No use for FMJ

Am I the only one who never really buys or reloads FMJ ? Don't really have a purpose for it since all my shooting just kinda fall back to trying to put a round in a critter. Dont like having to change my zeros ( nothing like missing a coyote because your zeroed for FMJ but slapped in a VMAX , ask me how I know lol) all the time so I just load stuff I can actually hunt with. I mean don't get me wrong you can hunt with FMJ.....but head shots are frowned upon

I have the same thoughts as well. Some states it is illegal to use FMJ for hunting. I am thinking the FMJ loads are from over runs like Lake City and sold cheaper. As long as folks keep buying they will keep supplying them.

Whays wrong with HEAD shots? Less wasted meat.

I remember reading an article in one of my dads gun mags from the 50 that described converting FMJs into hunting rounds by grinding the front part down so that it would mushroom, never tried it but remember reading about it though for the life of me can’t remember the mag or who wrote it

That said In pistol ammo I do buy FMJs if I can get them cheap enough just to blow through at the range in my range guns of which I have a few that just see range use, and I have a few that closely print to what my carry guns with carry ammo does so it gets bought for practice instead of using high price carry ammo or if I need a bunch or brass, but that’s about it,

I have used it for plinking gophers and other small pests but 99% of what I buy or reload is either home cast lead or hunting/self defense rounds

I have some fmj in 223, and 9mm left over from about 23 years ago. I figured they can be good for trading if things get bad or last ditch ammo. Other than that I have no use for them.

All my 5.56/223 is blitzing with 8208 that shoot dime sized 100 yard groups or mid south varmint nightmare extreme sp with same powder they keep inside a quarter are/were very cheap and inside 300 yards do all I need.

The 9mm is factory loaded 147gr I bought to keep subsonic loads in a suppressed pistol. I since decided suppressed hand hung are to long and unwieldy to practically carry around so it never gets shot.

I have no use for fmj not even from my edc pistol for practice to save money
The small amount of money saved was not worth the Hassel of changing mags and keeping track of what ammo was in the gun. So for all my guns it's ammo I'm willing to use on animals and no going back and forth.

My boys and I handload and shoot FMJ all the time at the range. I also have a lot loaded for times of unrest.

It is not a hunting round but I'll ear shoot hogs with it from the truck.

The only use I have for FMJ is target practice ammo. Thanks to ammo being outrageous just like fuel and everything else I can’t afford to target practice anymore.

223 fmj coyote. I prefer a heavier caliber. As you can see the exit hole in the throat is pretty bad though still acceptable. I'm pretty sure the bullet tumbled though I did not do an extensive autopsy. A 90-100 gr fmj .243 or .244 (6mm) drops them just fine and saves on sewing if you don’t jack up the powder/velocity too much.

I have a old jig my father in law made that holds 10 .22 lr rounds, a file takes the very tip off making it flat. That is supposed to greatly increase shock factor on impact. The jig I guess makes them uniform. I too have read about flat tipping FMJ rounds. I also have no problem with head shots, as long as it's well withing my personal sure shot range.

Looks like it hit bone and tumbled and probably framed. In guessing the spine? Bone becomes projectiles and cam make come really big holes. That's not always the case and can't expect results like that although they do happen. I had a hole in a coyote I could stick a grapefruit in and still have an inch or two around the sides. But it was with my 260 and 120 gr a max normal exits were half dollar. This was huge because I shot it running at 250 yards and hit it in the hips blowing the bullet to pieces and the bones out the other ride as 2ndary projectiles. I didn't know it was possible to get a hole like that out of that gun ammo combo and had shot around 35 with it at that point. Had it been my first and only one I would have thought that 260 was like a 50bmg.

Edit I will say though I do buy cheap 9mm FMJ

Nothing wrong with fmj for killing stuff.

I don't buy it ...

I’ve been through the Sierra bullet factory with one of their head ballistic men and he said that the public wants their 55 gr. fmj bullet and that Sierra really didn’t like to make them. They aren’t as accurate as other bullets because of the way they have to draw the jackets.

FMJ has it's place in target shooting because they tend to cost less but work decent enough

I don't personalty reload FMJ for 223 because for about a penny a round I can load soft points and have one ammo for targets and critters

I do the same in 308


in 9mm however I load a lot of round nose coated today was 301 rounds used between the 2 of us so a fair amount I like to have 500 with for a match one reshoot of a long stage and that could go from 301 to 370 fairly quickly.

in 22lr I buy mostly target ammo CCI SV or blazer I can't tell the accuracy difference in my pistol so blazer functions it well and saves cost

I keep 22lr hollow points for game and dispatch

it really all depends on your use

I think most casual buyers want budget ammo and if they could make soft points at the same price they could sell those no problem

but can they soft points at the same price ?

I’ve used 55 gr hand loaded fmj’s in my 22-250 for years coyote hunting. Never had one complain about its demise. If you can shoot, they will do just fine.

9mm fmj will blow the lungs right out of the body...

