Suppose frangible ammo & bullets are something that you have been considering. In that case, you should know that you might benefit from reading this article on the topic before proceeding with it.
Our focus is much on some of the dangers associated with lead. You can see it from our articles on replacing plaster with drywall, exposure to lead paint while pregnant, and illegal landlord actions. Lead could unnecessarily put tenants in harm’s way due to lead paint exposure. It will probably come as no surprise the ammunition you are using could be dangerous.
When you practice your shooting, you could be exposing yourself to a major source of lead. Make sure you are considering it if you’re using traditional ammo.
Frangible ammo is starting to pick up steam. It is increasingly being used by the people keeping our neighborhoods safe – you know, the people in blue. It’s also important to note that there are certain downsides to it. It’s why we will cover everything you will need to know about the topic, whether you’re using a 9mm, a .223, or a 5.56.
Table of Contents
- What are frangible bullets, and what is it used for?
- Benefits
- Is it good for self-defense?
- Amusement parks – the place where the story began
What are frangible bullets, and what is it used for?
Frangible bullets are designed to turn into dust when they come in contact with a hard target. They are generally considered appropriate mainly for training purposes. Upon contact, the bullet is crushed into many smaller pieces.
While various materials are used to make this bullet, the most common component is copper because of the metal’s properties. With the creation of this type of ammo, you have certain benefits as it will turn into harmless fragments upon contact with hard surfaces. It means the potential structural damage they could be causing is significantly lowered.
Besides copper, tin is also an important component of these bullets. So are the other materials used as binding agents to give the ammo its properties.
| Characteristic | Comment |
| Price | Expensive |
| Impact | Shatters on impact |
| Good for | Training |
| Lead/lead-free | Lead-free |
Benefits
Frangible ammo benefits from being used in places where it would be very inconvenient and dangerous to use traditional bullets. Whether using traditional bullets like the full metal jackets or the jacketed hollow points, these come with significant risks to the user. When training in narrow spaces, you’re at unbelievable risk with traditional ammo.
It has:
- narrow hallways
- doorways
- and small rooms
It provides a great risk of ricochet injuries.
Frangible ammo does not have this downside. It’s great for police and military personnel, who can not avoid training under such circumstances. This type of ammunition provides benefits that traditional ammo doesn’t.
When shooting traditional bullets in such a tight space, there is an inherent and very big risk of unintentionally getting injured. It’s why these bullets can save the life of someone who is engaged in necessary training.
However, that does not mean that these bullets are only used for training purposes by law enforcement. While these types of bullets may be valuable in training situations, they are also used in real life.
These bullets may disintegrate as they hit hard surfaces. It does not mean that they are exempt from being able to do some significant damage to someone standing in their way. They may still be in situations that resemble the training conditions originally designed for – hallways and other tight spaces.
Frangible ammo has the benefit that it greatly reduces the chances of over-penetration. They still provide the necessary protection that normal bullets would be providing. These bullets are still very valuable for their ability to deal with a soft target that poses a threat.
Without the risk of backfiring, they do provide a safer alternative to usual bullets. If you are up against a person standing in front of a steel wall, there’s no question as to which type of ammunition we would rather have.
There are various situations where you could easily imagine that the various equipment around would get severely damaged if real bullets were used. In contrast, these frangible alternatives provide an option to have still a security guard who has the means to deal with an intruder should the need arise.
There are other places where it wouldn’t just be a safety concern if a bullet ricochets. It could also be a situation where you could easily have someone do millions of dollars worth of damage. If bullets started flying around, there’s no knowing what they’ll hit. Imagine the chaos it would cause if an oil tank started leaking. Maybe hazardous material was leaked from the leaks that normal ammunition would create. It could be devastating!
Is it good for self-defense?
If you haven’t guessed it, frangible ammo is great for self-defense purposes at home. It won’t rebound as a usual bullet will while still being able to keep you and your family safe at home. There are also other advantages to this type of ammo that we will be talking about in a different article. Some people have concerns about what it does to the barrel.
Amusement parks – the place where the story began
You would probably never have guessed it, but it was an innovation that stems from a common problem seen at amusement parks. It may not be the biggest firepower these places possess. The way the amusement situations are set up, there would be a lot of situations that caused bullets to ricochet. People would end up getting hurt in the process. As you may have guessed, the first type of this ammunition was a .22 short round made solely for the intention of avoiding ricochet injuries. The initial round was made from compressed powder. The invention may have come a long way from its initial stages. There’s no denying that this invention has changed the outcome both for people attending amusement parks and law enforcement officers.
