I did some of these tests last year and there seemed to be quite a bit of interest in it so I decided to do it again.

First let me say that these are not very scientific tests at all. All I am trying to do is see what kind of expansion I can get from each bullet and get an idea of how much penetration I can expect from each bullet. Each shot was fired from a distance of about 20 feet into 64oz Ocean Spray juice jugs(and a few other brand juice jugs) filled with water. These jugs are much thicker than your standard milk jug so depth of penetration may seem a bit on the weak side. Each test consisted of 6 jugs stacked back to back. No this aint ballistic gelatin, no I didn’t use any denim or other clothing in front of the jugs, and no I didn’t weigh each bullet after it was fired either. Like I said these are not very scientific tests so take from it as much or as little as you would like. Just for fun I will rate each bullet on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best) for penetration, expansion, and overall performance.

Here is a look at the set up for the following tests.


First up is the 10mm Black Talon 200gr. SXT (yes the dreaded “cop killer”). You can still find them here and there but these are not manufactured any more and the 10mm is the hardest to find.. There are a few newer versions of this bullet out there now but there are slight differences despite what others might tell you. This bullet knocked down the entire stack of 6 jugs and came to rest in jug #3. There was no dent in the back of jug #3. Has nice expansion and the petals (talons) are very sharp. Jugs were shreaded pretty good as well. I expected a bit more penetration from this one simpley because it is a 200 grain bullet from a 10mm but didn’t get it.
PENETRATION=6
EXPANSION=10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=7 (I didn’t like the depth of penetration)



Next up is the 10mm Corbon DPX 140gr. This is a all copper bullet with a huge hollow point cavity in it. The box lists the velocity at 1350fps and energy at 567ft/lbs. Like the Black Talon above I don’t think this load is offered anymore in the 10mm. I had to test this one twice because I hit way high on the jugs and lost the bullet in the berm behind the targets. This one knocked the whole stack of jugs over as well. It came to rest in jug #3 but it did puncture the back of jug #3 slightly. Of all the bullets I tested this was hands down the most impressive impact I saw. Not only did it shred the jugs but it created a massive water shower on impact. As you can see the expansion is picture perfect just like the one shown on the box. I was shocked it had more penetration than the much heavier Black Talon above.
PENETRATION=8
EXPANSION=10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=9


Now we move to the 40S&W. First up for the 40 is the Federal Premium 155gr Hydra Shok JHP. Muzzle velocity on the box is listed at 1140fps and muzzle energy is listed at 445ft/lbs. This is one of the most popular self defense loads so I figured I had to test it. This one knocked all 6 jugs down and came to rest in jug #2 but it did hit the back of #2 hard enough to knock a hole and cause a leak in jug #3. Had really nice expansion although I think it could have used a bit more penetration. Also if you look close you can see a ring of plastic stuck to the center post.
PENETRATION=5
EXPANSION=10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=7 (I would have like to seen more penetration)


Next for the 40S&W is the more economical Winchester white box 180gr JHP. This one was a shocker as I really didn’t expect much being that it is a cheap load. The impact was dang near as explosive as the 10mm Corbon DPX above and it knocked all the bottles down with force. The bottles were shreaded as well. The bullet was found in jug #3 with no dent in the back of jug #3 and a small petal was found in jug #2. Expansion was nice but I didn’t like the fact that it lost a petal however its not really a high end load so I wont hold that against it too much.
PENETRATION=7
EXPANSION=8
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=8


Last year I had a few requests for some 45ACP tests so I added that to the line up for this year. First up for the 45 is the Remington UMC 230gr JHP. This is probably the most economical 45 JHP on the market since you can get 100 of them for less than $40. This one knocked the whole stack over and had a pretty nice impact explosion as well. Bullet came to rest in jug #3 but it did manage to punch a hole in the back of #3 as well. Had very nice expansion although not completely uniform. Not bad for a economy load though.
PENETRATION=8
EXPANSION=8
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=8


Next is the 45ACP Winchester white box 230gr JHP. Once again a very economical round. This one came to rest in jug #3 but it just barely made it that far judging from what the entrance wound on the jug looked like. I also found a small petal in jug #2 just like I did with the 40S&W version of this round. Impact seemed very weak as it left jug #4 and #5 standing. This bullet also showed lots of jacket/core slippage but it did hold together other than the small petal in jug #2.
PENETRATION=6
EXPANSION=8
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=6 (weak penetration and I didn’t like the jacket/core slippage)


Next is the 45ACP Winchester SXZ45 230gr JHP. I believe this load is a Bass Pro Shops exclusive but I could be wrong. This one knocked all 6 jugs over but I was not very happy when I found the core and jacket completely separated in jug #3. This is not what I expected at all! I wouldn’t call it a failure because it did have nice expansion and decent penetration but I am a believer that cores and jackets should remain as one in a self defense round.
PENETRATION=7
EXPANSION=7
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=4 (jacket/core separation)


