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Hollow-point ammunition is designed to
expand upon impact, delivering all of its energy to the intended target.
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Just like it sounds, a hollow-point bullet has a hollow or
cavity in its nose. This feature gives the bullet a tendency to flatten
upon impact and thus expand its diameter. Compared to a traditional
round-nosed bullet, a hollow-point bullet is less likely to pass
through its target. A bullet that doesn’t pass through its intended
target also can’t hit
an unintended one behind it, so hollow-point ammunition is actually
safer to use in most situations.
Bullet expansion is considered a positive effect for this and other
reasons. Expansion can also cause greater damage to living tissue,
leading to quicker incapacitation of a human or animal target. This is
very valuable in a defensive shooting, where the goal is to stop an
assailant’s attack as quickly as possible.
Finally, because they expand on impact, hollow-point bullets can’t
penetrate ballistic armor. They are not “cop killers.”2
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1
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Winchester
has continued to sell its premium hollow-point ammunition based on the
Black Talon design. The company simply renamed the cartridge and made a
few cosmetic changes.
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2
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The
quotation below comes from a humorous sketch that aired in A.D. 2007 on NBC’s Late
Night with Conan O’Brien. It demonstrates the persistence of the
“cop-killer” myth.
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Copyright
© A.D. 2008
by M. D. Van
Norman.
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