What does less damage to steel JHP or JSP?

[Bremen]

Gents

Apples for apples, if the only difference is jacketed hollow point versus jacketed soft point; which would do less damage to steel or generally be safer (splashback etc)?

My reading, mainly USA forums, so it's kinda all self defence or hunting suggested the JHP breaks up faster and disperses energy quicker?

[brett1868]

If you use Bisalloy 500 steel then nothing short of an armour piercing round from a 50BMG will damage it....

[flutch]

Mild steel is fine for most rifle applications, especially due to being a more than safe distance from the target, if using shotgun/pistol however better to use something far more impervious to being slammed into, however the angle/projectile type and distance and velocity is always going to have a direct influence on how much debris is reflected back toward the shooter. Mates of mine in the Philippines load with softer cast bullets at lower velocities for ipsc events where steel targets are employed.

[bladeracer]

Gents

Apples for apples, if the only difference is jacketed hollow point versus jacketed soft point; which would do less damage to steel or generally be safer (splashback etc)?

My reading, mainly USA forums, so it's kinda all self defence or hunting suggested the JHP breaks up faster and disperses energy quicker?

Type of steel, bullet weight, velocity, and range will dictate how much damage it does.
Against steel I doubt there's going to be a difference between JSP or JHP or FMJ bullets, they all do the same job against steel.

Splashback, as opposed to ricochet, consists of tiny fragments. You're probably at greater risk from gravel being thrown back as the splash back hits the ground around the target.

[pomemax]

How ya doing Brett 1868
dont think much would damage the steel / distance is the factor you have to think on @ 3 feet worry at 1 mile np

[Bremen]

Type of steel, bullet weight, velocity, and range will dictate how much damage it does.
Against steel I doubt there's going to be a difference between JSP or JHP or FMJ bullets, they all do the same job against steel.

The issue isn't knock down power on the steel its damaging it. I obviously don't want to damage targets at met-sil and have been advised FMJ is prohibited because it damages targets but soft and hollow 'should' be ok. I'm looking at .44mag 240gr.

[bladeracer]

I didn't mention energy at all. Jacketed lead bullets are going to evaporate against steel. The amount of damage to the steel will come down to the energy you hit it with and the makeup of the steel.
I punched a cast 180gn bullet through an 8mm universal beam at 50m with 8x57mm doing 2500fps. At 100m the .204 with 24gn and 32gn bullets goes through that same steel.

[bladeracer]

I've shot my half-scale silhouettes with .44 Mag at about 5m and it didn't leave a mark on .the 10mm Bizalloy. Probably would've gone straight through mild steel. I don't have any FMJ bullets to try in .44 Mag though, only Berry's Copper-Plated Hardcast.

If they don't allow FMJ don't use them, but if they allow JSP and JHP use whichever shoots better in the rifle.

[flutch]

Bullet makeup does matter, and its not always obvious, example federal 180gn factory rounds through my 300win, into a 1" thick mild steel target @200m leaves about a 1/5" crater, in contrast a 185gn lapua match round at the same velocity is penetrating 1/2", the high BC round does more damage, whether it's due to the makeup of the jacket or the sectional density I don't know, but I would suggest the latter would be creating a higher risk of steel fragments whereas the soft point 180gn having essentially gouged less material out of the target would have more lead/copper debris than anything else... both leave craters in the steel roughly 1 and 3/4" in width

[duncan61]

I can share my experiences.I have no data but am sure the hollow points penetrate more than PSP.At 100m on mild steel 10mm thick my .222 will pencil a hole with 52gn Sierra Matchking but the Remington PSP make a bit of a splat and bulge the other side.The target bullets are loaded hot on 2207 approx 3000fps and the PSP are doing about 2700fps but I bet if you switched them you would get a similar result..243 and 7mm Rem just blast through however the hole size is different.7mm 175gn Remington Corelokt make a massive hole that is jagged and a lot of mushrooming about 22mm but 168gn Sierra Matchkings make a neat hole about 12mm.I shot a 7mm Winchester failsafe at biz alloy at 20m and it made a small dent.biz alloy at 100m showed no damage at all with anything.If we get invaded can I live inside the biz alloy.PSP is pointed soft point and target bullets have a tiny meplat so it makes sense they zip through more efficiently

