Guns: The Denim Dilemma

When you think about it, bullets are a very primitive way to stop an attacker. That's both a good thing and a bad thing; good because they're simpler and more reliable than other weapons, bad because relatively simple measures will also impede a bullet, especially a low velocity handgun bullet.

Take hollowpoint handgun bullets, for instance. Most people (even non-shooters) know that hollowpoints are designed to expand inside an attacker's body in order to damage more tissue. But early hollowpoints were plugged up by clothing (say, thick denim jeans or winter jackets), preventing them from expanding and reducing their effectiveness.

The bullet manufacturers, thankfully, have not been asleep at the wheel. In fact, the resurgence of the Second Amendment right to defense and state-level concealed carry laws have made it profitable to market hollowpoints especially designed to expand even when plugged up by clothing. The Hornady "Critical Defense" line is one of those newer designs:



Okay, so the commercial is faintly ridiculous, and the idea is not exactly novel (Corbon's popular "Pow'R Ball" line of hollowpoints uses a similar plugged-up cavity), but performance trumps originality when it comes to self-defense ammo. The Hornady line seems to expand adequately, so look for it (and other reputable self-defense ammo) on store shelves to help solve the denim dilemma.