FMJ vs Hollow Point: Complete Comparison Guide

Table of Contents:

1. About FMJ Bullets
2. About Hollow Point Bullets
3. Making a Decision Between Full Metal Jacket and Hollow Point Ammunition
4. Berry’s Bullets: Your Partner in Precision Ammunition Performance

At a Glance: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) bullets are ideal for target practice and training with excellent penetration and affordability, while Hollow Point bullets are designed for self-defense with superior expansion and stopping power. These two bullet types serve distinct purposes in the shooting world.

When it comes to ammunition, choosing between FMJ and hollow point bullets is one of the most important decisions a shooter can make. Each type offers unique advantages that make them better suited for specific uses. Understanding the differences between FMJ and hollow point ammunition is essential for making an informed choice.

This comprehensive guide explores FMJ ammunition characteristics like solid metal jackets and deep penetration, alongside hollow point bullet features such as controlled expansion and stopping power, plus their diverse applications from target practice to personal defense and hunting.

About FMJ Bullets

Full metal jacket (FMJ) bullets represent one of the most common bullet types used for target practice and training. These FMJ rounds feature a solid lead core completely encased in a copper jacket or brass shell. This non-expanding bullet design creates a smooth, uniform exterior that aids in reliable feeding and consistent flight characteristics.

Construction and Materials

The FMJ bullet consists of two main components:

• A solid lead core that provides weight and density
• A copper jacket that completely surrounds the core except for the base
• The jacket thickness remains uniform throughout, providing balanced performance

Performance Characteristics

FMJ ammo delivers reliable performance in several key areas:

• Excellent feeding reliability due to smooth exterior profile
• Consistent accuracy across various target distances
• Deep penetration due to non-expanding design
• Minimal barrel fouling compared to lead bullet designs

Primary Applications

FMJ rounds serve multiple purposes:

• Range training and target practice sessions
• Competition shooting events
• Military and law enforcement qualification courses
• High-volume recreational shooting

Benefits and Limitations

The full metal jacket design offers distinct advantages:

• More affordable than specialized hollow point ammunition
• Reliable feeding in semi-automatic firearms
• Reduced lead exposure during handling
• Minimal barrel fouling

However, users should consider certain limitations:

• FMJ is less ideal for home defense due to the risk of over-penetration, but not necessarily unsuitable in all situations
• Limited stopping power compared to expanding bullets
• FMJ is generally unlawful for hunting in most regions due to its non-expanding nature and potential for unethical kills

About Hollow Point Bullets

Hollow point bullets are specifically engineered ammunition featuring a hollow cavity in the bullet’s tip that allows for controlled expansion upon impact. This distinctive design includes a hollowed-out nose section that exposes the solid lead core, surrounded by a copper jacket that helps maintain the bullet’s integrity during flight.

When a hollow point round strikes its target, the cavity fills with soft tissue and forces the bullet to expand, creating a larger wound channel. This expansion process, often called “mushrooming,” increases the expanding bullet’s frontal area while slowing its penetration. The wider wound channel created by this expansion typically transfers more energy to the target, making hollow point ammunition particularly effective for its intended uses.

Terminal Performance

Hollow point rounds demonstrate superior terminal ballistics compared to FMJ rounds. High-quality hollow point ammunition typically achieves penetration depths of 12-18 inches in ballistic gel testing, though this can vary based on bullet design and firearm, often meeting FBI standards for defensive ammunition. The expansion mechanism creates a larger wound channel while generally reducing the risk of over-penetration, though hollow point bullets are not guaranteed to prevent it in every scenario, as the expanded bullet is usually less likely to pass through the target.

Primary Applications

• Law enforcement agencies widely use hollow point ammunition for home defense and to minimize collateral damage
• For civilian self defense hollow points are a common choice due to their stopping power and energy transfer capabilities
• Hunters also favor hollow points for their ethical harvesting properties, as the expanded bullet delivers more energy to vital organs

Benefits and Considerations

The main advantage of hollow point bullets is their ability to transfer maximum energy to the target while minimizing the risk of pass-through. They typically show excellent stopping power due to their expansion characteristics. However, these benefits come with higher ammunition costs compared to FMJ ammo. While some older firearms or certain models may have occasional feeding issues with hollow point bullets, most modern hollow point designs are optimized for reliable feeding in contemporary firearms.

Modern jacketed hollow point bullets represent an evolution in ammunition technology, balancing expansion, penetration, and accuracy for defensive and hunting applications. The design’s effectiveness has made it a standard choice for situations where maximum energy transfer and controlled penetration are priorities.

