Quote:
Originally Posted by masraum
What are your thoughts RE: lightweight, fast bullet vs heavy, slow bullet (for instance 115gr vs 147gr 9mm)?
My thought is that a heavier bullet will have better penetration.
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You are absolutely right. Assuming similar construction, of course. A lightweight solid might penetrate better than a heavy hollow point, for example. The solid will always win the penetration contest, and the heavier for caliber the better.
"Sectional density" is the fancy ballistician's term for describing how much a bullet weighs relative to caliber. For example, a 200 grain bullet in .30 caliber will have a much higher "sectional density" than a 200 grain bullet in .45 caliber. With less frontal area for the same weight, or in other words more weight relative to its cross section, the .30 caliber will significantly out-penetrate the .45 caliber. I guess this is kind of intuitively obvious, but it does bear mention.
I have always liked heavy for caliber bullets. I'm a big fan of reliable, deep penetration. I've found it to kill more reliably, and to give me more shot options than a rapidly expanding, shallow penetrating bullet. Oh, the latter can kill spectacularly on broadside lung or high heart (my preference) shots. It will, however, fail miserably on that "Texas heart shot" (up the poop chute from behind).