Yesterday, with the help of lovemywoods, we performed several tests shooting Winchester Ranger Frangible ammunition in .40S&W. My main goal was to determine if I would want to use it for personal protection within the confines of my apartment. My minor goal was to see how the bullet would break apart as it left obstacles normally used for concealment in your average apartment. Lovemywoods goal was to see how the ammo performed and do a comparison later on with other rounds.
Let’s begin!
The Setup:
1. Firearm: Springfield XD40 Sub-Compact
2. Ammunition: Winchester Ranger Frangible .40S&W 105 GR. Website
3. Range: Lovemywoods pistol range
4.Targets:
a.Metal door with Styrofoam insulation for use as a home front door.
b. Solid Pinewood door for use in a home.
c. Custom built frame to hold sheets of drywall and 2x4 Pinewood framing.
d. One-gallon water jugs.
5. Distance from Targets: approximately 15 ft
Test 1: Metal Door with Styrofoam insulation
My first shot:
Front side:
Backside:
Test 2: Solid Pinewood Door
Front side:
Backside:
Test 3: Four pieces of 5/8” drywall.
Test 4: Four pieces of 5/8” drywall plus one 2x4.
Obviously from these results the frangible bullet easily penetrates through doors and simulated walls. Now, the next question is how does the bullet break apart as it exits these obstacles? Well, lets find out! ☺
Test 5: Drywall with 2x4 and four jugs.
Results: Here is a close up of the bullet. It was captured in the second jug.
Test 6: Metal door with three jugs.
Results: The bullet started to break apart in first jug. The second jug cost most of the fragments but a small chunk managed to lodge itself in the third jug.
Test 7: Wood door with three jugs.
Result: The bullet broke apart in the second jug into two pieces. However, the bigger of the two pieces managed to have enough force to penetrate in the third jug.
Side-by-side comparison of the results:
Final Thoughts:
I was initially sold on the idea by a vendor that the bullet itself would break apart and get trapped upon entering a wall. However, I had serious doubts about this claim, and from these results my doubts were confirmed. I was also dumbfounded that the bullet didn’t even fragment once it exited the drywall! So, in conclusion I think that I maybe better off using a shotgun as my primary personal protection weapon inside of my apartment instead of my pistol.
I also would like to thank Lovemywoods for allowing me to use his range, and for taking photos. It was a lot of fun!!!
Let’s begin!
The Setup:
1. Firearm: Springfield XD40 Sub-Compact
2. Ammunition: Winchester Ranger Frangible .40S&W 105 GR. Website
3. Range: Lovemywoods pistol range
4.Targets:
a.Metal door with Styrofoam insulation for use as a home front door.
b. Solid Pinewood door for use in a home.
c. Custom built frame to hold sheets of drywall and 2x4 Pinewood framing.
d. One-gallon water jugs.
5. Distance from Targets: approximately 15 ft
Test 1: Metal Door with Styrofoam insulation
My first shot:
Front side:
Backside:
Test 2: Solid Pinewood Door
Front side:
Backside:
Test 3: Four pieces of 5/8” drywall.
Test 4: Four pieces of 5/8” drywall plus one 2x4.
Obviously from these results the frangible bullet easily penetrates through doors and simulated walls. Now, the next question is how does the bullet break apart as it exits these obstacles? Well, lets find out! ☺
Test 5: Drywall with 2x4 and four jugs.
Results: Here is a close up of the bullet. It was captured in the second jug.
Test 6: Metal door with three jugs.
Results: The bullet started to break apart in first jug. The second jug cost most of the fragments but a small chunk managed to lodge itself in the third jug.
Test 7: Wood door with three jugs.
Result: The bullet broke apart in the second jug into two pieces. However, the bigger of the two pieces managed to have enough force to penetrate in the third jug.
Side-by-side comparison of the results:
Final Thoughts:
I was initially sold on the idea by a vendor that the bullet itself would break apart and get trapped upon entering a wall. However, I had serious doubts about this claim, and from these results my doubts were confirmed. I was also dumbfounded that the bullet didn’t even fragment once it exited the drywall! So, in conclusion I think that I maybe better off using a shotgun as my primary personal protection weapon inside of my apartment instead of my pistol.
I also would like to thank Lovemywoods for allowing me to use his range, and for taking photos. It was a lot of fun!!!