Ok Rick, I'll take the bait...
I "borrowed" this from DocGKR's posting on the "Real World" forum, "9mm question for DocGKR" over at
www.tacticalforums.com
"Terminal velocity and kinetic energy are not directly very important factors in assessing damage to tissue, as they are not mechanisms of wounding. What is important in analyzing injury, is what anatomic area has the bullet damaged and how severe is the damage. There are two mechanisms of damaging tissue: tissue in the projectile's path is permanently cut and crushed by direct contact with the bullet as it pushes through tissue and tissue surrounding the projectile's path is briefly stretched and displaced by the passage of the projectile. The effects of the Permanent Cavity, or hole created as the projectile cut and crushes the tissue in its path are reliable and consistent based on what anatomic structures the bullet disrupts and the severity of the tissue damage. Since larger projectiles crush more tissue, they create a larger hole and damage more tissue. The Temporary Cavity is the empty space briefly formed by the transient, radial displacement of the tissue surrounding the projectile's path. The tissue that is stretched by the Temporary Cavity is analogous to an area of blunt trauma surrounding the Permanent Cavity and like all blunt trauma injuries Temporary Cavitation effects are extremely variable and erratic. The severity of any injury resulting from Temporary Cavitation is highly dependent on anatomic and physiologic considerations. For example, elastic, flexible soft tissues, such as muscle, bowel wall, skin, blood vessels, and empty hollow organs are good energy absorbers and are highly resistant to temporary cavity stretch injuries, while inelastic tissues, such as brain, liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, and completely full fluid or gas filled hollow organs are highly susceptible to severe splitting, tearing, or rupture due to Temporary Cavity stretch insults. Unlike many rifle bullets, the relatively small diameter temporary cavity created from typical law enforcement handgun bullets, such as 9 mm, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP, does not reliably damage tissue and is not usually a significant mechanism of wounding.
Handgun bullet fragmentation is not an advantage, in fact, it is a detriment. In every autopsy and laboratory test I have conducted or observed, when a handgun bullet in the commonly used law enforcement pistol calibers, such as 9 mm, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP has fragmented, the resulting tissue damage has been decreased since the bullet diameter has been reduced. The fragments have generally been found strung out behind the bullet in the primary wound track and have not increased the amount of tissue damage.
In general, Cor-Bon is some of the worst performing ammunition that we have tested. Corbon appears to purchase bullets and components from other manufacturers and then increases the velocity beyond the range for which the bullets were designed. This results in variety of problems: over expansion with shallow penetration, bullet fragmentation and smaller expanded diameter, failure to penetrate intermediate barriers--all leading to decreased wounding effects.
9mm Corbon +P 115 gr JHP: Vel=1367f/s; pen=10.2; RD=0.50; RW=70.5gr
9mm Federal 147 gr JHP (9MS): Vel=961 f/s, pen=12.3", RD=0.61" RW=147.1gr
This is typical Cor-Bon performance. Which bullet is more effective? Obviously, the slower bullet that did not fragment created a larger hole, would damage more tissue, and result in potentially more rapid incapacitation.
San Diego PD switched to the 9mm 147 gr JHP when their lighter weight, higher velocity 9mm 115 gr JHP bullets had several failures to penetrate deeply enough to create damage to vital organs in the torso and cause rapid incapacitation. The largest independently verified study of bullet penetration and expansion characteristics in living human tissue has shown the 9mm 147 gr JHP to offer acceptable performance in law enforcement lethal force confrontations. A senior criminalist with the San Diego P.D., Mr. Eugene J. Wolberg, has analyzed their 9 mm 147 gr JHP performance in 10% ordnance gelatin and compared the laboratory results with the actual terminal effects produced in human tissue in nearly 150 officer involved shootings with the San Diego Police Department. When I last spoke with Mr. Wolberg in May of 2000, the majority of their bullets had penetrated 13 to 15 inches and expanded between 0.60 to 0.62 inches in both human tissue and 10% ordnance gelatin. This appears to be ideal performance from a 9mm. Other large California agencies using the 9mm 147 gr JHP, such as Los Angeles PD, Los Angeles SO, San Jose PD, Santa Clara PD, Santa Clara SO, San Mateo SO, and San Francisco PD have had similar results. These and other California agencies successfully using the 9mm 147 gr JHP have thousands of officers with hundreds of officer involved shootings. Perhaps the documented success of the 9mm 147 gr JHP in California is a result of differing laws of physics on the West Coast than in other areas. Unfortunately, that conjecture does not stand up to scrutiny as the extensive Royal Canadian Mounted Police studies determined that the 9mm 147 gr JHP was the most effective load for the caliber. In addition, during the ammunition trials for the M11 pistol (military Sig P228) done at Navy Weapons Center Crane Indiana, the Federal 147gr JHP (9MS) was selected as the issue load for the M11, beating a variety of other 9mm JHP loads, including both standard pressure and +P pressure115 gr and 124 gr JHPs. This same load was also procured by Crane for use by Tier One military units authorized to issue JHP ammunition with their 9 mm weapons, such as the Sig P226 and MP-5N.
I am not attempting to represent a "low velocity argument" any more than a high velocity theory; rather, I am reporting what we have found during our independent testing of ammunition. I do not care what velocity or weight a particular bullet possesses, as long as it has appropriate penetration and expansion characteristics; at this point in time, however, I have observed that moderate velocity, heavier weight handgun bullets appear to offer the most effective combination of penetration and expansion, although this may change as technology improves."
------my comments added here------
This "heavy weight" stuff was a real eye opener for me...I'd always been a "faster is better" kinda guy...and I'm sitting on more cases of 110 Gr. Hirttenberger +P and 115 Gr. Corbon +P than I can count...So, faced with the "facts"...all new 9mm bulk purchases are gonna be 147 Gr. "stuff"...and I'm kinda partial to the Federal "Hydra-Shok's"...in the mean time, I've got some new "plinking" ammo...lol
Also, I sold my Glock 19...not because it wasn't accurate, but because I had a difficult time transitioning to anything else. If you're a "One gun" shooter, or even a "One type of gun" shooter...then the Glock should do ya just fine. Personally, I like SIG's...because I can hit targets with them, and they work well, always...and for no other reason than that.
"Porty Pibes?" You betcha...and I prefer SIG P220's over 1911's...I know, *Blasphemer*...but then again, that's just me...
My favorite 9mm? It's got to be our Browning model P-35 Hi-Power's...they "talk" to me... (not to mention we have S/N 9695 from the first lot of 11,000)...
H&K P7's? The most fun, most accurate (other than S&W revolver's) handgun I've ever shot...I should buy some of those soon, they're definitely "cool!"
That's it for now...
Sleep time...
*poof*