Florida Concealed Carry banner

Evaluating Lehigh Defense Maximum Expansion solid copper bullets (VIDEO)

4K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Sully 
#1 ·
The good people at the Mousegun Addict blog have done some external ballistics testing with Lehigh Defense's Maximum Expansion bullets using water and Corbin SIM- TEST ballistic medium, and the results are positive but mixed. Suffice it to say not one of us would volunteer to be shot with this exotic ammunition.

Maximum Expansion ammunition uses a solid copper bullet that is machined to have a hollow cavity and four petals. As soon as the bullet begins to penetrate, the petals fold out perpendicular to the axis of the bullet out to about 90 degrees. The expansion is nothing short of amazing.

From Beretta - The Pictures and Videos are amazing. Nope, it doesn't have the penetration BUT when you look at the "Wound Path" in the Gel, the expansion is unbelievable. You can imagine the damage that it could inflict.

There are TWO Videos. The first one is the water jug test. The second video is the Gel test.

Click here to read the Review and Watch the TWO Videos:
http://www.guns.com/lehigh-defense-maximum-expansion-self-defense-ammunition-review-video-10846.html
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Funny thing I was just going to make a thread comparing those to these, and the both of them against something like the ranger T that so many of us carry and count on.



Federal Ammunition
was awarded the NRA publication Shooting Illustrated's Golden Bullseye award for their premium self-defense Guard Dog expanding full metal jacket ammunition not too long ago. The award is for theAmmunition Product of the Year. And at the very least, this is interesting ammo.
The design is a combination of both hollowpoint and full-metal jacket features. Guard Dog ammunition has a polymer-filled cavity inside the front of the bullet that is constructed similarly to hollowpoints and scored inside to split apart. But the petals are all connected together by a thin jacket over the bullet's tip.

Instead of blooming like flower petals Guard Dog ammo flattens and pancakes, the polymer acting as a mechanical force that pushes the walls of the cavity into an even disk for very predictable expansion. While the overall diameter of the expanded bullet is going to be slightly less than the maximum diameter of a traditional hollowpoint, the polymer also fills the gaps between the petals, greatly increasing the surface area of the flattened bullet point. Behind the hollow cavity is a standard lead-filled bullet base.
Another interesting thing is that these are not +P or even particularly high-energy bullets. Because of the bullets more reliable expansion, Federal did not soup up these cartridges to extremely high pressures (which could be a con from a different perspective) which makes them extremely fast shooters, insuring ease of follow-up.
Also, because they're fully-jacketed, they are much less likely to encounter feeding problems, particularly with older designs that center around lead, ball, or soft-point ammo.

But perhaps the most important thing about Federal's Guard Dog ammunition is that by being a fully-jacketed bullet, it is available for sale in jurisdictions where hollowpoints are restricted or banned. Almost every school of thought regarding self-defense ammunition is that the bullets need to be expanding. But even so, in many places hollowpoints are prohibited, which is why these Guard Dog cartridges are so important. They can go where hollowpoints can't, and are available in the following configurations:

  • 9mm 105-grain Expanding FMJ 1230 fps
  • .40 S&W 135-grain Expanding FMJ 1200 fps
  • .45 ACP 165-grain Expanding FMJ 1140 fps
Full article with video http://www.guns.com/federal-guard-d...hooting-illustrated-golden-bullseye-8048.html
 
#3 ·
I think the key (based off an FBI report) is you need 12inches of penetration, or the wound path means nothing. If you get that and rip a quarter sized hole like those copper full expansion rounds, then we could be talking about a game changer.

In the incident last week in LA, the cop shot the guy once (assuming 40cal) in the abdomen. The GG who ended the attack on the cop put four rounds of 45 in the guys COM and still needed a head shot from closer up to end the attack. Similarly, the CCW GG in Jax needed three rounds .45 auto to stop the BG he got, and didnt have time to stop the other BG. While I would site these as reasons I switched to a 9mm (more rounds less time) and no report has been made on the cartridges each was carrying.... it does bring up the "What is my best chance of winning ammo" question.

The X factor is and always will be the human body. That same FBI report states that you could explode a heart inside of a chest cavity and the body will continue to fight until its no longer has the oxygen required in the cells.
 
#4 ·
I agree there is no assurance any round from a handheld weapon has sufficient power to ensure a violent human assailant will be stopped immediately. That said, I also like the pursuit of the "better mousetrap," ammo-wise. I look at it like this:

I can't control who my assailant will be, what drugs are in his system, how big/tough/adrenaline-charged he may be, how well-trained he is, what weapons he has, etc.

I can't control the circumstances in which my assailant makes his move (proximity, lighting, bystanders, etc.).

I CAN control (to some extent) my ability to place rounds on target (via training and practice), and I CAN control the weapon system (firearm, cartridge, holster and ammo) to maximize my chances.

Why wouldn't I pursue the very best, state of the art bullet designs available? It might not shut down my assailant instantly, but then again, it just might!

I applaud the new ideas, and enjoy the opportunity to see the results.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top