Making a Decision Between Full Metal Jacket and Hollow Point Ammunition

Usage Considerations

Training methodology influences ammunition selection significantly. FMJ rounds excel for developing fundamental marksmanship skills due to their consistent flight characteristics and lower cost per round. Hollow point ammunition becomes essential when transitioning from basic accuracy training to defensive shooting scenarios, where terminal performance matches real-world requirements.

Cost considerations also play a major role in ammunition selection. FMJ rounds typically cost significantly less than hollow point ammunition, making them ideal for high-volume training sessions where shooters need to maximize practice time while managing expenses.

Performance Factors

FMJ bullets maintain their copper jacket and shape on impact and create minimal tissue disruption, typically passing through targets and causing narrow wound channels. They offer good accuracy as target bullets but may over-penetrate in self-defense scenarios. 

Hollow point rounds are engineered to expand on impact, creating a larger wound channel while reducing collateral damage risks. Quality defensive hollow points achieve 12-18 inches of penetration while expanding to roughly 1.5 times their original diameter.

Hunting Applications

FMJ rounds are generally not recommended for hunting due to their non-expanding bullet characteristics, which can lead to wounded animals that may escape. Their penetrating nature also raises safety concerns in hunting environments.

Hollow point bullets are preferred by many hunters because they expand upon impact, creating larger wound channels and transferring more energy to soft tissue, but they may not be legal for all hunting situations in certain regions. This results in cleaner, more ethical harvests. Most states, like California, actually require expanding ammunition like hollow points for hunting medium to large game to ensure quick, humane kills.

Application-Specific Recommendations

For range training: Use FMJ ammunition. The lower cost allows more practice time, and the consistent performance helps develop fundamental shot placement.

For home defense: Choose high-quality hollow point ammunition. The controlled expansion reduces the risk of over-penetration through walls while maximizing stopping power.

For concealed carry: Select proven defensive hollow point loads. Look for ammunition that meets FBI testing protocols and functions reliably in your specific firearm.

Berry’s Bullets: Your Partner in Precision Ammunition Performance

Whether you choose Full Metal Jacket bullets for training or Hybrid Hollow Points for self-defense applications, Berry’s Bullets provides the precision components you need for optimal performance. Our manufacturing process begins with swaged lead cores that are then electroplated with copper to achieve exact weight specifications and superior consistency.

Berry’s FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) Bullets:

Berry’s FMJ rifle bullets are designed specifically for .223/5.56mm applications, offering consistent accuracy and reliable performance for target practice and training.

Rifle FMJ:

• .223/5.56mm (.224) 55gr FMJ-BT – Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail
• .223/5.56mm (.224) 62gr FMJ-BT – Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail
• Factory Blemished 55gr FMJ-BT – 1000ct
• Factory Blemished 62gr FMJ-BT – 1000ct

Berry’s Hollow Point Bullets

Berry’s hollow point bullets are engineered with electroplated copper construction for superior expansion, weight retention, and consistent performance across defensive, training, and competitive shooting applications.

Hybrid Hollow Point (HHP):

Berry’s Hybrid Hollow Point bullets combine controlled expansion with deep penetration, specifically engineered for personal protection and law enforcement applications.

• .380 Cal (.356) 100gr HHP
• 9mm (.356) 124gr HHP
• 9mm (.356) 147gr HHP
• .40 Cal (.401) 180gr HHP
• .45 Cal (.452) 185gr HHP
• .45 Cal (.452) 230gr HHP

Target Hollow Point (THP):

Berry’s Target Hollow Point bullets deliver exceptional accuracy for competitive shooting and training while creating clean, round holes in paper targets for easy scoring.

• 9mm (.356) 124gr THP
• .38/.357 (.357) 125gr THP
• .40 Cal (.401) 180gr THP
• .44 Magnum (.429) 240gr THP
• .45 Cal (.452) 200gr THP

Hollow Base Hollow Point (HBHP):

Berry’s Hollow Base Hollow Point bullets feature dual hollow designs that enhance both accuracy through improved gas seal and controlled expansion upon impact.

• 9mm (.356) 121gr HBHP – Hollow Base Hollow Point

With over 60 years of bullet manufacturing expertise, Berry’s Bullets has earned recognition for producing the finest copper-plated bullets available. Our commitment to quality helps reloaders create handloaded ammunition that performs consistently, shot after shot, whether you’re training at the range or protecting what matters most.

Ready to experience superior ammunition performance? Explore our full lineup and discover why serious shooters choose Berry’s for precision components that deliver when it counts.