Soft point bullets are made by surrounding a soft lead core with a hard jacket while leaving an exposed lead tip.
These bullets have characteristics of both hollow points and full metal jackets.
Because they have a hard jacket, they have good penetration. And because they expand once they hit their mark, they create a large wound cavity.
Advantages of Soft Point Bullets
Soft point bullets offer three main advantages:
- Versatility: soft points expand more than full metal jackets and penetrate better than hollow points. They have a wide array of uses from hunting large game, to hunting small game, to target shooting.
- Can often be used where hollow points are banned: sometimes a jacketed soft point is as close as you can get to a hollow point's performance when a hollow point is banned.
- Lever action use: lever-action rifles with tube magazines sometimes have issues feeding hollow point bullets. Because soft point bullets have a softer and smoother tip, this issue is often resolved.
Cautions When Using Soft Point Bullets
The characteristics of soft point bullets that can be considered advantages are the same characteristics that can be considered disadvantages.
While soft point bullets offer some expansion, they are designed to retain more weight to drive deeper into soft tissue.
Similiarly, while soft bullets offer penetration, like a full metal jacket, you won't get the same amount.
Common Uses for Soft Point Ammo
Soft points are frequently used for:
- hunting
- target shooting
