Don't know if this has been pointed out yet (I'd like to think someone noticed it early on), but the reason Paul only recovered 4 rounds from the NOV-X Engagement Extreme Self Defense ammo meat target demo is because the 2nd shot went straight through and hit the berm behind the target. If you re-watch that segment, don't look at the meat target, pay attention to the dirt behind it and you'll see the 2nd shot hit it. That's pretty amazing from a 9mm round in my eyes.
As always so refreshing to get an ammunition review from Paul. No hyperbole. No extreme negative or positive review. Just facts, delivered in a way to give enough information to form your own opinion regarding the ammunition being discussed. Need more Paul Harrell types making videos. Thanks Paul Harrell. *:)*
Paul reminds me of Tnoutdoors9 where neither of them sound like salesmen or invest in a "stage presence" like some RU-vid gun guys do. Just straight to the point, no bullshit information on ammo.
Watching this channel makes me feel like a 5 year old watching Sesame Street while wrapped in his blankie on Saturday morning. Comforting, and slightly magical.
Dude!! I was trying to figure out what the allure was, that's it!!! It's like watching a PBS documentary in my youth. I really like the ones in 480p😂😂😂😂
I see why you said this @Dustin Comfort. I thank God I've never had to defend myself before watching this video because now I have to completely rethink what ammo I will choose to carry and train with or re-zero every time I change ammo brands, etc. I always thought my grip or trigger pull was causing my errors but this plays just as much of a role in accuracy. This changed everything for me. He could charge admission for the second half of this video because I learned so much from it! Thank you so very much Mr. Harrell! SUBBED!
Even Oregon sometimes has a sunny day. Good thing he's not based in Washington state. We might be seeing the occasional bit on how to protect guns and ammo from mildew.
just a short drive from where he does these videos is one of the more dry areas of the country, eastern oregon and eastern washington. it's not all rain and evergreens.
Yes indeed. The plateau region is one of the great places in the US, if you like high desert. That doesn't change the weather on the western side of the Cascades though. Oregon is a fine state and nearly as varied as California (it lacks any native palm species).
I am always amazed at Paul's abilities. He can read a chronograph at 1/2 mile. Shoot offhand, in a December typhoon, at a wobbly target, and put ten rounds through the same hole. I could be a foot away from the target at an indoor range and still not shoot as well.
Thanks for this, I've been curious on how the poly ammo would do for self defense. I personally have a lot of experience with the Inceptor target ammo. I shoot a couple thousand rounds of it a year. I agree with your assessment and could add that it does have a point of impact shift, but also tends to shoot flatter at distance making 100 to 150 yard shots easier bc you don't have to compensate for the drop quite as much. Also it does have feeding issues in certain guns with heavier springs, and clearly has less energy bc it usually won't knock over steel targets set for light 115 target loads. Great video man!
Not wanting to to mock but I thought the intent was that these were self defence rounds? Self defence at 100yrds plus +++??? BTW I see what your not saying about impact shift if you train or know what the point of impact is.
Thanks. I was personally interested in the real world velocity difference between the SST (NOVX) case and the brass case. I was a bit disappointed that there was no chronograph test, but it’s understandable. This video also confirmed that Poly projectiles are better suited for M&LE than civilian use due to over penetration- IMO. SST told me that this year they will be introducing more handgun cases, so hopefully we’ll see more boutique ammunition using that case with conventional bullets. IMO, the .380 and .40SW could surely benefit potentially saving some .40 owners who reload from KaBOOM.
Thanks Paul. Another data-point to remember. Though many criticize the newer ammo as "hype" [and a lot of it is] - I'm happy the industry is doing R&D on various projectiles. We each have different needs. For myself, penetration in bullet performance is the last thing I look for, as the unintended consequences of hitting an innocent bystander is of paramount consideration.
I hope Paul sees this but on the Extreme Self Defense test with the meat target, you can see the second of the shots impact the dirt, meaning it cleared the entire target and all the fleece.
I switched to the Inceptor product in 38spl and 380auto because of one thing: there is NO LEAD in the projectile. It's 50%+ copper dust in a plastic polymer that is injected molded. In the calibers I use, they are dead on at 7 yards. And I can hit the target at 10, "but that's just me."
I'm a simple man. I see a new Paul Harrell video pop up and watch it! Keep up the good work Paul. You have to be one of the most clear, concise, and relatively unbiased sources for firearms information on the tube. Keep up the good work !
The best Channel for true and real gun and ammo reviews and often good stories bar none on RU-vid or any other website !! Thanks Paul for actually caring enough to post quality videos that do in fact educate the masses !
