Best ammo is a slow, heavy-for-caliber, flat tip non-HP.
Human tissue is VERY tough and elastic. The tissue simply caroms away from the bullet and returns. The very brief stretching MIGHT result in an internal BRUISE. Bruises don't cause FAST blood loss. The permanent, bleeding hole is what matters.
Penetration is the key and the deeper the better. You don't need speed and recoil to achieve deep penetration. Slow, heavy-for-caliber bullets will go deep.
Hollow points are unnecessary. IF THEY EXPAND it prevents deeper penetration. There's more breakable, bleedable tissue in front of where the HP stops.
To describe the visible stretchmark in gel as a wound channel is wrong. No 9mm bullet will cause the tissue to stretch beyond its ability to return intact. Only rifle velocities can do that.
A pistol bullet only damages the issue touched by the bullet, so a pistol bullet's wound is only as large as the caliber.
A rifle bullet's wound can be 3 - 5 calibers around the bullet's path due to the bursting of the stretched tissue.
Except with a square shot to the torso, if you hit any other part of the bad guy there will be over penetration no matter what bullet you use. Misses are common. We see misses ALL THE TIME on video so it can't be denied. Center Of Mass pistol hits that over-penetrate are rare, very rare (I've never heard of one). The 'experts' are promoting a very rare occurrence as a certainty, "SO FEAR IT!"
Hollow Points - The idea of a bullet penetrating 'just enough' allows the manufacturers to chase perfection and never achieve it. You will pay more and more for the pursuit.
Using hollow points to avoid over-penetration is a bogus issue. The 4th Rule of Gun Safety says to be aware of what is beyond your target. Just like the cops, we will have to pass on taking shots when there are innocent people behind the bad guy. If you change the line up so you are free to take a shot, compete penetration with an exit wound is not a bad thing.
So, I think the fear of over-penetration is promoted in order to sell the expensive 20-rd and 25-rd boxes of boutique hollow points. The perfect HP is a fantasy that allows the manufacturers to continuously make changes and sell 'New and Improved' ammo.
Solids have always penetrated to the vitals. My practice ammo and carry ammo are the exact same round. With a slow, heavy, non-HP I am confident that there will be DEEP penetration. When I see a bullet completely exit TWO gel blocks, I think, "That's good performance."
I make my own effective, non-HP bullets for free. Tens of thousands of them. The manufacturers and the 'experts' they sponsor don't like that.