The 55 gr Hornady Spire Point has shot decent for me... And right now a case of 6000 is $10 cheaper than the 55 gr FMJ w/cannelure.

https://www.armorally.com/shop/hornady-22-caliber-55gr-spire-point/

And they'll work fine for civil unrest like Blaine mentioned. (I never personally signed my name to the Geneva convention.)

Mike

Back about 40 years ago, we went jackrabbit/coyote hunting with 7.62 mm military ball ammo that I was given. They were a little bit hotter than my standard reloads for .308. It was interesting to see some of the wound channels. We didn't run into any coyotes that day but did pile up the jacks...

FMJ ammo has it's place in the shooting/hunting world. I look at it from the BIG PICTURE standpoint also. Weather you care for FMJ or not always agree to keep it. Those that wish to get rid of it are chipping away at all our ammo and rights

I shot it for target and plinking before I sold my guns. I had enough guns I could use some for practice and others for hunting.

I reload and shoot 3500-4000 fmj a year in my different handguns. I have a decent course set up with 30 different steel targets and gongs. I love the sound of hard ball ringing away. If you don't like it, don't use it.

WS

In my opinion V Max are frowned upon. Splash

the way I look at it I have no use for sports cars and golf.

and while both are a waste of time and money for me feel free to waste your time and money how you like so long as you pay your bills and feed your kids.

In my experience a bullet almost always hits bone. Almost always, especially in a coyote sized critter given the extensive penetration due to relatively small body size. I've dropped quite a few coyotes with fmj of various calibers. I suspect those who say they don't work, or don't work well enough, are often stating someone else's theory. I'm talking thin skinned pretty scrawny animal; ie coyote. I would not want to try plugging moose or elk w fmj bullets although I do load up w fmj 357 'bear spray'. There is likely better 357 bullets but we have some big bears and I hope to break some bone if it ever comes to that!

Sure it hits bones I ment heavy bone like the spine at an angle like the picture appears to show or like through the pelvis like the one I mentioned. I should have made that clear my mistake. A rib or to is not as big of an effect. Your right though I don't have much experience with fmj. Sure they can kill things but there are better bullets for that and I get enough spinning and flipping with explosive varmint bullets that do a lot of damage to avoid using anything less.
Infact I don't use a 223 anymore because I have results I like so much better with a 243 7mm08 and 260. Yes I can drop them with one shot from a .22lr at 65 yards but I don't like to limit myself. Others have different experiences , expectations, and priorities. Some want to shoot cheap, small holes in skins, and don't mind if they have to follow a blood trail if thing don't go perfect. I understand that. I prefer bang flop every time and I don't care if it's got a basket ball size hole in my $2 coyote. I load my ammo so it comparatively cheap and I only want to shoot one load out of each gun. So a 100 gr sp for deer will be what I shot a coyote with out of a 243 for example. Checks all my boxes.

Now a .223 with 45gr hp is a great gray squirrel round and when shot in the chest behind the shoulder no meat loss. They are so thin they don't open up but hit so hard the impact blows the guts out. Zero crawl offs I bet fmj would be about the same. Good for squirrel and you can limit out from 80 yards . Guess I can find a use for fmj.



I love 158gr Hornaday xtp in 357 out of a carbine and out of a pistol will get the job done. But I think I would carry my ruger 45lc with heavy 300gr hard cast Keith style bullets for back up bear protection. Back up for my 12g with rifled slugs. I used guns people said were to small all the time when I was younger at ranges people won't believe. Now I prefer bit bigger guns. Not stupid big I don't like heavy recoil but big enough.

I live in Indiana so no experience with bears or anything bigger than a whitetail. But I'm pretty sure I would want a big hole and very deep penetration. Figure I want to be sure it's dead don't want anyone putting them self in danger trying to kill a bear because it killed me. I would rather have the dead bear next to my body.

Sounds good PF and I wasn't referring to you specifically with my 'theory' statement. I rarely have a true broadside shot at anything seems they are almost always 1/4ing to one degree or another even so coyotes don't hold up well after being shot broadside through the ribs, fmj or otherwise, in my experience. The only coyote I ever remember blood trailing was hit too far back and the damage was such it wasn't going very far very fast although there were a few tense moments after rushed follow ups missed. That was w a 223 fmj.
Sorry to hear about your $2 coyotes I only kill them for prime skins and we do have a nice market outside the regular fur market so yes I don't want to blow them to pieces.

Good points. I used to have a 44 red hawk hogleg. Might as well have had a shotgun packing that thing around. Also have carried a shotgun, on purpose and by chance, on close encounters with brown bears. I've never had to fire on one to kill in self defence although very close, too close 3 times...the only gun that MIGHT help out in a bad situation is one that you have on you when you need it. So I've dumbed down to the small light easy to carry 357 if it ever goes to hand to hand with one of those guys....for casual everyday carry. If I'm expecting trouble, or hunting, well obviously I'm going large!