The Brits aren’t screwing around any more. In the seemingly never-ending fight against Islamist terrorism, they’ve decided to deploy the deadliest weapons they can possibly find. And that means…trocars!

You may remember the almost thermonuclear level of hype that surrounded the release of G2 Research’s RIP ammunition a few years back. The ammo features “trocars,” shards that separate from the bullet after impact and go their separate ways, causing a target’s insides to frappe faster than strawberries and bananas in a NutriBullet. Or so the company said.

Looks devastating, no? The experienced ballistic experts who write for London’s Express certainly seem impressed.

The (SAS) is getting a horde of new weapons already used by the US special forces.

One piece of ammunition in the formidable arsenal is the Rapidly Invasive Projectile, or RIP, which is designed to cause maximum internal damage.

The bullets are designed to kill on impact, and will be issued to the crack squad in the coming weeks.

Wait, wasn’t their previous choice of gun food already “designed to cause maximum damage” and “kill on impact?” Have they been using rubber bullets until now? Anyway…

Alongside the RIP, British forces will also be issued with “hollow point”, which have a similar design but instead of splintering the tip of the bullet flattens out to cause a massive wound. …

The RIP, as the name suggests, is described as the most lethal ever made.

Made by US company G2 Research (G2R), it is designed to splinter into eight pieces.

Each piece is as deadly as a single bullet.

So if RIP ammo is the deadliest ammunition ever made, which poor SAS sods will draw the short straws and be issued those old fashioned hollow points? If you were going up against villainous ISIS scum, wouldn’t you want the benefit of “exploding” bullets that are sure to send your enemy straight to Paradise?

The new kit will be used in their new HK MP7a1 sub-machines – the same weapon used to kill Osama bin Laden.

Gives you chills just thinking about what that will do to your average terrorist’s internals, doesn’t it? There’s only one problem.

According to the extensive three-part testing our own ShootingTheBull410 performed on RIP ammo back in the day, it doesn’t live up to its soul-destroying, organ-liquefying reputation (see his analysis here, here and here).

In fact, based on STB410’s exhaustive analysis, while there are some instances in which RIP can be effective, it didn’t perform as well as conventional, reliable Gold Dot or HST ammo in all-around duty situations.

Which kind of makes you wonder what impressed the British brass so much that they’ve decided it’s just the thing to hand out to their special forces in the field. In any case, if you’re an ISIS soldier or wanna-be, be afraid. Be very afraid.

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118 COMMENTS

  2. So…G2 is making RIP ammo in 4.6×30? The Brits, and Europe as a whole, cannot possibly get any dumber. Gold Dots, HST’s (despite my dislike for them), Critical Duty and Corbon JHP’s are all some of the best ammo you can buy for people.

    Easiest way to drop a terrorist? Don’t let them in your country in the first place. Seems like an easier solution to me, but I’m just a dumbass civilian.

  3. Well, this is what happens to a disarmed populace: Hype and myth overtake the truth about guns and ammo.

    • It’s also further proof that most of what government does is either stupid or inefficient, and often both.

      Don’t depend on government for ANYTHING, it is mostly (with exceptions, no doubt) staffed by people who flunked out of the real world.

    • That’s basically what I was going to post.

      With no gun-guys anywhere in the organization or government, you end up with an RFP for G2 RIP ammo.

  4. So much lulz. It’s like a bunch of junior high kids picked whichever they thought was more awesomer and then their little brothers in 5th grade wrote the story up filled with double awesomer because their big brothers are so cool.

  5. Osama bin Laden wasn’t dropped by a HK MP7-whatever. He was killed by a SEAL using a M4. I don’t know what ammo they were using, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it was probably standard stuff in the US inventory for the 5.56.

    • Why do people (and not necessarily you) put so much weight on what was (or they think was) used to kill UBL? It was one mission: Why is it so important which buffer tube spring they used? I mean, you can’t even talk a Malinois owner without hearing that their dog’s uncle literally killed UBL. (JK)

      • I dunno. I didn’t really care if he was shot with a .50 BMG or a dozen times from a .9mm.

        All I really wanted to see his body put on display, preferably in a nicely made plexiglass box, which would have been in the Oval Office when the POTUS called in the Pakistani ambassador to ask “Hey, recognize this dude? Guess where we found him…?”

      • To the journalist it was the same as what killed Bin Laden: It shot bullets. They know no distinction between a 22lr plinker rifle and a Barrett .50 cal They fire S C A R Y bullets that’s all they need to know. Well that an if they are “especially” deadly bullets

    • Exactly this one’s thoughts and recollection. If memories serves, Rob O’Neal stated that after the front man tackled one of the women near bin Laden, he (O’Neal) then shot him (bin Laden) 3 times in the forehead with his M4.

