[Verm]

For the longest time I have been a believer that all JHP ammo is pretty much the same and the only thing that mattered to me about which brand to use was reliablity in feeding and accuracy.

Well this morning my local shop got in the new DPX round from Corbon. 100% copper HP designed for deep penetration and since there is no lead jacket, it reminds me of the original Black Talons in that when it expands, it does so like a claw, causing more tearing. I spent the afternoon shooting 140gr .40 at 1225fps/486ftlbs and just to beat myself up, the 45ACP+P 185gr at 1075fps/475ftlbs. Nice thing about these, they use the Barnes X bullet and since it's not jacketed, it retains 100% of it's weight and still punches deep into gel. Supposedly from all the testing labs, it does this in both bare gel as well as denim covered gel. This is a big plus for defense ammo.

Both functioned 100% reliably. The 40 was in my XD service and the 45 was in my SA 1911 GI Custom. Recoil wasn't harsh, a little bit more than standard JHP ammo but wasn't as bad as I expected. What did suprise me was accuracy and punch. I shot water jugs and while a JHP will make them jump, the DPX's literally made them explode. (I know, this isn't any way to compare, but all I had to shoot at today)

I may have just found a brand I will prefer over others if testing keeps showing similar results.

 

[DigMe]

Verm,

I've been curious about this ammo myself. The original Taurus handgun rounds that were loaded with the Barnes X showed excellent terminal potential and reliable expansion.

One thing that you might be interested to know though is that the original Taurus Barnes X loading also appeared to be the kind of bullet, like the Black Talon and the modern Ranger T, that would rip tissue as it passes through. I've read though from people like Dr. Roberts and David Difabio that it doesn't do that. Much like the Gold Dot bullets it's more likely to push tissue on the outer perimeter of the wound channel aside rather than ripping it. That doesn't mean it's a bad bullet! I'd certainly trust my life to Gold Dots! I was just pointing that out. It may not be the same with the DPX but I'd suspect that it is. This doesn't diminish my interest in the round though.

brad cook

 

[BrokenArrow]

I've been a fan of the Barnes X rifle bullets for a long time. Nice to have some factory pistol loads w SCHPs (solid copper hollow points).

The SCHPs tend to penetrate about 20% deeper than regular JHPs at the same weight and speed. Since they are longer bullets for their weight, you have reduced case capacity, so ya get less speed at the same pressure, more pressure at the same speed. Why the CorBon DPX 185/45 +P load is 1075 fps instead of 1150 fps.

Magtech (CBC) has a line of SCHPs called First Defense.

77/380 at 1099
93/9 at 1310
130/40 at 1190
165/45 +P at 1100
95/38S at 1083
95/357M at 1411

JHP walls a bit thicker, seem to stand up to repeated chamberings better than DPX. The 9/40 do about 11 inches in bare gel, the 45 hits the magic 12 inches bare gel, 15 inches through glass and steel, 18 inches through wood. About same as DPX.

The 110/38 Special DPX is the way to go in 38 snubs. 12/.64 through denim.