G2 RIP: Beware the Cartridge Fad

In an industry that is as dynamic and inventive as the firearms business, innovation is a constant feature. It is precisely this ever-present innovation that has led to notable advances in design and construction of firearms, ammunition terminal ballistics, and innumerable other improvements since the First World War. Research and development, and the creativity that forms an inherent part of it, can sadly be quite the double-edged sword: for every ground-breaking evolution of weapon or ammunition design, there is sure to be a fair share of gimmicks vying for commercial shelf space.

Sometimes these gimmicks are harmless oddities, and quite a few may be inherently interesting and even fun despite not offering any real usefulness. There is in my opinion nothing wrong with firearm-related knick-knacks like these. Some people even go out of their way to actively collect such pieces, marvelling at their weirdness and appreciating their oddness for the sake of it. The worst harm that is done in these cases, is that your wallet receives a dent in it, and that you have acquired another useless thing that clutters up your house. Goodness knows I am as guilty as sin when it comes to this.

Where the problems start coming into play, and where I get a little upset, is when the gimmicks are more than just a harmless fad, and can actually lead to innocent people getting killed. Usually a little research about a product is more than sufficient for most people to realise something is a bad idea. However, this is not always the case. Aggressive marketing techniques, hyperbolic and ridiculous claims about the attributes of a product, using seemingly complex graphs and tables of numbers to support these claims, and the occasional underwear model is usually more than enough to get a serious hype train running. And when that train leaves the station under full steam, you can bet that a whole bunch of unsuspecting people have already jumped on board…and heading for a crash.

A product that ticks all the boxes of the “Harmful Gimmick” category, and that should come with a massive Caveat Emptor scrawled in bold letters across its packaging, is G2 Research’s G2 R.I.P. – Radically Invasive Projectile. The marketing of this cartridge alone is more overblown and ridiculous than a David Hasselhoff music video: (Shut-up…I like the Hoff…)

“The last round you’ll ever need.”

That is a pretty bold claim, especially when we consider that this cartridge (a new kid on the block so wet behind the ears you can water your garden with it) seeks to compete with established (and proven) cartridges used by civilians and law-enforcement for years. Winchester, Remington, Federal, and Speer (among others) have gotten the job done in the line of duty countless times before, so any claim that a new cartridge is so revolutionary as to make these obsolete needs to be able to back its words with results.

And this is exactly where the G2 R.I.P. falls miserably, miserably short. And spectacularly so.

A fortunate consequence of the G2 R.I.P.’s aggressive viral marketing campaign is that it really got the experts sitting up straight and paying attention. This resulted in more than a couple of people putting the cartridge through its paces by extensively testing it and each claim made by the manufacturer. Shooting the Bull did an exhaustively thorough analysis and review of the cartridge’s performance on his YouTube channel, and I have linked the three videos below for your viewing pleasure. Please do watch them all before continuing with my article, they are that good and that important.

In summary, the ballistic performance of the G2 R.I.P. just isn’t what you want from a 9mmP cartridge. The trocars, emphasised as being so important in the creation of devastating “multiple wound channels”, break off and separate from the bullet base at a very shallow penetration depth. The only thing that ends up doing any real damage is the base of the bullet, which has terminal ballistic performance equitable to that of .22LR. Great. The cartridge turns your 9mmP pistol into the world’s most expensive .22…and boy is it expensive! At $37.50 retail price for a box of 20, you are paying the equivalent of approximately R50 per round in South Africa after import costs.

Folks, if you are seriously considering buying this ammunition you need to really think long and hard about your choice. You are paying a fortune for a product that doesn’t do anything better, but in actual fact performs much worse than available premium self-defence ammunition. This cartridge, apart from the interesting way it is machined, is a gimmick. What you choose to carry in your gun is your choice, and nobody else can make that choice for you, but I hope that after reading this you may be in a better position to make an informed decision.

Because your life really does depend on it.