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THE STOPPING POWER OF DIFFERENT HANDGUN CARTRIDGES
2/22/2003

Posted on 02/22/2003 8:34:22 PM PST by 2nd_Amendment_Defender

General Julian Hatcher, a noted forensic pathologist, in the early 1900’s developed a good formula to determine the theoretical stopping power of a firearm cartridge. His formula has withstood the test of time and validation from other studies and data related to stopping power.

You want a handgun cartridge that has a Hatcher value of over 50 for the most effective stopping power. Values over 55 have diminishing returns in that you don’t gain any significant increase in stopping power for the extra recoil and control you must cope with. Handgun cartridges that don’t make a value of at least 50, should not considered for self-defense. If the rating of your handgun cartridge is under 30, it only has about a 30% chance of producing a one shot stop. Hatcher Ratings of 30 to 49 raise a one shot stop to approximately a 50% chance. Ratings of 50 or higher produce a one shot stop about 90% of the time.

Handgun Cartridge Type ..................... Hatcher Rating

.45 ACP full metal jacket 230 grain .......... 49.1

.45 ACP jacketed hollow point 230 grain ...... 60.7

.44 Magnum full metal jacket 240 grain ....... 92.3

*.44 Magnum lead wad cutter 240 grain ......... 136.8

.44 Special full metal jacket 240 grain ...... 51.6

*.44 Special lead wad cutter 240 grain ............. 76.5

.41 Magnum full metal jacket 230 grain ............. 54

*.41 Magnum lead wad cutter 230 grain .............. 80

10 millimeter full metal jacket 180 grain .......... 50.3

10 millimeter jacketed hollow point 180 grain ..62.1

.40 S&W full metal jacket flat nose 180 grain ...... 53.4

.40 S&W jacketed hollow point 180 grain ....... 59.4

.38 Special full metal jacket 158 grain ...... 26.7

*.38 Special lead wad cutter 158 grain ............. 39.7

**.357 Magnum full metal jacket 158 grain ..... 32.7

**.357 Magnum lead wad cutter 158 grain ............ 48.5

.357 SIG full metal jacket 147 grain ................ 36.6

.357 SIG jacketed hollow point 147 grain ..... 45.2

9 millimeter full metal jacket 147 grain ............ 32.3

9 millimeter jacketed hollow point 147 grain ... 39.9

.380 Auto jacketed hollow point 95 grain ..... 18.3

.32 Auto jacketed hollow point 71 grain ...... 11.1

.25 Auto jacketed hollow point 50 grain ...... 3.7

.22 Long Rifle jacketed hollow point 40 grain ... 4.2

* Jacketed hollow points will have the same rating as wad cutter bullets if the bullet hollow tip is greater than 1/2 of the caliber of the bullet.

* .357 Magnum ratings are taken from a firearm with a 3 inch barrel. Longer barrels will raise the rating of the round.


TOPICS: Announcements; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 45acp; 9mm; ammo; ammobang; bang; banglist; cary; firearms; guns; secondamendment; stoppingpower
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To: chookter
Comments on my post # 39 this thread......Stay safe !
221 posted on 02/24/2003 12:40:38 PM PST by Squantos (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: PatrioticAmerican
My fav house gun is a shotgun with 3" #2 steel.

I keep a minimum legal Remington 870 with 00 Buck. I don't have to worry about excessive penetration inside the house and the outer walls are brick.

So9

222 posted on 02/24/2003 12:41:59 PM PST by Servant of the Nine (Republicans for Sharpton)
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To: Servant of the Nine
I have a older AMT backup in 45 also. Does yours have a problem regarding your shooting hands pinky hitting the euro style mag release under recoil ? Or just recoil dropping the mag sometimes ?

The pinky and the springs have been moved and changed but the problem persists......It's relegated to paperweight duty till I figure this out.

Stay Safe !

223 posted on 02/24/2003 12:46:32 PM PST by Squantos (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: Servant of the Nine
" AMT Backup .45 in Thunderwear"

The Thunderwear comfy?
224 posted on 02/24/2003 1:19:14 PM PST by PatrioticAmerican (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: chookter
That is no longer a reasonable assumption. Now that the understanding of the hydraulic mechanisms of expansion have fed into bullet design, expansion of hollowpoints is a significant factor in lethality.

