Hollow-Point Bullet Consistency
Jerah HutchinsDescription
PDN Executive Director Rob Pincus and Training Tour Instructor Jerah Hutchins are on the range with two 16-inch gel blocks and two different types of hollow-point bullet from Winchester Ammunition. They do some test shooting to determine consistency.
OLD AND NEW ROUNDS
The rounds are very different and decades apart in terms of their development and engineering. How consistent are the placement and penetration of multiple rounds? Jerah is firing the Winchester USA Ready defense round with Hex-Vent technology and Rob the classic Winchester Silvertip JHP.
The Silvertip, a non-bonded hollow point, consistently penetrates the gel block nine or ten inches (and one time 13.5 inches) but with more tumbling and erratic expansion than the USA Ready round. The USA Ready round penetrates 13 or 14 inches and in one case, almost the full 16 inches of the gel block. Jerah and Rob also check the placement of the USA Ready’s Hex-Vent insert within the block.
BENEFITS OF GEL TESTING
After Jerah and Rob each fire a few shots and analyze the consistent placement within the gel blocks of each hollow-point bullet, Rob concludes that though the USA Ready is a new design, he would trust it as a defensive round.
Ammunition is one of the most important self-defense tools. At PDN, we are pleased to present the results of our gel testing via these videos. Winchester provides ballistic data on their rounds, and lots of people are now doing independent gel testing, which is a benefit for all defensive shooters. We should know what a round is going to do when it impacts a threat. That’s why consistent placement/penetration is important.
If you are particularly interested in the performance of various Winchester rounds, we have another video on this topic: Ballistic Gel Testing with Winchester Ammunition. Four different types of hollow-point bullet are tested.