    • From what I remember, it was reported that the specific M4 variant used on OBL was an HK416.

      The ammo used was Black Hills Match, probably 77 grain.

      • It really keeps amazing me how gullible people are.

        Remember who was in office when Bin Laden was “killed’ for the third time.

        A body or it didn’t happen. Talk is cheap.

        • And what’s even more cheap is someone saying that everything they didn’t personally witness is a hoax. The burden of proof is on the anonymous doubting Thomases, seems to me.

        • Incorrect. The burden of proof is fully on those making a claim that is specious to anyone with a modicum of critical thinking.

          The assertion was: Bin Laden was killed in a compound in Pakistan. No body was provided, with the flimsy explanation “he was buried at sea to protect the feels of the Moslem community.” That is absolute malarky. The unquiet dead, the victims of 9/11 and the troops that died in AFG and IRQ are worth far more than the feelings of a bunch of death cultists.

          This is no conspiracy theory. This is basic, basic common sense.

          If this same argument was used in any other arena, it would be met (rightfully) with derision. This was arguably the most hated, hunted, and valuable target of the 21st century. And yet there’s nothing to show for it except the word of an administration known for putting their own agenda before the truth.

          If the defense of the Pig-In-A-Poke Bin Laden fabrication is out of loyalty (albeit misguided) to the warfighters involved in the operation, put it aside. It does no credit to them to assert they killed someone that could not have demonstrably survived another 9 months past 9/11 in a top-tier medical center (this from several reputable medical doctors). Occam’s Razor and basic logic.

          Those who are honestly mistaken and hear the truth either stop being mistaken, and stop being honest.

          You are welcome to your beliefs, but do not present them as anything but your own private fairy tale.

          • Read an article in the last three months that explained the reason UBL was buried at sea, and no photos allowed to be published is because senior leadership did not wan America to see just how bullet-riddled UBL actually was. The story was that the shooting was a one-shot, clean, humane kill. Photos would destroy that legend.

        • To what end, GunDoc? What would be the point of all the subterfuge?

          I don’t think many people would have given a damn if we found out Bin Laden had died of a gangrenous stubbed toe. As long as the shitweasel was dead.

  8. I’ll stick with regular hollow points, thank you very much. I doubt these rounds can really do anything better than Speer Gold Dot 185 Grain 45ACP +Ps I carry.

  10. Ammo that’s even more awesomer deadlier-est-er than my current ammo? Take my money now!!!!

    In all seriousness this sounds like a PR attempt to make gun/ammo ignorant masses believe the government is working even harder to protect them without actually having to do much. Good way to suppress any would be calls for the need for armed self defense of the average Brit

  11. Bollocks! If they wanted to get serious about tackling terrorism they should stop disarming law abiding Brits.

  12. Maybe it is a make work project for trauma surgeons. More people shot by the soldiers live and there is more work to do on those patients when they do. And you don’t want to lose possible prisoners. Taking care of them creates a lot of jobs. Gosh, this has “win win” written all over it.

    • In all seriousness while I doubt the bullets are any better at stopping a threat quickly I can see them being ‘deadlier’ in terms of being difficult to treat. Fixing one large wound (okay, within reason guys) is easier than fixing a bunch of small wounds. That’s why shooting someone a few times with a .22lr isn’t ideal for defense but it’ll kill em… eventually. Fragmentation wounds are also a bitch to fix.

      • During the Malaya Emergency the brits used 12 ga. shells loaded with a mix of 00 buck and number 6 shot. Their reasoning, and it was claimed to be true in use, was that in the primitive conditions the insurgents lived in even a fairly minor wound from bird shot could develope into serious infections. Primitive jungle living and primitive medical facilities led to any wounded man being in a life or death situation.

        Maybe the brits are figuring on the same thing with their jihadis? Even wounding one, with less than stellar medical services, can be fatal.

        Just guessing.

        • Good point, and everyone knows the Brits have really poor medical services (but they are free).

          • But the insurrection was effectively ended by the Brits, with only 13 battalions of infantry, not divisions.

  14. “Made by US company G2 Research (G2R), it is designed to splinter into eight pieces. Each piece is as deadly as a single bullet.”

    Why not make them splinter into 20 pieces if that’s true? Something tells me there was a budget somewhere that hadn’t been filled.

    “Hey, we’ve got 15% of our ammo budget unused! We gotta find something to blow it on or they’ll decrease it next year!”

    “Hold my tea.”

