# Fiocchi 125gr Frangible Sinter Fire 40 S&W



## Mental Avenger (Feb 24, 2010)

I recently purchased some Fiocchi Frangible for my P229. Although it appears to be intended mostly for practice or unleaded ranges, I thought it might be a candidate for personal defense. As search of the internet wasn’t very helpful. There were a lot of opinions and very little data. There seems to be a consensus that it is a very accurate round. Also, it won’t probably go through doors or walls, making it safer. But, will it go through clothing such as a heavy work jacket or coat and still do a number on the target?

If anyone has any personal or reliable information regarding this round, I’d like to hear it.
Thanks.


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## dosborn (Apr 17, 2009)

Those rounds would work fine for the range. I personally think that 125gr is a little light (its' closer to 9mm weight) for .40 in a self defense situation. I like to shoot at least 165gr since it seems to be pretty common around here. And a .32 will go through the "puffy" jackets :mrgreen: and walls. A .22LR can go through a wall/clothing too. It's not all about penetration.


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## Mental Avenger (Feb 24, 2010)

My question has to do with the fact that these rounds are made of powered steel, and turn into dust on impact with a hard surface. They don’t ricochet at all. But there seems to be very little information about it’s ability to penetrate a jacket without turning to dust. I’m going to do my own tests with pumpkins covered with old jackets. But I’d still like to know if there is any test data on it.

The 125gr Fiocchi Frangible apparently has a muzzle velocity of 1265fps, which is about 200fps faster than a 165gr. Although that gives it more muzzle energy, that does not mean it does a better job on the target.


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## dosborn (Apr 17, 2009)

Give it a try. I would be interested to hear the results. IMO cloth or soft tissue would not turn the projectile to dust so to speak, but rather maybe break into pieces. It were to hit bone that may be a different story. If the bullet didn't hit a hard surface it may stay intact? If it does it may just go though the target instead of tear/rip/displace major arteries, organs and tissue like a lead core jacketed or bonded hollow point.


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