Posted on 06/18/2015 10:31:19 AM PDT by w1n1
When I used to work at a gun store I was frequently asked what caliber was best for any given situation. It would have been nice if there had been some sort of magic death ray that I could have suggested, but there isn’t, and most people have a pretty flawed understanding of what actually happens when a bullet interacts with a human target. Here’s my take on it and personal reasoning behind selecting a 9mm round.
For starters let’s examine a couple of concepts that don’t actually exist in the scientific world but everyone talks about anyway. I’m going to regurgitate the work from those better than myself, and the information is worth paying attention to.
KNOCKDOWN POWER
This doesn’t actually exist. If a bullet had enough force to knock down an individual, it would also knock down the individual firing the gun. People do not go flying through the air when hit by a bullet, contrary to what the movies and television would have us believe. Newton’s Third Law and all.
ENERGY DUMP
On the back of a box of ammo, manufacturers list the foot-pounds of energy (ft-lbf, or foot-pounds of force/energy) that their rounds have. Well, that doesn’t actually matter. The terminal performance of a projectile is determined solely by how much tissue it cuts, crushes or tears. While it has been advocated by many-a-misinformed-gun-counter commando that some sort of energy transfer occurs between a projectile and its target, this has been rejected by everyone I respect who studies terminal ballistics for a living.
9mm is for girls and sissies How often have you heard, “If you’re not carrying a caliber that begins with the number four and ends with the number five, you’re doing it wrong”? This almost makes sense if we were limited to nonexpanding ammunition, but most of us aren’t. When we compare modern hollow-point rounds in popular service calibers, there is, on average, one-tenth of an inch of difference in expanded diameter between a 9mm and a .45ACP. Grab a ruler and look at a tenth of an inch. It doesn’t seem like much, does it? That’s because it’s not. Read the rest of the story here.
I have a couple weapons like the 44mag that are just plain ridiculous.
They are cool, no doubt, but its not even fun to shoot. Once or twice, yeah, but after that it just hurts to shoot the darn thing.
So what is so wrong about a .38special?
Absolutely nothing, especially when using +p rounds. All of my revolvers are .357 but I generally load them .38 +p rounds when carrying. Follow up shots are much quicker and more accurate with the .38 loads. I can shoot very accurately with .357 but follow up shots and recovery time is much slower. However, you can't beat the stopping power of a .357 (actually, you can with a .44 magnum but I've never been accurate with one.)
Give me a fistful of .45 ACP any day.
yep... the only reason I shoot a .45 is cause I can’t find a .46
There's a joke in there somewhere...but I'm not going there.
bfl
Me too.
I’m a good shot with a handgun but my 9mm always seemed “Spray and Pray”
Totally different with my 45acp.
Anyone carrying less is, well, just not a man
” they needed more power than the 9mm or 38special.”
I am not arguing but I am curious. Please define “more power”.
Faster? Larger? More expansion? Shock?
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The only gun worth having is one you take with you everywhere.
If I can’t fit it in my pocket, it stays home. Then what good is it?
380 keltec (P3AT), guaranteed for life, made in FL, don’t even know it’s in your pocket. Fired twice, hope I never have to fire it again.
We wear shorts and t-shirts/tanktops year-round here. Don’t want a bulky gun. Better to have it and not need it than vice versa.
Those pretty perfectly expanded bullets in eh picture are what happens in ballistic gel. Problemsolving in thereal world are done in ballistic gel. Therefore, while a 9mm may expand, a 45 certainly won’t et smaller....
And yes, .451 -.355=.086” in greater diameter, but last I checked, area is a function of r squared and pi, so .096” IS a bigger deal than simple diameter shows.
9mm area is .0989 sq in, 45 is .1597 sq in, or a 45 is 162% larger in area than a 9mm.
All said, indeed a hit with a 9 is much more effective ta a miss with a 4, Finally, if a 45 is so much gun that you cannot shoot it well, then so is a 99mm. A 45 produces about 350 ft lbs of energy ( the same amount deliver to the target as delivered to the shooters hand) while the 9mm produces about 310 ft lbs. Not so much difference, espc in that most 9mm are much lighter 9 read greater free recoil) than a heavier 45....
Solution- use what you like, practice a lot with that choice.
It’s not a pretty picture....trust me.
I like mine too. But I also like my Sig 45.
Those pretty perfectly expanded bullets in the picture are what happens in ballistic gel. Problem solving in the real world is not done in ballistic gel. Therefore, while a 9mm may expand, a 45 certainly won’t get smaller....
And yes, .451 -.355=.086” in greater diameter, but last I checked, area is a function of r squared and pi, so .096” IS a bigger deal than simple diameter shows.
9mm area is .0989 sq in, 45 is .1597 sq in, or a 45 is 162% larger in area than a 9mm.
All said, indeed a hit with a 9 is much more effective than a miss with a 4, Finally, if a 45 is so much gun that you cannot shoot it well, then so is a 9mm. A 45 produces about 350 ft lbs of energy ( the same amount deliver to the target as delivered to the shooters hand) while the 9mm produces about 310 ft lbs. Not so much difference, espc in that most 9mm are much lighter, read greater free recoil) than a heavier 45....
Solution- use what you like, practice a lot with that choice.
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9 millimeters in your speedo?
Thats just embarrassing.
Huge fan of the P220. Although the P227 (.45 10+1) has even better ergonomics.
My favorite is a P220 in .38 Super.
Single or double action, and why do you prefer? The guy at my gun shop says single is easier to shoot but double action provides the extra safety against accidental discharge?
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