Now for my favorite the 357 Sig. First up is the Corbon 125gr Performance Match. These are not really made for self defense but I bought them for pigs because they are known to have a little expansion but drive deep as well. Just seemed like the perfect bullet for shoulder shots on pigs. Velocity is listed at 1425fps and energy is listed at 564ft/lbs. This one had a very explosive impact as well and knocked all 6 jugs down. Core was found in jug #5 along with a hole in the back of #5 as well. Base of jacket was found in jug #4 and all petals were found in jug #2. This spent round looks NOTHING like what they show on the box however it did exactly what I expected it to do. The difference between what I got the bullet to do and what the box shows and describes is so far apart that I think that the box may just be a generic box and picture that they use on several different loads. I knew the brass jacket was going to expand and peel back then separate while the core kept driving deeper so I wont hold that separation against it in this case since its not really intended for defense anyway.
PENETRATION=10
EXPANSION=4
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=8 (this is based on what MY intentions are with this bullet)
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=3(this is based on what the box claims and the picture they show)

Next for the 357 Sig is the popular Speer Gold Dot 125gr GDHP. Last year I tested the 5 petal version of this bullet but this year I tested the 6 petal version. This one did not knock all the jugs down. It was found in jug #3 but it hit the back of #3 very hard. This is the load I carry 90% of the time in my Glock 33 and as usual with the Gold Dots the expansion was pretty as a picture.
PENETRATION=8
EXPANSION=10
OVERALL PERFOMANCE=9 (would have been a 10 had it knocked all the jugs down)


Time to switch to the 9mm. Only bullet I tested for the 9 is the Remington UMC 115gr JHP. This one hit with enough force to knock jug #5 and #6 down but not #3 and #4. Core of bullet was found in jug #3 but looks like it just barely made it that far. Jacket was found stuck in the back of jug #2. It had decent but ugly expansion. Jacket/core separation was a big disappointment but it is a pretty economical round so I didn’t expect big things from this one.
PENETRATION=6
EXPANSION=6
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=5 (core/jacket separation)


Jacket stuck in back of jug #2.


Now for an actual hunting round. This is the 45 Colt (AKA 45 Long Colt). This load is a Bitterroot Valley Xtreme Defense Bear Load. The bullet is a 300gr JHP and I have a strong suspicion this is acutally a Hornady XTP bullet. I don’t think this load is available anymore but I think they still offer it in 44 Magnum. I hate to disappoint yall with this one but I couldn’t recover the bullet. I stacked my last 7 jugs just like with the other tests and it exploded the first 3 jugs and shreaded the last 4 before exiting the back of jug #7 and entering the safety berm. All I can say is this is one bad dude!!! I cant wait to test the 44 Mag version but I will be sure and have plenty of jugs on hand before I do.
PENETRATION=10+
EXPANSION=?????
OVERALL PERFORMANCE=10 (I have to assume it had pretty good expansion based on how the jugs were shreaded and the penetration speaks for its self)


Here is a look at the front of each bullet.


Here is a look at the rear of each bullet.

how many times did you have to shoot at the bottles to get a hit?

Man thats awesome! You got alot of time on your hands lol. You should do one on zombies and tsx's!

Awesome write up!

Awesome job, thanks for the info

Thats cool thanks for putting in the time and effort to do this

thanks for the info, i second the .357sig gold dot's...thats what stays in my G33 as well.

Awesome! I love this kind of stuff.

Me too, Excellent write up, good job!!

Great job man, thanks as usual for all the effort and time you put into this. Makes me feel better about the Gold Dots I keep in my Glock 33 too.

Good work, very interesting.

Very cool! Thumbs up!

Glad eveyone finds the info usefull. I love doing these tests because you get to see what the bullets can really do first hand. Its easy for a bullet maker to show you a picture of a perfect spent round but you have to wonder how many they had to test before they got those results......but when you test them yourself and you get those results on the first try you know they are the real deal.

I cant wait to do some more tests but I have to save up some more bottles first and I need to pick up a few more loads as well.

Very good and informative information.
In your next test or a stand alone test you might consider doing one using the Remington Golden Saber HPJ 230g .45 cal.
The jacket is made entirely of cartridge brass, which releases energy over longer distance while mushrooming which could be impressive.
Saber bullets

I wish I would have know you were doing that. You had an arsenal of ammo. I have an old bullet "proof" vest I am curious how they would have done.

Thanks for the effort you put into this. I enjoy reading first hand stories form people not being paid by the manufacturer to "get results."

BTW< did you drink all the cranberry juice yourself?

Yes I did. Thats actually a years worth of bottles. What I would do is drink the juice then fill them up with water and freeze them. Then I would use them as ice blocks in the ice chests when I would go to the lease. Once I got to the lease I would just leave the bottles there so I could shoot them at the end of the year.

I wasnt always a juice-a-holic. I pretty much gave up soft drinks a few years ago and filled the void that left in my life with juice.

good job man

Justin, that's awesome. Thanks for the test/ pictures and good for you drinking all that juice. I wish I could do that.