American Handgunner Nov/Dec 1981

SEET. LATEST.INNOVATIONS IN .METALLIC RELOADING,BULLET CASTING,BLACK POWDER,AND MORE...FREE!Send for the new 1981 Lyman co orcatalog. It's packed with the most technicallyadvanced reloading and bullet castingequipment on the market today. PlusLyman's famous scopes, sights, blackpowder rifles and pistols.Just send your name and address toLYMAN PRODUCTS CORPORATDIDEPT. AH-9101Rt. 147, Middlefield, CT 06455r-------------"(f}1i!i!lff@DEALERS IN DISCRIMINATINGFIREARMS FOR COllECTORS & COMPETITIONGENCO IPSC AUTO'SSTD With, Hard-Chrome. Bar-StoBarrels, Bo-Mar SightsGUNS CURRENTLYIN STOCKAvailable for immediate deliveryHECKLER &KOCHFull line of H & K guns & accessoriesJapanese Swords Wanted& other accessoriesCOMPLETE LINES/W &COLT HANDGUNSIN STOCKGENCOPhone Calls Only. No Catalogs.PHONE (704) 274-4572 (24-Hour Answering)-------.-----530 Hendersonville Rd. )PO. Box 5704, Asheville, NC 28803HAND10ADINGDAN conERMANRATING THE STOPPING POWER OF, .'LIGHT VS HEAVY PROJECTILESIhave often stated my preference forheavier bullets in both handgun andrifle cartridges. The trouble with expoundingsuch a preference is that it asks thereader to accept a sweeping generalitywithout consideration for certain i~portantspecifics. There should be' qualificationwith regard to the purpose for which ahandload is intended whenever one risks arevival of the over-argued controversy oflight versus heavy bullets. However, even ifI had said that I harbored a preference forheavier (within a given caliber) bullets asso-called "man-stoppers;' I would inevitablyhave found myself at loggerheads withsomeone.The gentle flak of disagreement in thisinstance hails. from Monsey, New York.Reader-experimenter Martin W. Boxerobserves that conditions such as expectedrange, barrel length, powder type, andcharge weight must be taken urider consideration.He then writes, "Since the discussioninvolved the Government .45 AutomaticColt Pistol, only the usage and therange remain unresolved. If the usage ispersonal defense, then the range. would bevery short, and a lighter bullet would bepreferable. If a ballistic pendulum is thetarget, then a heavier bullet may bechosen."As you know, and I will state, in anyparticular caliber or cartridge the ultimatelimitation is the working pressure. If youwish to increase bullet weight you must doso without increasing the working pressure,particularly the initial pressure developed.Due to their greater inertia, heavybullets have a tendency to increase theinitial pressure. Using a slower-burningpowder will help, but the short barrellength of the pistol limits the effectivenessof slow-burning powders; and heavy bulletshave a reputation as 'ice wagons: Thatmeans less muzzle energy. If that satisfiesyou, fine, use heavy bullets. However, ifyou wish maximum energy output, and therange is Short, use lighter bullets."The simple formula for energy squaresthe velocity, but not the bullet weight.Consequently, up to a point-and thispoint depends upon the case volume, thecaliber, and the barrel length-one candevelop more energy with lighter bulletsthan with any heavier bullets."As it happens, I have developed maximumenergy with the Government pistolwhen I lised a homemade half-jacketedbullet weighing 140 grains. It traveled at achronographed velocity of 1500 fps, developing700 foot-pounds of energy. Ofco'urse, the muzzle blast was sensationalwith the short barrel, but we do not have aproper powder for that usage-caliber andbullet-weight combination in a short barrel.Someday we may."Let's face it, a 140-grain bullet travelingat 1500 fps is a stopper for personal defenseand in .45. caliber it is better. Unfor-Standard .45 Colt, left, and 165 grainbullet in Boxer's .45 Super.tunately, the cartridge length is too short tofunction through the magazine. What wasneeded was a longer case. This was accomplishedwith my .45 Super cartridge. Totalcartridge length is the same as the standard.45, and it fits and feeds through the magazine.Only the chamber has to be lengthenedto 1-1/l6th inch to chamber thelonger .45 Super case."The gun itself seems to prefer slightlyheavier bullets, and it digests 165~grainhalf-jacket bullets very nicely for closerangehavoc."While there is no argument againstBoxer's statement regarding the potentialeffectiveness of the l40-grain bullet as a"stopper," there is, nonetheless, an abundanceof incontrovertible evidence thatpersists in favor of heavier bullets in closecombatsituations.The question of bullet weight and velocityshould have been settled over 75years ago when the U.S. Ordance Department'sThompson-La Garde Committeecompared the effectiveness of light andCOlltillued 011 page 7316 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1981