THE STOPPING POWER OF DIFFERENT HANDGUN CARTRIDGES

2/22/2003

[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.

[ConservativeLawyer]

Is she a shooter already?

Yes, she came well-trained in firearms from her Dad (small caliber rifles mostly), but she doesn't get out to practice as much as I'd like her to. My plan is to get her to the range on a regular basis, get her a concealed carry license and something that is practical to carry.

Thanks for the input. I probably should take her to the range and rent some of these to see what she likes best. But this gives me some good ideas for starters.

But I must say, I would think a .44 would have way too much kick for her.

[razorback-bert]

I have found a 155mm TOT to be efficent, failing that a 1 kt nude should settled the hash.

[ConservativeLawyer]

Thanks for your insight, gentlemen. I'll check out your suggestions.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Travis, have you seen that new rifle Kel-tec is coming out in .223. It's the SU-16. Sport Utility 16. It has room for spare mags in the buttstock and the foregrip splits in two halves and folds down into a bipod. I love new toys but I must wait until the thing gets out and gets some reviews that aren't in a gun mag before I will buy one. They are also coming out with a .38 cal pistol (P3AT) in the size of their P32. That seems more practical to me. I might be able to pocket carry that at work, where I'm not supposed to carry.

[KaiserofKrunch]

The best round out of the .357 is the 125Gr JHP. I don't see it listed.

[ConservativeLawyer]

A 1 kt nude can ruin your whole day.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Damn, I just realized I posted a huge picture of a rifle on a pistol thread. Sorry folks but this happens sometimes on a bang_list thread.

[Travis McGee]

Not .44 mag, .44 special, which has a nice soft non-jarring push.

If she would get into it enough to practice, let her handle various semis from 9mm and up, and let her find the one she likes best, the one that she "fits" will be the one she enjoys, and will therefore be more interested in practicing with, setting up a happy positive feedback loop.

If she's not interested enough to practice much, stick with a wheelgun.

[Squantos]

Key point is to let "her" decide if she can handle recoil. You'd be surprised at the little ladies I know that pack 1911A1's...... Your smart to go the range rental avenue first as she can try before she buys that way.

WARNING: BEWARE THE GUNSHOP COUNTER COMMANDO ! ......They "sell" more than they shoot or carry........

One more consideration is the weight. That is why I suggested the TiLite series "scadnium" snub nosed revolvers......she'll carry a comfortable firearm and leave a heavy one in her car purse, or worst yet .....at home. That barimi grips also make it easy to don and doff .

Conveinance is a big part of the choice. She has to be happy and confident in the selection or your just wasting yer time.

One more suggestion. Join IDPA and shoot some of the competition "games" that promote skills and practice while having some serious fun. It's the best practice a civilian can get IMHO.

Stay Safe !

[Travis McGee]

I try to stay away from 1k nudes.

[Shooter 2.5]

Thanks for the ping. I think this is the formula. I found it on a game website.

(Velocity * Mass (in grains) * (Caliber / 2) ^ 2 * 3.14159265) / 490) *.9


I can figure out what everything means except the ^. It will have to wait until morning.

[Squantos]

LOL......That's an awful fat nekid gurl ya have protecting ya bert ?....... Ikt Nude

Anything that works in a barfight heh..... :o)

Stay Safe !

[BenR2]

I can figure out what everything means except the ^. It will have to wait until morning.

/ / / / /
Thank you. I'm tired, too, but I believe it means "to the power of," so, in this case, it would mean "squared."

[circularletter]

I've got a Colt 1911 Gov. mod 38 super. It shoots only + P with the wallop of a mid-range 357 mag. The clip holds 9+1 , little recoil. I can get off 2 well aimed shots while a 45 cal shooter is readjusting from the muzzle flip of their 1st shot ! (Depending on who shoots 1st) ... If the 45 doesn't have an accurate primary shot , he's a Dead Duck !!

[Travis McGee]

KelTec is a good little company with a lot of cutting edge innovations at an affordable price. Their 9mm folding carbine has been considered a great success, if you want a 9mm carbine that is.

I had not seen the .223 folder, and would not be surpised if it's not another winner! Great forestock/bipod idea also!

[Squantos]

Smart choice for a handgun fight "is" a rifle Ern....:o)....yer subconscious at work per se....

Stay Safe !

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Glock 23 and 27 bump...

[Travis McGee]

PS I'd like to know about the KelTec SU=16's gas tube/piston operation. It would be a shame if it was another Mini-14 accuracy wise with great changes in zero as it heats up.

[ConservativeLawyer]

Not .44 mag, .44 special, which has a nice soft non-jarring push.

Duh! I missed that. I'm not all that familiar with that caliber to start with, so we'll have to try one out.

[Swordmaker]

When I was managing The Old Sacramento Armoury 28 years ago, the Hatcher Relative Stopping Power Scale was defined to be a scale of zero to 100 in which ascore of 100 was the capability of STOPPING a man, in a fight situation, with one shot EVERY TIME. Essentially, the score was the percentage odds that any given round would do the job with one shot. No handgun/ammunition combination came close. The score you report for one round of 136 is not possible under this definition.

The highest rated round in 1970 only rated a HRSP of 72.