The Box O' Truth #32 - Dum-Dum Bullets and the Box O'Truth - Page 1

Had a few folks ask me recently about Dum-Dum bullets.

Let's see what we can find out about them on the Internet:

"The 'dum-dum' was a British military bullet developed for use in India - at the Dum-Dum Arsenal - on the North West Frontier in the late 1890s.

The dum-dum comprised a jacketed .303 bullet with the jacket nose open to expose its lead core. The aim was to improve the bullet's effectiveness by increasing its expansion upon impact.

The phrase 'dum-dum' was later taken to include any soft-nosed or hollow pointed bullet. The Hague Convention of 1899 outlawed the use of dum-dum bullets during warfare."

Some folks have heard rumors of soldiers and others cutting an "X" in the nose of pistol bullets to "improve" performance.

Today's question: Does altering the nose of a bullet make it more effective against living targets?