• Jacketed softpoint bullets—popular then as being noncontroversial—had to exceed 1,300 fps to start any expansion, although they were capable of reasonable if not stellar outcomes if loaded over 1,100 fps.

• When choosing .357 Mag. ammo, we had to consider barrel length. With the slow-burning propellants used, barrels longer than 4 inches could produce velocities exceeding the construction limits of some hollowpoints, producing shallow cavities not seen when we used shorter barrels. We ultimately recommended bullets in the 140- to 158-grain range for longer barrels.

• Original .44 Mag. lead SWC loads started to expand with 4-inch barrels and produced a wound cavity as large as newer .44 Mag. HP loads but with unacceptably high exit velocities.

• The .41 Mag. “police” load—a 210-grain lead SWC at 960 fps—struggled to make the 200 ft-lbs minimum we set and nearly always produced a hazardous over-penetration situation. In spite of this, it proved to work well in the “real world” as long as no one was standing behind the bullet’s intended recipient.

We also learned how in-tissue bullet stability affected wound-cavity volumes:

• Standard-velocity lead RN .38 Spl. bullets (158 grains) began to tip at about 31⁄2 inches into the gelatin, as shown by a flare line extending from one side of the wound track. This slightly increased the cavity volume.

• High-velocity lead RN .38 Spl. bullets stayed nose-on through the entire block, as did all lead SWC

.38 Spl. ammo fired at similar velocities.

• The .44 Spl. 246-grain LRN at 660 fps from a 4-inch revolver was so stable in gelatin that it produced wound volumes that were slightly less than the unstable .38 Spl. LRN.

• Rifling twist rate can affect in-tissue stability. We fired factory