        • Who cares about decimal placement? A .9 mm, can kill just as quick as a 9. mm,………………….. or not!

          • A. There’s not supposed to be a decimal
            B. .9 mm = .035″
            C. .9 mm don’t exist
            D. Idiots who write the wrong thing about ammunition tend to make guns explode.

            • The vast majority of the appearance of the mythical, laughable .9mm is due to commenters mocking the stupid media. Enjoy. Play along.

        • Isaac,
          You are 100 % correct! No decimal point. A Good friend of mine “Mic McPherson” who writes for Varmint hunter, and other magazine has pounded that point into me for the last 20 years.
          Decimal points are OK when describing the diameter of a bullet, as, .257 Diameter, meaning 257 thousands of an inch.

  15. Speaking of ammo, what is the consensus on Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defense? It certainly looks cool. : )

    • I keep asking hunters to tell me how the wounds created by FTM bullets look. I haven’t heard back from anyone yet. The only one I am confident enough to have in a gun right now is the 50gr .312. From my wife’s 4.2″ SP101 it is moving out at 2,100 fps. That is fast enough that I suspect the extra damage is really happening. It also penetrates armor nicely. Oh and the recoil is very manageable in that 30oz gun.

  17. Whats wrong with a 12 gauge D Duplex round? If you don’t want them getting back in the fight.

  18. The part about one shard being as lethal as a bullet is pretty good. At least the UK is trying.

  19. What do you expect from a country that villifies and demonizes guns BUT a complete ignorance in such cases.

    Just got a new get rich quick scheme. Design gimmicky bullet (the pointier the better), give it foreboding name, self describe it as the deadliest ever, market it to european countries. I’m thinking a version of snake shot filled with tiny razor blades. I’ll call it the “Soul Slasher”. No, no, the “Soul Slazher X”. Z’s and X’s imply scariness.

  20. Would somebody please enlighten me as to the current legality of hollow-point munitions for military use under the Geneva Conventions.

    • The Hague Convention, not the Geneva, concerns ammunition. And hollowpoints are not banned per se, just ammo designed to wound but not kill. And since HP’s are indeed designed to kill, and in a sense do it more quickly, i.e., humanely, they are game. I don’t know about the UK, but the USA didn’t even sign the Hague Convention, just stated they would abide by some of it’s portions, but without making us “legally” bound. The DOD has holllowpoints in their inventory, and I’m not talking about the sniper ammo (Open Tipped Match). Good ol’ pistol HP’s. Now, not just anybody gets them, for now, but the Army is going to field a 9mm HP load once they decide on it’s exact composition.

      • It doesn’t the Hague (not Geneva) convention forbids the use of expanding or explosive ammunition under 14 or so ounces in uniformed conflict… not counter terror work where you are free to get out the 12 gauge and 1980’s shredder rounds (the movie explosive breaching rounds that kill every thing in the house).

    • The US never signed the convention regarding expanding bullets. We are just all ’round nice people, and went along with the rest of the civilized nations. On top of it all, the expanding rounds were not ostracized because of lethality, but because the wounds were horrendous, and medical care was too antiquated to deal with them. As in the US civil war, many of those wounded slowly died in horrible agony. The problem of advanced technology and archaic medicine was to be solved by making bullets more “humane”, as in non-expanding.

      Have seen, over the last two years, articles indicating the US formally notified the convention signatories the US would not longer honor the pact.

      • About damn time!! I can’t tell you how many times I was chewed out by reporters and civilian volunteer “aid” types when they happened to see my OTM (Open Tip Match) 7.62 NATO rounds. I was the only sniper qualifies DM in my battalion (and I’m a tanker. Go figure.), and as such had a great little National Match M1A. Complete with a Sage modular stock, Leupold Mark 4, and Harris bipod. I used it mainly for scouting purposes versus IED’s, but all our ammo was sourced from Black Hills and was loaded with 175 grain Sierra MatchKings. Great ammo, and great weapons system.

    • it only applies to the signatories of the convention when fighting against each other with regular troops.

  22. “Each piece is as deadly as a single bullet.”

    Ok who among you would dread getting hit by a single trocar fragment as much as a plain old .45 ACP hardball?

    • “Ok who among you would dread getting hit by a single trocar fragment as much as a plain old .45 ACP hardball?”

      Depends on if it is a two-door trocar, or a four-door.

  23. Ooooh I get it now!! 8 fragments as deadly a single bullet means if you shoot the aloha snackbar 9 times you kill him AND his 72 virgins!! You clever Brits.

    • 8 bullets are even deadlier than 8 fragments. Switch to happy-mode, its guns free, Gentlemen!

