Well, I just as well throw in my .02 cents worth on this. Obviously, there are several factors at play here. One thing I would like to point out that few seem to realize is that just because a bullet is a hollow point does not mean that it will always expand or even sometimes or even will it rarely expand. Generally speaking, in my experience, most all pistol bullets need to be traveling at 900 or better FPS when they impact or they are not going to reliably expand. Some will a very little bit and some, other than the rifling marks, will look almost unused. That is unless you shoot them into a brick wall. Guess what, if you do that, you missed your target. There are exceptions to this, such as my pet handload for my .38 snubbies using huge cavity Federal HST JHPWC bullets loaded to about 825 or so FPS. But, again, those are not average hollow points. Additionally, if a HP bullet strikes heavy bone it is much more likely to expand than if it only encounters tissue and light bone. A simple fact is that bigger bullets make bigger holes. And something that seems to be ignored quite a bit these days that Bill Jordan, Elmer Keith, and Skeeter Skelton regularly mentioned, a wide meplat pistol bullet does a lot more damage than a round nose design. And, you must have good penetration. Additionally there is the argument about whether it is good to have two holes leaking or just one and the bullet remaining inside the target, theoretically expending all of it's energy inside the target. Also, with an exit wound, over penetration needs to be considered, especially if in a crowded area with innocent bystanders close to the target. So, in my opinion, there is not a perfect anti-personnel do it all whiz-bang caliber/bullet/load for all situations. I regularly carry several different sidearms from time to time, depending on how I am dressed, where I am going, etc. They include a .380 ACP loaded with flat pointed 100 grain bullets loaded to about 900 FPS, a .38 Spl J-frame loaded with either the afore mentioned HST JHP wadcutters or regular wadcutters, a 9mm with 150 grain LSWC loaded to about 930 FPS, a .357 Mag with 158 gr JHP loaded to about 1200 FPS, or a .44 Spl loaded with either 240 gr LSWC or JSP loaded to about 950 FPS.
So, FWIW, this is what I currently carry for anti-personnel use. I do have some Lehigh all copper .380 "whiz-bang" bullets that I have not yet gotten around to loading and experimenting with that are supposed to be super good defensive bullets. They look promising. Whatever you chose, you must first be able to consistently hit your target. A hit with a .380 is far better than a miss with a .45. The bullet must have enough energy to penetrate adequately into a vital area if not all the way through, and you need to be mindful of collateral damage. Don't waste your money on hollow points that will not have enough velocity to expand. If it is not going to expand, go with a wide meplat for effectiveness. JMHO,YMMV.
