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Cop-Killer Bullets: Gun Control Lie or Actual Threat?

There's nothing new about handgun bullets designed for improved penetration - my Western Ammunition Handbook devotes several pages to handgun ammo designed for police that would penetrate car bodies and stop the fleeing criminals inside - the date on the handbook is 1947, making it appreciably older than I am. An example round was a 158 grain .357 Magnum load with a conical brass or bronze point - though not exactly common, until the 1980's "Cop Killer" nonsense this load was frequently found on store shelves labeled as "Metal Piercing." Supposedly it was the round Elgin Gates used to stop a Cape buffalo on an African safari by shooting it between the eyes. Pictures of an "unknown, exotic" bullet used to assassinate Swedish prime minister Olaf Palme in 1986 looked like one of these projectiles - though no armor or metal was penetrated. I'm unaware of it ever being used to penetrate an officer's Kevlar vest.
 
The Black Talon round was developed for LE as a more effective manstopper. We issued it to our officers for a while. I still have a box of it on the shelf. In practice, the jacket of the Black Talon often opened up like an eagle claw and separated from the bullet, with the bullet taking one path and the jacket taking another. The jacket worked like a buzz saw on soft tissue. ER docs complained about the bullet and the low information media caused a firestorm over it. The jacket dug out of a human body was a frightful thing. The ammo manufacturer stopped marketing it and made another round for LE with a different name.
 
HayesGreener said:
The Black Talon round was developed for LE as a more effective manstopper. We issued it to our officers for a while. I still have a box of it on the shelf. In practice, the jacket of the Black Talon often opened up like an eagle claw and separated from the bullet, with the bullet taking one path and the jacket taking another. The jacket worked like a buzz saw on soft tissue. ER docs complained about the bullet and the low information media caused a firestorm over it. The jacket dug out of a human body was a frightful thing. The ammo manufacturer stopped marketing it and made another round for LE with a different name.
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The Black Talon story is a lesson in bad marketing. They gave the round a stupid name and it got a lot of negative press. Now it's the Ranger T-series, using the exact same bullet minus the name and the black coating, which was pointless. No issues.
 
fordag said:
The Black Talon story is a lesson in bad marketing. They gave the round a stupid name and it got a lot of negative press. Now it's the Ranger T-series, using the exact same bullet minus the name and the black coating, which was pointless. No issues.
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Entirely true. I've several boxes. They also had 4 generations of the "black talon" bullet. I have original black talon from back in the day I've saved. I paid 9.99 for each box 😉
Today there is pistol ammunition sold that will defeat kevlar. Seen it with my own eyes. Sold every day for self defense.
Vest's were level 3 and 3a and 9mm and 10mm was the cartridges.
Astonished me to say the least.
 
Great article, and one I intend to keep. I've a few KTW rounds in a drawer on my Reloading bench. I've 2 boxes of Black Talons as well I've saved for a rainy day. What was hilarious to me, was when Winchester pulled it from the market and introduced the same basic bullet, without the black coating. It really was a marketing error on Winchester's part. Introducing the Black Talons with graphic pics about it mushrooming into almost a broadhead arrow pattern. The Snowflakes freaked out over it.

Thanks for some "correct" information.
 
Years ago out of curiosity I used some Flitz and removed the evil black coating from a 9mm and 45acp Black Talon bullet. Compared it with some of the new Winchester rounds a friend had bought. Guess they didnt want all the development to go to waste so they eliminated the coating. I have read the Strasbourg ballistic data and the round wasnt as effective as a number of other bullets. And yes I have read that a lot of people think the tests were flawed Just saying it isnt a magic bullet.
 
USAFA TWINS DAD said:
Years ago out of curiosity I used some Flitz and removed the evil black coating from a 9mm and 45acp Black Talon bullet. Compared it with some of the new Winchester rounds a friend had bought. Guess they didnt want all the development to go to waste so they eliminated the coating. I have read the Strasbourg ballistic data and the round wasnt as effective as a number of other bullets. And yes I have read that a lot of people think the tests were flawed Just saying it isnt a magic bullet.
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The Strasbourg tests are a work of fiction.

There is no proof they ever took place.
 
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