I really don't understand why this channel does not have more subscribers, I follow a lot of gun channels some with over a million subscribers. Paul has the best channel in my opinion lets share his channel with as many people possible!!! So he can stop working and make more videos!
Those channels probably started to produce spectacular videos earlier, showing more action with a wider variety of guns. That attracts many subscribers from foreign lands, where guns are banned or available only for the ruling class/the topmost stratum of the working class. Also, collecting public domain videos under the pretence of "expert analysis" is a very efficient way to get subscribers and followers. Paul is creating original content, which is the LEAST efficient approach towards "stardom".
Emvolts If I ever have to shoot in self defense I'm gonna pause, turn to an imaginary camera, and say either "so how'd we do?" OR "let's take a closer look."
Pauls style, demeanor and professionalism somehow keeps me riveted to his videos! As a small suggestion, not that he needs any help here mind you, would be to use some split screen. One on Paul shooting and the other a close up on the target. Thanks Paul for what you do!
The new hi tech fleece bullet stop. Hahaha. Love your vids. My favorite line to date is still, "when the zombies over run our highly trained, well supplied military and you and your halo buddies have to step up......"
It’s nice to see someone cut through the marketing B.S, and show what these “specialty” ammo’s can really do......even at the expense of meat targets. Thanks Paul!
This gave me an idea for a video. Zeroing your carry weapon. You knowledge is amazing, and now that I see all of the ammo options, one could naturally assume that you can pick up the right caliber at the gun shop, and you are going to get the same impact point all the time...untrue. Had I never seen you shoot, I could have assumed that you were out of zero on some of those segments. I always zero with what I carry, but I bet you could help a lot of guys and even save some lives if you show your subscribers the pros and cons of how to effectively prepare your carry weapon from the standpoint of zeroing....and perhaps ammo selection and the relationship of the two. Your weapons-craft is amazing...thank you for sharing. Regards, Terry
Between Paul and Hickok45 I have covered 90% for my further gun education needs, thank you Paul..two legends with completely different styles, one smoking grapefruits and the other smoking pot.
Funny you mention that. Everytime Mr. Harrell does an ammunition reveiw I ALWAYS ask the computer screen "Yeah but how does it stack up against Green and White?" and it never fails to be answered.
Thank you. It's been literally years since I last used green & white pistol ammo. I've switched to aluminum-cased 9mm for practicing, so I didn't know.
In the spring of 2020 & the pandemic, despite its shortcomings you may be stuck with this ammo. I tried several gun stores & this type ammo was all I could find in self defense ammo. One store was selling FMJ for $20 ! Box. At least this stuff was not overpriced.
I set up my target stand and let my 9mm's fly from 25 yards like Paul Harrell. Halfway through my magazine, with no holes in the paper, I'm reminded of my childhood, trying to shoot like Jordan, but i can't even hit the damn backboard!
I just picked up a box of NOVx Engagement extreme 65 grn. 25 rounds with a bonus round for $29.99 at my local shop in Kalamazoo MI. Subsonic velocity. The CEO of Novx has a vid saying a 9mm is more devastating than a 45ACP round. You always explain the scientific data very well and would like to ask you how that is. Thanks Paul for your always thorough demonstrations.
@@mtthwpnn After some range time with these on a couple occasions I have to agree with you. Im a consistent shot but could not get any groups with these. I watched your vids on these and You said and demonstrated the inconsistencies...more negative than positive for sure!
Thanks for making the Inceptor and NOV-X video. I would like to see this type of ammo in a micro 380, I think that is the place where the benefits will have the most effect, since most HPs won't expand reliably in them. The only other real benefit of this ammo is the ability to shoot steel at close ranges safely.
These test well in .380. Look around. Also they feed in .380’s that don’t feed hollow points. Have a collection of older models they work fine in. I have a micro desert eagle that is a great gun and that is very accurate, But very finicky with hollow points. Plus it is very snappy. These are very low recoil and handle very well in that particular gun.
Thanks for the video Paul,you saved me the troujble of buying,and trying for myself.I have seen many glowing reviews of this ammo elsewhere( including American Rifleman) and was tempted to buy some.I am glad I waited .Thanks again,you earn my trust over and over again with each video ,you are the best!
I just noticed that I enjoy target shooting a lot more when you and the target are in the frame. It gets tedious just looking at the target. I know that this is not always doable. I am just saying I enjoyed it today...five years later. I watch Paul's videos more than once, usually a few times at least. In fact, if you don't, you have more to learn.