  24. They have a round as deadly as 8-9 rounds of .380 already. It’s called 12 gauge 00 buck. Want even deadlier? Get a 3″ or 3 1/2″ 00 buck. If you want less deadly get RIP or Magsafe which leave nasty surface wounds. Im sure those compaines are laughing their way to the bank cashing out British pounds.

    • I think the ammo company is getting screwed. Copper and brass have real value.

      The english pound……….

  25. Isn’t this the same round that works like a double tap of certain .22 rounds? Anyone else feel like this is some security theater?

  27. If I were the SAS, I’d buy a box (20 rounds of G2 RIP), put it in someone’s desk somewhere and never load it into a firearm ever, while loudly proclaiming that I’d bought it.

    Hype can be a weapon in itself.

  28. So happy I clicked on this after long day at work. Pure comic relief. Just bureaucrats beauraucrating around. They look vicious though

  29. I’d be shocked if this evil looking crap would actually feed through any semi or full auto weapon.

  30. I recall when Q told 007 that his new upgraded Walther – upgraded from .25 to .32 – “hits like a brick theough plate glass window.”

    Brits don’t know s*** about pistols. Still.

    • I also was curious if this is the super-duper ammo ole Craig/James Bond uses in his piddle little peashooter. I bet Bond gets the DU version.

    • “Brits don’t know s**t about pistols” It was a movie guys. But as the world’s top super spy he would have been an expert marksman able to hit a moving cricket ball from 1 mile.
      Walther PPK was a British Military/Police issue gun.
      Remember who invented modern pistol shooting, Fairbairn and Sykes.

      Instead of making fun of the SAS, Army, and Government for “buying” this ammo. I would suggest laughing at the journalist/newspaper for believing and printing this. 4.6 ammo is made by Radway Green, in England

      I read on the internet once that The UK did not sign the convention on banning hollow points either

  31. To really put the scare into them, the SAS should issue that ammunition exclusively to gingers so they can steal their target’s soul at the same time.

    • and tell them the cutting lube during the machining process for these rounds was replaced with bacon grease…..

  32. this ammo is a gimmick the shards don’t have the mass to travel through flesh they will litter the wound track.

  33. They want it to be the deadliest ammo ever? Make the ‘splinters’ of potassium with a coating that dissolves in human blood. On contact with blood, specifically with the water in the blood, each splinter will burst into flame and burn right there inside the body.

    Want it specifically for Islamists? Make the coating of pork lard somehow.

    Allah: I see you died from burning pork fat inside your body.
    Islamist: The infidels–
    Allah: Silence. Dead from pig fat — off to Hell!

  34. Since ShootingTheBull410 was figured prominently in this post, can anyone tell me why he has disappeared?

    No new posts, no answers (at least publicly) to inquiries about his health.

    He just seems to have vanished.

    *8(

    • STB had some health issues. And then needed money, so worked on other projects. We’re trying to find him a full time sponsor so we can get four ammo tests per week.

      Watch this space. Keep watching . . . Keep watching . . .

    • Coupla months ago, he noted he had recovered from a bit of a health problem, and was focusing on his real job, because that had suffered also. On a further note, STB started out to test only ammunition for “pocket” guns. Given he pretty much exhausted current offerings in .380 and .9mm (intentional), the quest would seem to be pretty much over (my assumption). It is a shame he could not make a career of ammo testing. How long would ammo companies fund someone who just lays the cards on the table?

      Did you see his comment here about G2 RIP?

      • Hello Sam I Am,

        Yes I did – and it was enjoyable to see STB410 completely destroy the RIP’s marketing hype.

        *8)

        • I really like how STB does not try to “prove” anything. He simply gives whatever ammo a shot, then reports. Always with the disclaimer that the results are from the gun he used; YMMV.

  37. What is the analysis on damage if the intended target is missed? Like dog years, is it eight times the miss? It would seem accuracy is not a factor? Most of our bullet propellants already contain piggy derivatives, I heard, so the 72 virgins are stacked and few have had to serve. I would keep it quiet too. I think Gold Dot is appropriate when we care enough to send the very best!

  39. If the Brits can use these things in Iraq, they can use them on Home soil also. There’s probably 100x more rifles in Iraq/Syria as there are in GB discounting the military. A citizen can defend themself, a subject cannot

  40. Yes I think the difference will be rate of fire. 1-2 of these rounds may not be too effective but they get full auto. That may make the difference in essence giving a fletchette round effect to the tissue. Just my $.02

  41. This type of ammunition is not new , This particular design may be , If You wan`t a one shot one kill then an old fashioned Glaser Safety Slug will do the trick

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