I experimented with some Federal 124 gr +p Expanding Full Metal Jacket (EFMJ) rounds. I fired them into two Yellow Pages books from a range of 7 yds (a reasonable self-defense range).
I fired about 24 rounds through two phone books....of those, only two of the bullets stopped in the books. The rest penetrated all the way through (1200+ pages). I didn't have the opportunity to try wet vs. dry books to see if there was a difference.
I fired a total of 250 rounds from five pistols (Ruger, Glock, Sig, Steyr and Walther). Not a single hiccup or problem. All in all, I feel pretty good about these rounds for home defense.
The following photos show some of the results.