The other issues you've addressed in other presentation is cost and availabilty. These 'boutique' cartridges appear to fall into the 'precious' catagory - the type that a person may view as too valuble to shoot often. For this reason, I'll stick with more conventional, readily available and affordable standard pressure loads. Many thanks for addressing this catagory of cartridges.
I got nervous once thursday rolled around and no Paul Harrel Video. But here it is! Happy Saturday! Thank You Paul! I am emotionally attached to your videos. #lovepaulharrelvideos
Its so cool , only a few weeks ago their were less than 100K subscribers , At last the word is out , Paul Harrell is a real firearms Guru , Thanks Paul & Co , You deserve all the subscribers & more . Genuine Informed opinion is always Pure Gold.
Joe Piesczynsnki, AvE, and This Old Tony put out some pretty fine vidjeos And Joe Pie CNC'd an AR lower receiver on vid, but RU-vid got pissy at all the gun maker vids, & he took it down
Paul, how come every time I have an inquiry about firearms or firearm related products, you already have a complete 20 fucking minute video absolutely shredding said topic??? Thank you for your service!! 🙏
14:37 It's not redundant because I'm sure you keep gaining new viewers, so it appreciated to be said. Doesn't bother me that you repeat it, shows that you care and properly explain what you're doing. Good work!
Paul's voice inflections (vary the intonation or pitch of (the voice), especially to express mood or feeling) are what make these videos so enjoyable!!!! His facial expressions are icing on the cake.
@@theoverseer4886 not the original commenter, but most of the time when hollowpoints or other expanding projectiles are illegal, it's because they are considered too likely to cause irreparable or overly painful damage to the target. Whether this seems like a good reason to ban a type of ammunition that is used for defense against aggressive criminals is a question to pose to your local legislators if you live in those areas, but nonetheless that's usually the reasoning.
I am watching Paul shoot the targets around the 5-minute mark, and am amazed at his consistency of shot. You can watch him as he aims, if you pick a point in the background (I was using a particular tree) and he brings the gun to the same point every stinkin' time. It got to where I was watching him after one shot while lining up the next, thinking "lower" as he gradually gets the nose of the gun down to where he fires, then "that's about right in line" as he barely shifts. This man is an amazing shot! Mr. Harrell, thanks again for making some of the best content, gun-related or otherwise, on RU-vid! I wonder, do you think you'll ever put your videos on another platform, say, like Full30? They'd fit in very well over there.
::::As always sir, you made many good points especially bout most folks practice with cheaper ammo and then load up the good, or not, high priced ammo to carry not knowing if it will even cycle. Also I know im getting old and been in the business of firearms being the primary tool of my odd, at times, professions but I had trouble keepin up with all the different types of ammo...design, practice, bullet weight, and the supposed carry round. With 5.7x28 my primary work gun I'm used to super light super fast ammo BUT my 1st backup is S&W 9MM Shield, 3rd is Smith 38 Bodyguard revolver, it never fails, and S has already HTF 4th a NAA Pug 22 magnum. Thats in full operational mode, daily its the Five Seven and the Pug. Most will scoff at my backups but they never had to carry a comrade out that only had service weapons, handgun and carbine or sub gun and either both jammed or was runnin ammo lite. The point? Any ammo is usually good enough and you save a lot of folks a lot of money on the latest and greatest. I don't want to be shot anymore with so much as a BB gun and if any assailant can take 3 or. 5 of any gunshots n keep comin you've got a bigger problem. So Brother Paul keep your powder dry and some of the best vids comin. Many of us in L.E. and military and associates like your meat target especially.....we don't get to see the autopsies often and bullet effect is many times life or death to us AND more and more scoffers take their body armor more serious, in other words they wear it. Sorry 4 long comments I'm what u call PTSD'd and can't shut the hell up. May not bother Tubers 4 a while, or ever, got a major back surgery comin soon n overall system wide it's bout number 27 in 35 fun filled years of tryin to protect, serve n defend, 3 were for the "C" word but still here and if anybody reads this I gotta tell ya this is the scariest one n ain't above askin for yall 2 share a thot 4 someone you don't know.....L8r. Maybe.
Super great video! That is the way to test ammo. And Paul you are more correct than you know about the people not confirming the impact of the supercalifragilistic ammo they carry for defense. THANKS FOR THE VIDEO.
Insane to think a polymer projectile can penetrate that much. Also insane to think it can vary so much in certain pistols that you’re afraid of hitting your chrono at 7yds. Such a great experiment and video Paul.
