Federal's EFMJ round really isn't comparable to the Pow'rBall. Their construction is totally different. EFMJ, is as you described...Just a thin, perforated jacket over a silicone ball with a wadcutter behind it. Jacket seperation and poor expansion are common issues with this round. The EFMJ has pretty much been a marketing failure and did not perform as hoped. Having said that, I'm not going to stand in front of an EFMJ, because my undertanding is it's performance is simlar to plain hardball with respect to penetration into softer tissues.Johnny wrote:...Expanding FMJ rounds, by contrast, expand by the collapse of the nose of the bullet and the extrusion of the silicone filler through the fissures in the collapsing jacket...
The Pow'rBall bullet is MUCH more akin to a "ballistic tip" rifle bullet than it is Federal's EFMJ. Pow'rBall features a traditional hollowpoint with the familiar "ball" from the Glazer Safety Slug in it's nose. As is the case in the rifle bullets, the ball promotes smoother feeding and intiates expansion. It's expansion isn't spectacular but it's not quite the limp noodle Federal's EFMJ round has turned out to be in that area. Pow'rbBall's performance as far as wound channels, penetration, etc is more like that of many bullets designed in the late 80's to early 90's like Federal's own HydraShok.
I've never seen a test or evidence to suggest the Pow'rBall round would easily stop in a heavy leather jacket as I have seen in tests of Federal's EFMJ round. I can't say that wouldn't happen with any bullet. Depending on the velocity and bullet constuction, I suppose there are conditions in which any bullet might stop in a heavy leather jacket.. Having said that, all the evidence and testing I'm familiar with say that Pow'rBall is a good choice for guns that don't feed hollowpoints well.
When I carried my Commaders, I tried both Pow'rBall and EFMJ. I chose Pow'rBall because felt noticeably smoother when feeding. A friend also did some informal testing on feral hogs in a place that shall remain nameless and found the Pow'rBall gave better, more consistent results which moved me more toward Pow'rBall. But I don't carry my Commanders anymore and I use Gold Dot for carry in all my carry guns these days, including my Government Models.