[3771]

Greetings.....
Can someone explain the difference between a JHP and a FMJ other than one having the hollow point. Would one give better penetration over the other?

Also, for varmint hunting which would be more desirable at 100 yrds, a 30-34 gr higher velocity bullet or a 50 gr bullet traveling slower but more energy? Or am I way off, I was guessing the heavier bullet would have more energy due to the weight. Thanks

 

[899]

This is attempt #2!!

I tried to answer and my ISP "dumped" me!

mwfletcher,

FMJ vs. HP.....NO need to be a "scientist".

The "HP" is intended to "expand" upon impact. spread out it's energy to take advantage of the "shock" value on living tissue/organs.

The FMJ "punches" it's way thru, making nice, neat little holes with almost no shock.

Rimfire or centerfire == same.

I checked my "Ammo & Ballistics" book and found that the 50gr Federal has more energy (although slower) than a 30gr. CCI "Maxi-Mag" +V @100yds.

I think a very important part is the "type" of HP.....

"TNT" vs. "Sierra" for example.

 

[3771]

SKI

Great, that helps. If I wanted to take head shots (skull) would I want JHP or FMJ due to the thickness? Would the JHP just shatter without penetrating?

 

[899]

Wish I could help ya there, pal.

I can't....

I'm a "paper puncher".

I got nothing against "hunting"....I was just raised, "target shooting" and never had the opportunity to "hunt".

My only "kill" was a skwerl that was living in my house's attic, I was concerned about the electrical wiring and "took him out" with a Beeman .177 Pellet pistol @50 ft. "Head shot"...he just dropped.

The pellet was a "heavy" one. I would equate it with a "FMJ" solid type of bullet. Very little blood....not alot of "damage".....I didn't do an autopsey to see if it came out the other side.

 

[3642]

Mwfletcher,

Either one will work on head shots. If you aren't shooting downward at a fair angle the fmj will tend to skip (ricochet) if you miss. The slower hp's may as well. To be safe have a hill or raised area behind your target.

daduke.

 

[050]

In answer to your original question between a HP and a FMJ:

The "shell" of the bullet is like a little tin can that is filled with lead (as a matter of fact, some people who make their own jacketed bullets even actually use empty .22 cases to swage the jacket out of). Then it is "squeezed" into its finished shape. The open end exposing the lead is to the front on a hollow point, whereas with the FMJ, the "bottom" of the little can ends up in the front of the bullet, and the open end is wrapped around to the back with the lead exposed in the rear.

That's a pretty simplistic way of describing it, but hopefully, will get the idea across.

Oh. JHP's shouldn't "shatter". They should just expand violently. They are designed to work completely different than the "explosive" bullets that are popular nowdays...

Ron

 

[675]

Fed 50-gr HP

I used these quite a bit when I started shooting the .22WMR. They were accurate and cheap out of my Ruger 77/22, and I shot a good number of sparrows, pigeons, starlings, groundhogs, crows, etc with it. I found that all hollowpoints are not created equal, though. The Fed 50-gr HP wouldn't expand nearly as much as a 30-gr Fed HP. It still produced instant kills with a well-placed shot, but on small targets like sparrows and starlings, the "splatter factor" was way higher with the 30-gr'ers. Simply looking at energy retained isn't the whole story. If the bullet can't expand, as in an FMJ, much less of this energy is transferred to the animal being shot. Thus, in some cases an FMJ round having more retained energy will still be less lethal on game than a less powerful but more rapidly expanding HP. When I switched to 30-gr HP's, the results were much more explosive. Either round would be lethal and penetrate the skulls of game up to coyote at reasonable ranges (50-75 yds), as would an FMJ. If you know you will only be taking headshots, I say shoot whatever's most accurate in your rifle. If you think you'll need to take a few chest shots from time to time, play it safe and go with a hollowpoint. Oh, you could see if you can find any Rem. or PMC pointed soft points. Kind of an intermediate between FMJ and HP, with an exposed tip of soft lead. They have more penetration than HP's, but transfer energy better than FMJ's. Good luck.

 

[3771]

Thanks to all who replied. Your knowledge is very helpful!