The take home message I'm getting from most of these exotic ammo tests is that they are a bit of a gimmick. Possible advantages in some areas but significant disadvantages in others. I think we perfected the bullet some time ago, especially when it comes to rifle rounds once we worked out spitzer tips, boat tails and smokeless powder. I doubt we are going to see any great leaps forward in that regard. The trials the US government ran when they were looking at potential alternatives to standard bullets, such as duplex rounds, flechettes etc. came back with the similarly mixed results.
Hughes Enterprises Go and shoot the arx ammo, it is great to shoot. This all I carry. They do make boxes of target and defense ammo together at a cheaper price.
A really thought provoking presentation . I've read a lot about this new ammo and after watching this I believe I'll stick with what is tried and proved. Thank you, outstanding!
A suggestion for brick shooting..... shoot 10 rounds of each ammo next time so that you can compare the amount of damage. Then you don't have to make a judgement call on how more do you have to shoot to completely take it down. Otherwise loving all what you do on these videos. Keep it up.
This comment reminds me of young managers climbing the corporate ladder with their "brilliant, fresh ideas", without knowing enough about the details of the things they try to "revolutionarize". Otherwise loving your comment.
I agree with that. But the approach Paul uses also works, as in how many rounds to produce about the same amount of rubble, which is a bit more fun if you like shooting.
For the stubborn sceptics: in Paul's excellent video (Personal protection: 9mm vs. .357Magnum.) the measly .357 Magnum annihilated the block with 9 shots.
Fantastic video !! so much info & very easy to follow, I love that he told the people about practicing with conventional ammo and then loading their carry ammo without ever shooting it..
I was very interested in this. I bought some Ruger brand ARX some time ago, it worked satisfactory in my SR9C and I carried with it for a while, never had a malfunction and accuracy was good in the gun. I just recently got a 92FS and tried firing the ARX rounds in it. 5/5 FTE, I didn’t even bother with more. A couple just rechambered the spent case. It may be a little unfair since it was a brand new gun, only about 30 rounds in by the time I tried them, and I was running it bone dry, but didn’t have a single malfunction with any of the 300 rounds of 115gr FMJ or 124gr SIG hollowpoints.
Saw either you or your doppelgänger at the Salem Sportsman’s Warehouse yesterday. I resisted the urge to meet you partly because I didn’t want to seem like a creeper, but also because my wife was with me and I didn’t want to fanboy out too much in front of her. Keep up the good content! :)
It is more niche. But in a .380 acp, it does a fine job. Even at the lower velocity. Makes a .380 acp viable. No point in a 9mm or larger. It does nothing a hollow point can't do
I've been waiting for this video for months. I even almost purchased some interceptor from cabelas last week. Glad I waited because my own hype for carrying this in my Beretta 92 definitely didn't live up to the results I saw. Thanks Paul, this is one of the best channels on youtube.
I wouldn't have expected the over-penetration on the meat target with such light bullets, which is a big problem in a home defense situation with family members around. Combined with the point of impact problems it appears the manufacturers of these new bullet types need to sharpen their pencils and go back to the drawing board.
csmats That surprised me as well. I’ve seen lots of ballistic gel tests with the ARX ammo and it seems to tell only half the story. I’m so glad Paul has his meat target setup. It really helps paint a more accurate picture of what’s going on with the round. I was actually surprised that there was as much “lung tissue” damage as there was.
Gregory Graham I agree with the orange lung tissue, those were very impressive results given the sales pitch on how they achieve that effect. I was practically sold on this ammunition until I watched this video. Given its miserable accuracy with a Beretta 92 and its severe over penetration of the meat target, I'm going to have to stick with my conventional hollow points.
csmats not as much of a worry seeing as how the hard barrier test showed poor penetration. Out in the open or in a crowd would be more worrying however
i've watched a few of pauls vids. Either he has a lot of takes or the best damn shot Ive ever seen. I honestly think its the later. Current favorite youtube 2018
Can you do a video on your 92FS? Would be great to hear about how long you've had it, how many rounds you estimate you've shot it, and to see some close ups of the inside and outside... It looks like a good example of heavily used but taken care of you don't see that often.
Paul Harrell It could be about the 92FS and maybe another couple of your guns that are significant to your shooting experience too? It wouldn't be boring to me :)
It's good to see companies trying to innovate, but not every idea is a winner it seems. As always thanks for the information Paul. A lot of people come to me looking for me to teach them to shoot as an unofficial instructor, and it's great to be able to send them home with a playlist full of your videos as homework.
