Frangible Ammo | Using it for Self Defense

Is frangible ammo good for self-defense?

Because of the way frangible bullets are designed to fragment when they impact soft tissue, they are great for self-defense and home defense. They do not over-penetrate like traditional FMJ or HP bullets would.

Traditional hollow-point ammunition often features a bullet made of solid lead jacketed in copper that holds the bullet together as it impacts a target.

Frangible ammo features a bullet that fragments, or in some cases, shatters, after striking the first barrier of the target.

Let’s get into the uses of frangible ammo and how HOP Munitions has taken frangible ammo to the next level.

223 frangible ammo for home defense — HOP Munitions 45-grain Frangible 223 ammunition ensures consistent shot patterns and reduced wear on your AR-15.

What is Frangible Ammo?

Frangible ammo is designed to essentially disintegrate upon impact, which mitigates over-penetration through walls, thus reducing the risk of collateral damage during a home invasion or personal defense situation.

Most frangible ammo is manufactured from compressed-powered metals such as copper or tin. The reason behind using those metals is that they act as a binding agent when compressed to form the bullet.

The result is a bullet that disintegrates into dust and extremely small fragments as it impacts a steel target or the soft tissue of a human.

What is Frangible Ammo Good For?

Training

Police and military personnel who operate in confined spaces need to train as realistically as possible. That involves training in narrow hallways, doorways, and small rooms. Shooting standard FMJ rounds in close quarters increases the chance of ricochet and associated injuries.

To mitigate that risk, frangible ammo has grown into a trusted option for these training scenarios. Frangible ammo allows military and law enforcement to conduct realistic training with a reduced risk of injury or fatalities.

Maxim Defense Frangible Ammo — Make entry, Find work. (Photo: Clandestine Media Group)

Using 223 Frangible Ammo for Home Defense

Debates surrounding the suitability of frangible ammunition for home defense can reach scorching temperatures within the gun community.

On one front, the reduced risk of overpenetration stands out as a significant advantage, especially in the context of home defense. The unsettling thought of a stray projectile tearing through walls or furniture and possibly injuring or killing a family member underscores the importance of this consideration.

Nonetheless, some critics are dead-set on the fact that frangible ammunition falls short in the department of stopping power, an attribute deemed vital for the defense of your home and yourself. HOP Munitions, however, has gone to great lengths to ensure their frang ammo is effective in a home defense situation. With a muzzle velocity of 3,250 feet-per-second and an energy of 1,055 foot-pounds at the muzzle, it’s got plenty of knock-down power within the confines of your home.

Back in the mid-to-late 90s, some higher-tier military units that were responsible for hostage rescue and other CQB-related mission sets used frang ammo in their carbines. The first mag was loaded with frangible ammo, and all subsequent mags were loaded with some type of ball, green tip, or hollow point.

For home defense, we recommend running the first mag with frangible ammo and then having your spare mag loaded with a hollow point load, such as 77-grain OTM.

Is Frangible Ammo lethal?

The short answer is yes.

While it is designed to break apart upon impact into dust and other small fragments, they still have a lethal component within CQB distances of a home. When a frangible bullet impacts a soft target, such as a person, those small fragments can still cause significant trauma to the human body, especially at close distances.

Additionally, when a frangible bullet impacts a softer target, likely, it won’t fragment like it was intended to do against a hard target, causing multiple wound channels.

What does frangible ammo do to a person? Because a frangible bullet might not fully break apart upon impact with the human body, there is the potential for multiple wound channels, which can lead to significant trauma. Performance can vary depending on the type of frang ammo that you’re using, the distance at which you engaged the threat, and the placement of the shot.

The biggest downside of frangible bullets has always been the lack of enough penetration to stop a threat. Frangible ammo is without a doubt lethal. Almost every gun owner wants to know that the ammunition they are loading into their defensive gun will put down the threat.

There was a time when hollow-point defense ammunition was the standard, but times changed, and so did ammunition technology.

High-Risk Areas of Operation

Frangible ammunition is also used in high-risk areas where a stray bullet’s impact creates a significant safety concern for the public.

Security personnel for oil platforms, hazardous material facilities, nuclear power plants, or chemical plants may opt to use frangible ammo to reduce the chance of a larger disaster resulting from having to discharge their weapon.

