Kevin,
I think that�s great performance from that bullet. Picture perfect expansion and very limited penetration. What I look for in a 185 grain .45 ACP is rapid expansion and shallow penetration, and that�s exactly what that bullet did. The idea is to minimize the risk of over-penetration on a crowded street, apartment building or home with people sleeping in adjoining rooms. Remember, hollow points respond to hydraulic pressure, which is what causes them to expand. A Bobcat may be small, but they�re very muscular, and muscle is full of water. Therefore you get excellent hydraulic resistance to the bullet, which results in perfect expansion. The lack of penetration is caused by:
1. The huge frontal diameter of the expanded bullet (I�ll hazard a guess of about .70 diameter) which offers tremendous resistence
2. Complete lack of sectional density of the 185 Gold Dot bullet.
I think much of the problem with handgun bullet expectations for defensive use, is the FBI standards. The FBI standards place a very heavy emphasis on penetration even after passing through intermediary objects such as a fence post or car windshield, and these standards make sense for LE officers on duty. But a cartridge that will still give 12� of penetration in ballistic gelatin after going through a car window might not be the best choice for those of us defending our home.
Most of the 230 grain bullets of today probably penetrate a bit much for concealed carry or home defense. Most would be better armed with a 185 or 200 grain bullet to put the breaks on penetration. If you don�t expect to have to shoot through walls, fences, car doors or car windshields, then all of that penetration power of the 230 grain loads becomes a liability, rather than an asset.
Finally, it doesn�t take 12� of penetration to incapacitate a human being. On frontal shots, you can make quite lethal wounds with just 3� of penetration. The one shot that does require some penetration is the side shot where you have to penetrate through an arm. But here�s the kicker, just keep shooting�eventually, the bad guy will turn to investigate the source of those pesky 185�s chewing up the side of his torso and arm.
While I do agree that gunfight-ending wounds can be effectuated with less than 12" penetration, I think it provident to keep in mind that barriers might have to be overcome before penetration can occur. Moreover, it might be limiting to not desire a projectile to continue to inflict damage after minimum penetration is achieved. As we know, unless CNS is interrupted loss of BP is desired. And it's hastened with rapid blood loss.
To my way of thinking, 230 grain .45 ACP projectiles offer the greatest predictability of producing rapid loss of BP.
Take care,
Mando
