[templar]

The problem with stopping power in military ammo is the restriction to use of fmj bullets. 9mm has plenty more stopping power than a 45 if the 9 is a heavy HP and the 45 is a ball round. Without high performance bullets the bigger the hole the more stopping power and a 45 makes a larger hole than a 9 by far.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Can't we shoot unlawful combatants with hollowpoints?

[Vigilantcitizen]

The problem with stopping power in military ammo is the restriction to use of fmj bullets. 9mm has plenty more stopping power than a 45 if the 9 is a heavy HP and the 45 is a ball round. Without high performance bullets the bigger the hole the more stopping power and a 45 makes a larger hole than a 9 by far.

During the small arms portion of USN gunnery school, this redneck, know-it-all, Georgia boy laughed aloud at the instructors claim that a .45 has more stopping power than a .44 magnum.

Here's how he explained it...

The .45 round has a lower muzzle velocity than the .44 and other magnum rounds. This enhances the maximum expansion characteritics of the projectile in human flesh, making a large exit wound more of a reality at close range.

There is a point of dimished returns. Too much muzzle velocity, and the projectile can easily pass through the human body without expanding.