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I'm a "gun guy", AMA

A couple people had expressed interest in this topic, and I have a bit of extra time for a couple days, so here goes:

Bona fides: I am a former infantry NCO and sniper, hunter, competitive shooter, reloader, hobby gunsmith, sometimes firearms trainer and currently work in a gun shop, mostly on the paperwork/compliance side. Back in the day, was a qualified expert with every standard small arm in the US inventory circa 2003 (M2, 4, 9, 16, 19, 249, 240B, 21, 24, 82 etc.), and today hang around the 75th percentile of USPSA classifications. I've shot Cap-and-Ball, Trap and Sporting Clays badly; Bullseye and PRS somewhat better and IDPA/USPSA/UML/Two-gun with some local success. Been active in the 2A community since the mid-90s, got my first instructor cert in high school, and have held a CPL for almost twenty years now.

I certainly don't claim to be an expert in every aspect of firearms, there's huge areas that escape my knowledge base, but if you've got questions I'll do my best to answer.

Technical questions

Gun control proposals for feasibility

Industry

Training

Wacky opinions

General geekery

Some competition links (not my own) just for the interested.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=U5IhsWamaLY&t=173

https://youtube.com/watch?v=93nEEINflXE

https://youtube.com/watch?v=utcky0zq10E

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xVh4CjbgK7s

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0IK2RUxVq3A

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Is there a noticeable difference in wounding potential between a FMJ round and a wadcutter, assuming similar ballistics -mass, velocity ?

Not much, probably a slight edge to the wadcutter. JHP beats them both, badly.

Asking because JHP was effectively banned here until very recently, now requires a may-issue exemption of which many more are now on offer. E.g. EU wanted large magazines banned, so new owners need an exemption to acquire such.

Don't know if they're sensible about handing these out for JHP or magazines, though.

E.g. a may-issue exemption for machineguns was impossible to get in most counties unless cops really liked you. A basic CCW is shall-issue and easily obtainable by non-criminal people of average intelligence.

Oh yeah, might as well ask: is there still a ban/taboo against hollow-point ammo for militaries? I assume FMJ is the default, but that could also be for other reasons.

is there still a ban/taboo against hollow-point ammo for militaries?

Yes, but the spirit of that ban has been pretty thoroughly violated for the last 60 years. For comparison with other rifles firing ball ammunition, see this.

I was thinking of pistol ammo specifically, but point.

Pretty sure it's still in place, except for a few legalistic exceptions like match-grade ammo for snipers. I'd think militaries would have some concerns about sacrificing penetration as well.