Energy available to initiate the disintegration mechanism is limited by the rate at which the target slows the bullet; so bullets may pass through flexible, fragile or low-density materials without slowing the bullet enough to cause disintegration. Bullets must resist disintegration during handling, loading, and firing to reliably hit the target; so high-velocity loads may require a non-frangible jacket to protect a frangible core from disintegration prior to target impact. The jacket may ricochet, but should have reduced range without the weight of the frangible core.
The energy required for initiating disintegration is constrained by how quickly the target slows down the bullet; thus, bullets can pass through flexible, fragile, or low-density materials without slowing enough to cause disintegration. Bullets must resist disintegration during handling, loading, and firing to ensure reliable hits on the target; hence, high-velocity loads may need a non-frangible jacket to protect a frangible core from disintegrating before impact with the target. The jacket might ricochet but should have reduced range without the weight of the protected core.