[flutch]

I didn't mention energy at all. Jacketed lead bullets are going to evaporate against steel. The amount of damage to the steel will come down to the energy you hit it with and the makeup of the steel.
I punched a cast 180gn bullet through an 8mm universal beam at 50m with 8x57mm doing 2500fps. At 100m the .204 with 24gn and 32gn bullets goes through that same steel.

Make no bones about it, speed = penetration when it comes to hard surfaces, I last bowhunt and it was long touted that heaver arrows penetrated better, however after quite a lot of YouTube bowhunting personalities started doing comparisons with thinner and lighter arrows on the newer faster bows they found that penetration was more highly achieved by adding speed.

Same applies to guns, but to a degree, if a bullet of low mass/sectional density is moving at breakneck speeds (think 22-250 and 220 swift @32gn) the bullet would likely not penetrate due to fragility and lack of sectional density/mass, however to compare a 223 or 204 bullet, if loaded to a slower spec (let's say sub 3000fps) and fired it drastically reduces it's chances of penetrating that same I beam, however speed up the same projectile to its higher standard velocity and hey presto clean hole punch time, there's a video of a bloke shooting top level body armour with a 308 and 270 and 6.5*55, old now so whether the channel still exists i don't know the 308 fails to even dent the steel and the latter two go right through, all 3 were loaded in around 150gn

[TassieTiger]

This is an interesting video and an eye opener.
They shot at some ar500 with just about every mainstream caliber available - only two went through, one was a 50 and the other surprised the heck out of me...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r7hzyXZawJk

[Gamerancher]

Bremen, you are correct, FMJ is not allowed in metallic silhouette due to its tendency to damage targets. Even just cratering targets is frowned upon, it can lead to people cutting their hands when standing targets.
Jacketed hollow points and soft points are usually fine. In lever-gun silhouette, which I assume you are looking at, just run a very mild load. It has been found that stoking your loads up to maximum, just leads to gun failures. ( Esp. Marlins Never go to the line with a Marlin without an appropriate screwdriver in your pocket ) If you are reloading, try cast bullets, your own or a commercial hard-cast variety.
If this is for the pistol calibre event, the furthest target is only 100m. Even for the rifle class, the rams at 200m can easily be reached with mild loads.
You have to remember that these guns are mostly based on designs from the late 1800's and black-powder velocities. Even "modern" models are still held together with quite small screws that are only using about 3 to 4 threads. With the repetition of match shooting they tend to rattle screws loose, the hotter your loads, the more you'll be tightening things up.

[Bremen]

Bremen, you are correct, FMJ is not allowed in metallic silhouette due to its tendency to damage targets.
If you are reloading, try cast bullets...
If this is for the pistol calibre event, the furthest target is only 100m....

Thank you. The pistol is a Desert Eagle (don't judge me ). Factory Winchester, POU etc usually cycle and are rated at 1300+fps 240gr on the packets. I can run lighter but it won't cycle and it's an accurate fun pistol so would prefer to use a load that's suited. There's not much choice in factory loads in .44mag sadly.
I don't reload as I don't have a space. However it would be ideal as I've read up on reloads and you can apparently obtain powder coated .44 projectiles and load a much cleaner powder which is ideal in these.

Anyhow, I don't want to turn up and destroy targets and noticed both spj and jhp available. At $60 I don't want to waste them

[Gamerancher]

Okay, all of the information I gave was in relation to lever-action rifle silhouette. For actual handgun silhouette, I'd suggest going to a match and talking to those that shoot it, sorry for the confusion.