RIP Ammo!

I’m sure most of you on the Load Out Room have been hearing the buzz about the new “RIP (Radically Invasive Projectile) Ammo” by G2 Research claiming that this new round will be the last round that you will ever need.  Well, here are my thoughts after seeing a testing of the round.

OVERVIEW

The RIP ammo, is truly unlike any hollow point/self-defense ammo that I have ever fired. Without getting into performance right away, the difference starts with the overall appearance of the round.  For those who are or were familiar with the “Extreme Shock” ammunition, you may see the resemblance in the two.

The projectile itself is made up of 8 arrow-like claws, a patent pending design called a TROCAR.  These TROCAR points are joined together around projectiles center piece/slug. Once the hollow section is filled, or comes in contact with “material,” the TROCAR points separate in a predictable manner, allowing the center slug/projectile to follow its path of least resistance. The TROCAR points, once separated, form somewhat of a circular grouping once inside the object, such as the 12, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11 o’clock.

The TROCAR points is where the projectile makes its money. Due to the design of the 8 projectiles, they rip, tear, and tumble through its intended object, instead of creating a straight and narrow permanent wound channel like an FMJ, and generally stay inside of its target with a few that manage to get outside.

The center piece/projectile manages to keep most of its kinetic energy due to the fact that the TROCAR points made its initial opening. The penetration of the center piece exceeds 15″ and has an overall diameter spread of around 6″.

As far as accuracy, I would say that it’s pretty accurate for a 96 grain 9mm projectile, averaging between 2-2.4 inches at 25 yards.

ISSUES

I’ve only managed to find one issue with the round and it’s claims to be “The last round you will ever need.”

Over-penetration

“The International Wound Ballistics Association (IWBA), between 12.5 and 14 inches (318 and 356 mm) of penetration in calibrated tissue simulant is optimal performance for a bullet which is meant to be used defensively, against a human adversary.”  The FBI also states that 12-14.4″ of penetration is optimal and meets the standard.

The RIP ammo can and does exceed 16″ of penetration. This is excessive for home defense, as well as self-defense in a crowded (urban) environment. Be sure of your backstop! As a sniper, we typically train to shoot moving targets with a width of 12″, the “average width of a man.” 16″ would be a little too excessive for personal defense, especially when the projectile is a solid, non hollowing object. As for the small TROCAR projectiles, their paths may be predictable as far as patterning, but they have a tendency to exit prematurely due to its tumbling nature, similar to a long rang caliber projectile in its transonic state in flight, it can go anywhere.

A penetration depth of 12.5 to 14 inches (318 and 356 mm) may seem excessive, but a bullet sheds velocity and crushes a narrower hole as it penetrates deeper, while losing velocity, so the bullet might be crushing a very small amount of tissue during its last two or three inches of travel, giving only between 9.5 and 12 inches of effective wide-area penetration. Also, skin is elastic and tough enough to cause a bullet to be retained in the body, even if the bullet had a relatively high velocity when it hit the skin. About 250 ft/s (76 m/s) velocity is required for an expanded hollow point bullet to puncture skin 50% of the time.

The IWBA’s and FBI’s penetration guidelines are intended to ensure that the bullet can reach a vital structure from most angles, while retaining enough velocity to generate a large diameter hole through tissue. An extreme example where penetration would be important is if the bullet first had to enter and then exit an outstretched arm before impacting the torso. A bullet with low penetration might embed itself in the arm, whereas a higher penetrating bullet would penetrate the arm, then enter the thorax where it would have a chance of hitting a vital organ.

STATS

G2 Research R.I.P. 9mm
* 16″ Penetration
* Up to 6″ diameter spread
* 96 gr projectile
* 2″ grouping at 25 yrds
* 1265 FPS / 490 Muzzle Energy
* 9 Separate Wound Channels
* Precision Machined
* Solid Copper / Lead Free
* Defeats all known barriers such as sheet metal, sheet rock, windshields, plywood, heavy winter clothing