Is the 40 cal flat point FMJ any better at stopping than 9mm or 45ACP roundnose FMJ?

I would think any flat point FMJ would beat a round nose FMJ

I would too, but wondering if anybody has any experiences to relate.

I am going to say yes.

On another note, it will be interesting when the details come out on the shooting in MO. Caliber, bullet style, weight.

Why? I dont see any reason to carry any sort of FMJ round for defensive use, when bullet technology is where it is now.

He never mentioned 'defensive use', only stopping....and the flat 40 stops the hell outta porkypines....

Just conversation/curiosity.

I carry 180gr HydraShok most of the time in the 40.

Gotcha...

Flat points have several advantages over round nose or ball. They transfer energy better and cavitate better, they have farther straight-line penetration in fluid mediums, are less likely to tumble in fluid mediums.

I don't know about stopping. If it was a 'soft' thing, expanding projectiles are far better statistically. If it is a tough thing, and deep penetration is a must, then non-expanding flat points are the best of all compromises.

I wish I could find the old article about this, it appeared back in the 80's when the US military was looking to replace the 1911 with someone's 9mm.

The Germans found out over a century ago that a flat pointed FMJ was far and away more effective than any round nose bullet. The one they tried was basically a truncated cone shape with what today we would call a tiny meplat. Don't know why they never adopted it and kept the round nose configuration.

I have no experience with that particular bullet. But my observations wiht other cartridges is that their is a noticeable difference between a round nose and a flat nose.

Example

I shot a Fox that was trying to get to our chickens with a 9mm FMJ and while it did run away, it seemed somewhat less than impressed. I went out the next day and I never found a dead fox, and the blood trail was small and short (meaning the wound managed to seal.

I've shot coyote's with .38 Special 148 & 158 wadcutters and they give more of a reaction to the hit, and in each case I did find the dead animal.

Flat points just destroy more flesh IME.

I agree 100% with your findings as they have been mine as well. Now heres the questions. Full wadcutters and SWC both have sharp shoulders on the nose but the 40 s&w flat nose bullet does not so would they be the same or would the flat nose on the 40 act more like a round nose due to it lacking the sharp shoulder?

General Hatcher would have said so.

Well from what I learned doing ballistics gelatin testing in the early '90's the actual tissue destroyed is directly proportional to the frontal diameter of the projectile. The bullet meplat isn't as flat or sharp as something like a SWC or WFN, but still the frontal area that crushes tissue will be wider, and thus more tissue destroyed.

Now here's the question, is it enough to make a change? It could... I guess it depends on what you want from your bullet.

I know the military looked at flat nose 9mm bullets back in the '80's. I remember reading a report of a test of flat nose 124 grain bullets and the bullet out-performed the round nose in everything but barrier penetration. And that killed the whole idea since barrier penetration was of paramount importance to the Army.

So the military who has to use FMJ's has passed on the FMJ-FP. For a civilian, I'm a bit at a loss as to why you would want a FMJ-FP for defense when you have JHP's available. Unless of course, you weren't using the round for defense, but more for hunting, then there could be some merit.

A better stopper if consistent straight line penetration is a factor...which common sense would usually dictate.

Double Tap makes a .40 200-grain WFNGC at 1,050 fps outta G23.

It'd do a lot more cutting and crushing than the practice ammo, but are priced accordingly.

We can be arrested in Tennessee for using rifle or pistol FMJ on critters. Prohibited from even using CF handguns on small game! Total horseshit.

A good 180gr FNFMJ would be a good choice for woods carry....where penetration is number one....

I have a couple 100 just for that reason

I agree. And I think it's give through-and-through penetration, which is what I like.

Tell us about your advanced voodoo bullet picking strategy. Does Rosie O'Donnell buy your ammo for you? Are you using Rocky Road +P?

I'd say a good flat point hard cast would be an excellent self defense bullet and I base that on wound channels in animals. Whitworth and I have both taken pigs with JHP's and flat point hard cast. Upon careful examination of the wound channel we were unable to determine much if any difference. The problem with the FMJFP's is the MEPLAT is too small and they do not always stay nose forward IME.
I do shot and use JHP's but they are not the end all be all as many seem to believe. A proper meplat hard cast will give them a run for their money in wound channel size as well as penetrate deeper.

I went to college with a guy who shot himself through the meaty part of his thigh with a 180gr flatpoint. He thought it was a good idea to clean his gun while drinking. Tissue damage was not as horrible as I would have thought and it went through-and-through. The ER stitched him up and sent him home. He was back out with us at the bars the next night, although he was limping a bit.