A military protocol has long dictated that the minimum safe distance for shooting steel targets with a 5.56mm carbine is 25 meters.

With HOP Munitions 223 frangible ammo, that distance has been reduced to effectively under 10 feet.

These are not your grandfather’s bullets, your father’s frangible bullets, or even the training ammo produced 10 years ago.

Frangible Ammunition Review | HOP Munitions

Elevate your home defense strategy to a whole new level of safety and performance with HOP Munitions 45-grain Frangible 223 ammunition.

HOP Munitions has loaded this ammunition to not only meet the highest standards in safety and performance but also to excel in home defense scenarios.

Designed to break apart upon impact, this frangible ammo offers a distinct advantage for home defense situations.

In the confines of your home, where safety is paramount, the reduced risk of ricochets and minimized over-penetration while still being able to handle lethal encounters are crucial factors to consider when selecting ammunition.

HOP Munitions provides the solution, ensuring that you can defend your home without compromising the well-being of yourself and your loved ones.

With a commitment to unwavering quality, our ammunition guarantees consistent shot patterns and minimal wear on your AR-15. When you prioritize the safety of your family and your property without sacrificing performance, the HOP Munitions 45-grain Frangible 223 ammunition is the definitive choice for home defense.

This .223 frangible ammunition not only sets the standard for safety and performance but also delivers the peace of mind you need when it matters most.

With the HOP Munitions frangible ammo, we now have the same terminal performance we love, with the stability and sturdiness we need.

Disadvantages of Frangible Bullets

Frangible bullets come with a set of disadvantages that you should consider. One significant drawback is their limited effective range. Because of their design, frangible bullets tend to lose velocity faster than traditional bullets, which means they’re less accurate and effective at longer distances.

Another drawback is their reduced ‘stopping power’ when compared to hollow-point bullets. Hollow-points expand upon impact, causing more damage to the target, while frangible bullets may not deliver the same level of stopping power.

Lastly, cost can be a concern. Frangible ammo is often pricier than traditional ammunition, which might discourage some shooters from using it for practice or self-defense. So, while frangible bullets have their advantages, it’s essential to weigh these disadvantages when deciding if they’re the right choice for your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Air Marshals use frangible bullets?

The Glaser Safety Slug was designed in 1974 in response to the possibility of Air Marshals having to use a handgun on an airplane.

The concerns at that time were over-penetration of soft tissue, ricochets off hard surfaces, and possible penetration of the aircraft fuselage.

The current Glaser Safety Slug is designed as a pre-fragmented bullet using a traditional copper jacket. Instead of a solid lead core like conventional hollow point ammunition, it has a compressed core of lead shot. It’s capped with a polymer ball that ensures flawless feeding and rapid follow-up shots.

Do police use frangible bullets?

Frangible ammunition, which breaks apart on impact, is mainly used by law enforcement agencies for training purposes, but can also be used for police interventions if department policies allow the use of frangible ammo.

Many police departments use duty ammunition that has been vetted through the FBI testing protocol. However, to keep training costs down and the training safer, frangible ammunition has made its way into police departments across the United States.

Are frangible bullets good for self defense?

When choosing self-defense ammo, there are a few things you need to take into account.

bullet construction
velocity
energy transfer
reliability
accuracy

Self-defense ammunition needs to penetrate deep enough to hit vital organs, but not over-penetrate causing collateral damage, and it needs to transfer enough energy to stop the threat.

One important fact to remember is that frangible ammo isn’t designed to meet FBI testing protocols. There are those, however, who refuse to use ammo that doesn’t meet FBI Testing Protocols. That said, it’s good to know what those actual testing protocols are.

The FBI testing protocol includes testing ammunition through barriers that most of us will never need to shoot through to stop a threat. Barriers such as auto glass, sheet metal, and plywood.

You do need your carry defense ammunition that will penetrate heavy clothing such as denim and leather. Just because certain ammunition wasn’t tested against or would fail the FBI protocol, doesn’t mean it isn’t good self-defense ammo.

Is frangible ammo bad for your gun?

Because frangible ammo is made of a softer bullet, it can increase the chance of fouling in the barrel.

During high round count range sessions, it has the potential to ruin the barrel faster requiring more cleaning, leading to higher ownership costs and more hassle. We won’t get into a gun cleaning debate here, but take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.