I feel like using silly-named gimmick ammo wouldn't do me any favors in court if I ever had to use it. "Zombie", "RIP", "Inceptor", etc. I'll just stick with what the local cops use.
*Epic* - yes, that was exactly what I was commenting up above there. Try getting the uninformed or even anti-gun people on a jury to listen to your side, when the dead bad guy was shot with 'Brain Shredder Xtreme" or "Tango Down Annihilator Defense" rounds. Nope. If I could buy plain FMJ called "*Hello Kitty Tickle Rounds*" with a pink and white box I would do it just in case I had to convince a jury that I was really a sweet guy when i shot some bad dude.
Like having "Punisher" grips on your weapon, or that cop out in Mesa who had "You`re Fucked" on his dust cover when he killed that poor drunk bastard. You know a prosecutor would be all over that like white on rice.
Yes sir. In my youth we never had such items, and we also never had prosecutors try to nail you to the wall for defending yourself or family. But nowadays, we have to think of how things will play out in court if things go bad.
The purpose of police ammo is not self-defense. They also shoot at fleeing felons. They spend a great deal of time on the range shooting at 25 yard targets; not at ranges of three to 21 feet. That is why police, according to the FBI, miss 70-80% of the time. That is why they recommended the 9mm with its higher capacity; even though it has less power than the .40 S&W. In court, I was instructed/trained to state when I shot an escaping inmate it was "shoot to stop." In my state's statue law, it says to use "a degree of force which the person reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose." Any force can be deadly and some are killed just by restraining them. Most of this "gimmick ammo" is more likely to stop than to kill. The point of military ammo is to wound rather than kill. I can face any jury to tell them my intent was to stop rather than kill. *IF YOU THINK YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO TESTIFY IN A SELF DEFENSE CASE, YOU ARE WRONG.*
The composition of the bullet reminds me of Powerball polymer truncated ammunition. The rounds always worked well when I fired it. I do laugh when Paul says he cannot shoot one pistol versus the other as well. He is a complete professional and is accurate with them all.
Hahahaha Paul I've been a long time subscriber as well however man do something with your hair!!!!! Get back in regulations I see you still PT like crazy you are in shape for an old Marine/Soldier... I remember your olds vids and hair flailing in the wind man, good laughs... I got your 6 brother Semper Fi
Great video and I have shot both polymers with much the same accuracy results. Few things worth quickly noting. 1) All took about 5 rounds to punch a hole or take a chunk out of the block. Not sure of the value of finding the round count to pulverizing the block. 2) For "green" required ammo, basically fairly acceptable. Would like to see what they do to leather, ribs, oranges butter and fleece...
Paul Harrell I’ve been watching your channel for some time now, and I find your presentation style very informative and entertaining. I would absolutely love to see the process that you go through to build your own meat targets. I attempted to construct one the other day, and while some of the results were fairly useful, I did not achieve the level of stability or uniformity I was looking for in the target to get consistent results. Thank you much, and keep up the great work.
Rick Sorber It’s not that small of a carry gun, and maybe you have some room for improvement in your shooting skills. Paul is a good/consistent enough shooter that we can clearly see a difference.
Once again over hyped, over priced ammo fails miserably compared to conventional ammo. The thing that pisses me off Paul, is all of the gun magazines out there are praising this shit. I already knew better and you proved it. Thanks.
I’m a big fan of your videos, and I’m probably more conservative than most. That said, for the first time in one of your videos, I felt you were slightly predisposed to dismiss this ammunition as a novelty. It’s designed to be frangible on hard targets, and still it performed respectably on the cinder block comparison. Is it perfect in this iteration? Probably not... But it’s not lead, it’s lighter, faster, more consistent (since it’s not designed to expand), and probably the direction ammunition will evolve into after a century of very little change. Personally, I’m keeping an open mind, and would like to see much more on this type of ammunition.
I was not predisposed to dismiss this ammo. It has merit (for people in a narrow niche) I'm predisposed to make fun of flashy names like "Engagement: Extreme self defense."
Exactly. In the smaller .380 and in the fat but slow .45 is where I really think this type of bullet has great potential, especially in the more common self defense distances of 7 yards or less. Another advantage to this type of bullet is in winter carry in colder climates. If firing through a parka or heavy Carhartt type jacket, the increased speed of a 380 and 45 ARX style bullet might be perfect. For 9mm, I think I'll stick with three seasons of HST, Hornady Critical Defense or Gold Dots and winter carry of round nose.
