Xtreme DEFENDER, not Penetrator: Underwood Ammo is partnering with Lehigh Defense for new round!

[ChicagoRonin70]

So, I got a message from Underwood Ammo about a variation of the CNC machined all-copper projectiles that they load from Lehigh Defense.

 

The Xtreme Penetrator has been talked about on here by me and other people, and I've tested it extensively on pig carcasses and ballistic gel. However, there are some people who are concerned with the, well, extreme penetration ability. It definitely does do that, along with leaving some pretty ghastly and effective wounds.

 

Well, apparently, other people have mentioned that to both Lehigh Defense and Underwood, and they've come up with a new projectile that Underwood is loading exclusively, called the Xtreme Defender that uses the same hydrodynamic fluting in machined copper bullets to transmit rotational energy into tissue and thus create larger wound channels without expanding bullets—but penetrates significantly less, with the testing for the rounds that they have released (90 grain .38 Super, .357 SIG, and 9mm Luger) showing between 16 and 17.5 inches of penetration in gel, right around the sweet spot for the FBI standard.

 

The round looks similar, but with some definite differences, wider hydraulic fluting, a smaller nose, different angling of the geometry, that no doubt transfers the energy more rapidly and slows the round down more quickly during terminal ballistic interactions. I'll link photos of both at the end of this post.

 

I wrote the folks at Underwood and found out from them that they are the only ones currently loading and selling the round, working directly with Lehigh Defense to develop and produce the Xtreme Defender. This is definitely going to be an interesting option for self-defense ammunition, because if all that energy is transferred more quickly, it seems as if the wound channels might even be larger than the Xtreme Penetrators, and the ostensible "problem" with the penetration could be mitigated significantly. As well, considering that the nose profile is significantly smaller, and the speed seems comparable, these might actually penetrate barriers, protection, and clothing a bit better than the Xtreme Penetrator projectiles.

 

Now, while I love the penetration of the original, I might well have to get some of the Defenders and see how they do against various target media to determine which is going to be a better round for carry purposes. It might end up being the Defender for two-legged predators and the Penetrator for field and four-legged problems. In any event, it looks like I am going to be getting another pig sometime in the near future and seeing what these do, whenever Underwood comes out with these in 10 mm and .40 S&W.

 

Take a look at the images of the two below, with the Xtreme Penetrators first, and the Xtreme Defenders second:

 

 

[solareclipse2]

I'd be interested in shooting some but I don't really see a reason to switch from my Hornady Critical Duty 135gr 9mm

[ChicagoRonin70]

I'd be interested in shooting some but I don't really see a reason to switch from my Hornady Critical Duty 135gr 9mm

 

I've tested the Underwood loadings of Xtreme Penetrators in .40 S&W and 10 mm in 200-pound pig carcasses, and the amount of damage those do is more than any other .40/10 mm round than I've ever seen. They also go through ballistic barriers and clothing with no deformation or loss of weight, and the wound characteristics are unchanged. They're as good or better than the Ranger-T and Gold Dots that I also use in those calibers.

 

I expect that the Xtreme Defenders might be superior in at least ballistic gel, if not flesh, to the Xtreme Penetrators, and therefore at least the equal if not better than any hollow point rounds. Plus, they will never fail in terms of getting clogged by clothing and not expanding, or deforming if they hit a bone.

 

The proof will be in the testing, however. That's going to be very interesting.

[ChicagoRonin70]

The Military Arms Channel did a ballistics gel test with the 9 mm +P and +P+ versions of this round, including through denim and not just one, but TWO layers of pork rib, and the results are pretty amazing! Remarkably consistent penetration and permanent wound channels of 2"–3" diameter of over 10"–11" long. He even does a comparison shot with 147 grain HST, and the difference in damage in the block is almost 2 to 1 in favor of the Underwood Xtreme Defender.

 

When this round comes out in .40 S&W and 10 mm, I will be laying my hands on some to do some testing and likely ending up carrying this in my city self-protection loadings, so the .40 for sure. I think the Xtreme Penetrator would be a better field load, for that deep and massive penetration, but this one should do nicely in the .40 as my barrier-defeating round staggered with the Ranger-Ts that I also use.

 

Check it out. It's worth the watch.

 

 

Oh, and there's a flame thrower in this video, as well. You have to watch it for the context.

[chislinger]

Where do you shoot these pig carcasses anyway? And do you bbq after?

[ChicagoRonin70]

Where do you shoot these pig carcasses anyway? And do you bbq after?

 

I previously had been taking them to a private range out to the southwest of the Chicago area; it belongs to one of the people I do some security work and training with. It's a pretty decent haul out there, over a hundred miles, so it's not convenient and I can usually only set up something like that if a number of people are going out there to do some shooting and testing. I've been able to manage to get several people to chip in on pigs (you're talking several hundred bucks for a 200-pounder, not a cheap test medium) and then we'll do some careful shooting of the carcasses, followed by an on-the-spot autopsy to see what the tissue damage and terminal ballistic effects are.

 

These are whole pigs with internal organs intact, so after putting a bunch of bullets into them, it's not really a viable option to eat anything from them. I think that once or twice someone hacked off a leg and took it with them for eating purposes, but I don't think I'd go over to their house for dinner on that day if I was invited.