Handgun bullets expand in the human target only 60-70% of the time at best. I think that when one considers stopping power of a handgun round it is best to assume worst case scenario (your hollow point does not expand 40% of the time). I do not think that all Julian Hatcher's information is out of date. The point of this article is that bullet weights over 179 grain that are .40 caliber or larger will penetrate more tissue and cause damage thereby hopefully defeating your opponent more effectively than smaller caliber speedy rounds. Some of the information may be incorrect but there are things we can learn from Hatcher's work.

225 posted on 02/24/2003 1:40:41 PM PST by 2nd_Amendment_Defender
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To: 2nd_Amendment_Defender
I agree, look at my post right under the post to you where I backpedaled furiously....
226 posted on 02/24/2003 1:49:05 PM PST by Cogadh na Sith (The Guns of Brixton)
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To: PatrioticAmerican
The Thunderwear comfy?

In khakis, or "relaxed fit" jeans, it's just fine. I think it would be uncomfortable in tight jeans, or on horseback or motorcycle. I would also stick to a small pistol or revolver. A 1911A1 will fit, but it's uncomfortable, makes you look like a pervert and carrying there "Cocked and Locked" would make me very very nervous.

So9

227 posted on 02/24/2003 2:01:45 PM PST by Servant of the Nine (Republicans for Sharpton)
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To: PatrioticAmerican
The Thunderwear comfy?

I'm carrying using the Smart Carry, a product almost identical to the Thunderwear. I usually forget I'm carrying. It is far more confortable than I ever would have believed had I not tried it. NOBODY knows you're carrying. And now I do carry at all times, instead of only sporadically like before I discovered the Smart Carry. Many US Air Marshalls are cerrying concealed using Smart Carry.

Try it.

228 posted on 02/24/2003 2:05:25 PM PST by Polycarp
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To: Squantos
I have a older AMT backup in 45 also. Does yours have a problem regarding your shooting hands pinky hitting the euro style mag release under recoil ? Or just recoil dropping the mag sometimes ?

Mine has the mag release at the rear of the mag well. I smoothed and rounded it a bit when I dehorned the pistol and have never had any problem.

By the way, "Actions by T" in Sugarland, Texas can do an action job on one that makes it a lot easier to hit with.

So9

229 posted on 02/24/2003 2:06:41 PM PST by Servant of the Nine (Republicans for Sharpton)
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To: Servant of the Nine
I would also stick to a small pistol or revolver

Would a Colt Defender be small enough? I'm actually looking at the Para Ordnance PARA CARRY C6.45 LDA which is a single stack, measures 6.5" length by 5" height, I think its smaller than the Colt Defender.

My current KelTec P11 is easy to carry this way, but I want a .40 or .45. The SigSauer P229 is too big, I'm afraid, to carry this way.

230 posted on 02/24/2003 2:12:14 PM PST by Polycarp
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To: Polycarp
Would a Colt Defender be small enough? I'm actually looking at the Para Ordnance PARA CARRY C6.45 LDA

I have a Para Carry that is gonna replace the AMT Backup. I really like it. It is the same size. I just haven't had enough time to put enough rounds through it to break it in and be sure it is 100% reliable.

So9

231 posted on 02/24/2003 2:41:50 PM PST by Servant of the Nine (Republicans for Sharpton)
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To: PatrioticAmerican
Still, 1100 fps is certainly a safe load in a 40 using a 155gr GD.

I don't think I'd be too concerned about the safety of that level of load any more than any other in a Glock, though I do see the .40 as a better choice in longer barrelled service weapons where it can develop every bit of power and velocity possible. Flash at night from the shorter barrels also becomes an interesting consideration. The 135-grain loadings, from Cor-Bon, Federal, Pro-Load and others might be a reasonable alternative [sort of reminiscent of the usually effective 125-grain .357 Magnum JHP loadings] in a .40 shorty, though again, some personal user testing at night should take place lest any surprises pop up. My experience with the cartridge has mostly been with a Glock 22 and a Daewoo DP-40 and a couple of developmental pieces, and from comments from Memphis PD officers using the .40 in their S&W autoloaders, who look longingly at the .45 Glocks issued by another nearby department. I'd guess I've got maybe 35,000 rounds of .40 sent downrange, about a third of that at 600 rpm or so.

