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Some time ago I read an article about the stopping effectiveness of the old Webley 38/200 round. If I recall correctly, it was asserted this round was unusually effective as a man stopper. The theory given was that the heavy-for-caliber 200-grain lead boolit, pushed at relatively low velocity (around 600 fps) was unstable when it penetrated the target. This unstable boolit thus was said to twist and tumble upon impact, which caused a great amount of damage. Because of this, so the story goes, the weight of the standard-issue 200-grain lead boolit was reduced to a 178-grain jacketed bullet in the 1930s, as it was thought the lighter bullet would create more survivable wounds which would be more acceptable to international agreements relating to military small-arms ammunition.
Does anyone have any insight on this theory and the effectiveness of a 200-grain boolit in the .38? If the 200-grain boolit is really so effective at this low velocity of 600 fps, it seems it could be a promising boolit in a moderate load for the 38 Special, especially since it would not be dependant on expansion for quickly stopping an attack. Would it be a good recipe for personal protection in a short-barreled concealed-carry pistol?
Some time ago I read an article about the stopping effectiveness of the old Webley 38/200 round. If I recall correctly, it was asserted this round was unusually effective as a man stopper. The theory given was that the heavy-for-caliber 200-grain lead boolit, pushed at relatively low velocity (around 600 fps) was unstable when it penetrated the target. This unstable boolit thus was said to twist and tumble upon impact, which caused a great amount of damage. Because of this, so the story goes, the weight of the standard-issue 200-grain lead boolit was reduced to a 178-grain jacketed bullet in the 1930s, as it was thought the lighter bullet would create more survivable wounds which would be more acceptable to international agreements relating to military small-arms ammunition.
Does anyone have any insight on this theory and the effectiveness of a 200-grain boolit in the .38? If the 200-grain boolit is really so effective at this low velocity of 600 fps, it seems it could be a promising boolit in a moderate load for the 38 Special, especially since it would not be dependant on expansion for quickly stopping an attack. Would it be a good recipe for personal protection in a short-barreled concealed-carry pistol?