn half open far side.
I can not recall if this was through one door and caught second door or first door - just have a mental image of that stretched cap on exit side. I know the 9 mm was MUCH better, but Cup and core bullets - my 45 used lead bullets.

I have read/heard of the 45ACP's "non-penetrating" several times now. It has a short, fat bullet at a relatively low speed.

Did the ither bullets (.22 and .25) penetrate better because they are so much smaller and therefore much less resistance? Generally spoken, we have 40gr vs 230gr.

A long time ago I was surprised by a .22 LR from a semi auto pistol fully penetrating a dry phone book at five meters.
*********************************
Yip !
And I shot some old roofing beams - old, 5 x 5 inch stuff with my 45 ACP, to show my mate the difference when using a real gun versus a toy.
The .45 sure made a nice big hole - almost through the beam. We then just for comparison shot the beam with his lil 6.35 Browning inheritance gun.
It went straight through the beam, leaving a barely findable hole.
My embarrassment was real ;D ;D

Is a wetpack a sufficient medium?

I knew tested Hornady XTP from my 357 snubbie with them amd they didn't open up, but went on through. If memory serves correct there were three thick and wet telephone directories.

I believe it is sufficient to give an indication of the expansion capability, if you can catch the bullet.

You'd need to put enough wetpack in place to stop the bullet and inspect it, it may have expanded and penetrated through.

.357 XTP from a snubbie will have much reduced velocity. A lot of the powder is leaving the barrel as muzzle flash. It would be interesting to see if the .357 load can produce more velocity for the same bullet weight than a .38 special from a 2" barrel.

A long time ago I was surprised by a .22 LR from a semi auto pistol fully penetrating a dry phone book at five meters.

Is a wetpack a sufficient medium?

I knew tested Hornady XTP from my 357 snubbie with them amd they didn't open up, but went on through. If memory serves correct there were three thick and wet telephone directories.

I beg to differ, but please correct me if necessary.
Kriek, ASP and RIP show well opened mono bullets. The lighter weight should impair over-penetration, or am I missing something?

A mono that has the tip cross sectioned is more likely to open up.

A flat metplat will not expand at all, and a plain round cavity may or may not even deform, depending what it hits.

If you're going to bet the farm with something like that, you should test it in your gun with your load.

Wetpack is easy to put together, cover the front face of it with a layer or two of denim, and see what results.

The LeHigh and ASP style bullets are fragmented to ensure expansion which is one of their key features. The odds of one of them hitting a person and not expanding at handgun velocities seem pretty low to me.

Well, the hollow of the Impala bullets are very wide. I would be really surprised if they do not expand. Also, at 100gr, they are not exactly light weight THV's.

The only problem that I can think of that may interfere with expansion, the cup might get plugged if shooting through very thick clothing.

Anybody have some ballistic gel to do an independent test?

Expansion at handgun velocities is practically non-existent with monolithics. Against a soft target, there will be over-penetration. Smaller calibers don't leave much of a wound channel, so unless you hit vitals ...

I beg to differ, but please correct me if necessary.
Kriek, ASP and RIP show well opened mono bullets. The lighter weight should impair over-penetration, or am I missing something?

IMO, with plain cast [ not necessarily hard, 14 BHN will do ] lead bullets, at handgun velocities you are not disadvantaged at all.

Maybe I have mentioned this (and now derailing the thread): an old guy - now deceased - loaded soft cast bullets for his son for security / police work. Shortly after having been shot at, the son and a few friends asked for more of those cartridges, simply because they worked so well.

There are a few local options, just keep in mind due to the weight for caliber, the velocity is substantially higher than jacketed lead.

Expansion at handgun velocities is practically non-existent with monolithics. Against a soft target, there will be over-penetration. Smaller calibers don't leave much of a wound channel, so unless you hit vitals ...

IMO, with plain cast [ not necessarily hard, 14 BHN will do ] lead bullets, at handgun velocities you are not disadvantaged at all.

Impala sold hollowpoint 100gr solids a few years ago. Don't know if they still do.
Apparently they expand very well when shot into clay. And 100gr doing 1100fps on a mild load, they should do a reasonable amount of damage.

These seem similar to Kriek Bullets. (Kriek has FP, HP, HBSD as well as an improved THV design.)

I have a few of the test packs to try out.

Impala sold hollowpoint 100gr solids a few years ago. Don't know if they still do.
Apparently they expand very well when shot into clay. And 100gr doing 1100fps on a mild load, they should do a reasonable amount of damage.
[attach id=1443]20260106_185340.jpg[/attach]
[attach id=1445]20260106_185121.jpg[/attach]

What works at rifle velocities doesn't necessarily translate to handgun velocities. I'd be very surprised to find that even the most whizzbang handgun solids offer a statiscally meaningful advantage over jacketed lead in defensive shootings.

I have found that a mono bullet with largest metplat kills very effectively when compared against lead- copper. The flat mono bullet cuts precise wound channels effectively.

A meplat solid delivers straight penetration - at least in rifles. Would the same apply for handguns? They have less weight and (mostly) less speed.

I have found that a mono bullet with largest metplat kills very effectively when compared against lead- copper. The flat mono bullet cuts precise wound channels effectively.

LeHigh Defense are worth a look. Probably the highest profile producer currently.

Locally we have ASP who have a line for which they make bold claims.

I still have a fair number of woodleigh hollow point light weight monos. I used to load them stupid hot and am fortunate I never blew anything up.