Nota bene:
Before I wrote this, but after I collected the data, PoliceOne did a 3 part article of their own about the clear gel.
In the articles, I’d put reference lines up around the FBI 12” and 18” marks and expansion guidelines.
The article is convincing enough to me that I’ve put a caveat around assuming that these results are the same as lab-quality tests in the organic gel. The good news is I stand by the conclusions as the volume of data, compared to *itself*, supports “light expanding” rounds and 3”+ barrels as key factors.
Please just don’t say “well STB got 14” or Lucky Gunner got 13 so it meets FBI spec.” It might; but it’s not 1:1 for sure.
I am 71 years old I remember growing up and waiting each year for the Winchester catalog along with the Sears Christmas catalog. In the old Winchester catalog they use to discuss which cartridge was good for hunting what kind of game. In those days a .458 Win Mag was for Elephant and rhino. A .375 H&H was for Cape Buffalo (and in a pinch Rhino and Elephants). A .338 Win Mag for Lions and Grizzly bears. Today people hunt elk & moose with .375 H&H and .458 Win Mag. The animals are not getting tougher. Shooters are enamored with extreme power, not good shot placement and the ability to make a followup shot.
Not that many years ago the .32 ACP was a standard police and military round in Europe. I once read that that caliber put more people into cemeteries in Europe than any other round. The .25 Auto Baby Browning was a favorite of the French Resistance in WW2. The .38 Special was the preferred police round for many decades in the US.
I feel that a .380 Auto (with a spare magazine), in the right hands, is suitable for self defense.
Now back to an earlier post of yours, I would like to add a couple clarifying comments.
“......There’s are many to choose from. In the tiny size like LCP you might like the Pico (latest iteration has a 6lb spring) although from the study I’d only go with that size if pocket was the the only option. In the 3”+ group you might like a G42, Bersa, PPK(/s)?........”
I like pocket carry. I make my own leather holsters of my design and they contain a spare magazine that fits easily within my front pocket.
Tiny Pocket pistols (sometimes called mouse guns) have some serious issues that the shooter needs to understand. The first is that to make them small enough and light enough for pocket carry, you have to push the limits of the physics of semi-auto pistol design.
Specifically, small pistols require compromises in design. You have limited amount of energy available for controlled recoil operation of the action and slide. You also have a light pistol with not much surface area to grip. When such a pistol fires and you absorb some of the recoil with your arm or wrist the action may not reliably work.
The same caliber in a larger gripped and heavier pistol will have no such problems. Often times the stove-piping and failure to fully eject or failure to feed problems are referred to a operator error or “limp wristing.” It is not a problem of wrist strength, it is one of making sure all the recoil energy is transferred to operating the action and slide.
When recommending small pistols, practice and ammo selection becomes critical. Some pistols when at the edge of their recoil limits can have difficulty with feeding a fresh cartridge into the chamber depending on the ogee of the bullet.
Thank you for sharing your research.