Bonded vs. Non-Bonded Ammo For Self-Defense

 

When it comes to self-defense ammunition, does it matter whether the bullet is bonded or non-bonded? How does bonding affect the performance of ammunition? What is bonding? Simply put, it’s the act of securing a bullet’s core to its jacket. Many manufacturers won’t give away their trade secrets of how they bond the jacket to the bullet, but some will admit they use a soldering process in which the lead core is melted, which makes it fill the available space and adhere to the bullet’s jacket. Other methods include electrochemical means in which the jacket is applied to the outer surface like plating.

But how a bullet is bonded isn’t really what we’re here for, right? Let’s dive into why bonded ammunition might be good (or bad) for self-defense applications.

Why Bond The Bullet?

Bonding causes the bullet’s jacket and core to hold together and not separate when it hits a solid medium, which, in the case of defensive ammunition, would mean a bad guy.

One school of thought believes that bonded bullets are more effective when they hold together because the solid projectile that stays together will usually penetrate more deeply into the attacker. Penetration is good because it has a greater potential to reach vital organs, which helps to shut an attacker down. Bullets that fail to penetrate deeply enough can often fail to stop an attacker.

The other school of thought goes along the lines that a bullet that breaks up inside the attacker creates a few wound channels, which multiplies the wounds. More pieces equals more wounds.

Which one is right? Data points toward the bullet holding together as being a good thing. But honestly, I won’t get my heart rate up if the bullets I’m using aren’t bonded.

One area where non-bonded rounds sometimes suffer is when they have to penetrate certain materials, such as auto glass, which sometimes causes the jacket and core to separate. Bonded bullets seem to hold up better when put through their paces with the FBI’s test protocol, which many law enforcement agencies nationwide have also adopted.

RTWT