Happily, when my boss suggested that our personnel upgrade to .40s, I asked him if a .400 Cor-Bon in my 1911 was okay, and he cheerily said sure- I could carry whatever I liked, but the practice ammo provided would be .40 S&W...or, I could continue using my Browning GP if I wished, so long as I bring my own ammo and keep my scores up, no problem since they're usually in the top 5 of 40 shooters or so.

So the .40 and concerns thereof aren't in my immediate future, though my old Glock went to an Arkansas deputy sheriff whose department switched from the 9mm, and he's a good pal, so I remain interested in it and how it serves him. But they're sure going to be around for a while, and seem to be an acceptable compromise for some happy users, to include yourself. FTI agrees with your thoughts about the 165-grain Gold Dot, though, so your experienced and informed opinion is certainly supported by others.

-archy-/-

232 posted on 02/24/2003 2:55:07 PM PST by archy (Keep in mind that the milk of human kindness comes from a beast that is both cannibal and a vampire.)
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To: Servant of the Nine
"makes you look like a pervert"

I see, the "Clinton Holster"! LOL! Thanks. I have been wanting to try one for loose fitting shorts, and I think I will. Not to mention, it gives me a good reason to get a Kimber Ultralight.
233 posted on 02/24/2003 3:12:02 PM PST by PatrioticAmerican (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: archy
"Flash at night from the shorter barrels also becomes an interesting consideration."

My wife had a Cougar, a short barrel. The flash at indoor ranges was seriously noticeable. I handload and create loads for “personal protection”. Keeping to safe loads for SAAMI, but a 155gr at 1250fps produces too much flash in a short barrel. For the 5” Beretta, the flash is normal. The Cougar kept to 1050fps for a 155gr produced an acceptable flash and recoil.

For an H&K 45, I loaded a 200gr at 1,000fps (std 45, by the book), and a 185gr at 1,200fps. The 200 @ 1000 produced the most flash. The 185gr was far more accurate at 25yrds.
234 posted on 02/24/2003 3:20:26 PM PST by PatrioticAmerican (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: Polycarp
Thanks. I'll certainly consider it. Easter is coming(Not even God knows why, but the wife, bless her generous heart, likes to buy me firearms for holidays) and I would like to consider a 1911 variant. I don't shoot the 45, as I shoot 40 for autos. Everyone needs a good 45, so I am considering the options with a preference for carry. I have a variety of weapons choices, but I like to stick to a few favorites, and I don't have a good summer carry in auto. I think a slimmer 45 would do the trick, nicely.
235 posted on 02/24/2003 3:24:21 PM PST by PatrioticAmerican (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: fourdeuce82d
Better a .25 on target (up the nose) than a .45 to the toe. <PYeah--Mossad does just fine w/.22LR through the eyeball.
236 posted on 02/24/2003 5:48:22 PM PST by ninenot
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To: Super Mak90kid
Unfortunately, my H&K USP 9mm is "on target" only if I am using 147 grain round-nose or JHP. I'll just have to live with the 80% probability, I guess.

Of course, 80%x2 (double tap) is a 160% possibility. Enough for most folks.
237 posted on 02/24/2003 5:51:07 PM PST by ninenot
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To: 2nd_Amendment_Defender
Anyone have any experience with a CZ 75 or similar CZ models?
238 posted on 02/24/2003 6:14:41 PM PST by Atchafalaya
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To: Atchafalaya
They are excellent firearms IMO.

Regards,

L

239 posted on 02/24/2003 8:44:50 PM PST by Lurker (When I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you.)
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To: 2nd_Amendment_Defender
If you like Glocks, ya' might be interested in The Glock List mailing list. It's the best Glock list I've found, with the proviso that it is pretty OT, discussing everything from Pizzas to Fords to Dead Cat Bounces.

To subscribe, go here:
http://www.glocklist.com/

Ed
240 posted on 02/25/2003 1:48:37 AM PST by Sir_Ed
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