but after re-reading "Ammunition Test Results," Firearms Training Unit, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA, dated January 10, 1989, I'm not so sure the article is accurate. However, a paragraph in the FBI's 1989 report reads, "The comparison of bullet performance by volumetric measure is presented in three tables. The first displays the volumetric rankings of the bullets tested for each specific test. Two volumetric rankings are given. The "Max Volume" is the volumetric measure based on the total average penetration depth. The "18 Inch Adjusted Volume" is computed on penetration depth up to 18 inches, ignoring any penetration beyond that figure. Since the performance standards established by the FBI mandate penetration ranging from a minimum of 12 inches to a maximum of 18 inches, this figure compares the rounds relative to those standards and does not give weight to penetration beyond the established maximum."
The FBI, based on forensic analysis, determined that handgun ammunition need not penetrate further than 18" so they didn't measure any further. But what I was just pointing out as being ironic is that the FBI's recent report apparently looked at gelatin tests up to 18" and concluded that there "is little to no noticeable difference in the wound tracks from 9mm Luger through the .45 Auto." (I guess up to 18"). We really don't know if bullets of greater weight or higher sectional density would begin to demonstrate an advantage if measurements were carried further. I just thought is was ironic that the FBI's more recent report seems to say, "We looked at ammunition that was designed to performed the same, and determined that, therefore, all loadings of these calibers perform the same." (I say 'designed to perform the same' because of the similar performance results of ATK's and Winchester's current LE ammunition as listed on their websites.)
Maybe 18" is the total practical maximum required penetration against the human anatomy, but the FBI's insistence that the 9mm is the "end of the discussion" comes off a little conceited, or, at the very least, perhaps settling for the proverbial bullet that works well when everything goes right. I think there are a whole lotta dead guys that would dispute the line "handgun stopping power is a myth."
I used the FBI's 1989 report for a presentation when I became a firearms instructor later that year. I couldn't find a link to it on the Internet.
