[Gordongekko909]

My cousin, a Marine, just got back from Iraq last month. He still instinctively slaps his thigh whenever he hears a sudden loud noise.

[cgk]

Interesting article, ping. (I'll try to comment as soon as I finish translating from the GUNSPEAK LEXICON). :D

[dinok]

The 9mm is a metrosexual pistol. The .45 is a man's gun.

[Para-Ord.45]

A-hem

[alpha-8-25-02]

At 840 fps muzzle velocity the .45 is like throwing a trash can down a alley.

GODBLESS OUR TROOPS!

[bikepacker67]

Technically, the “hitting power” of a bullet is determined by the bullet weight and velocity, and is measured in joules.

Ehhh..... what happened to Foot-Pounds?

[DeaconNoGood]

Brother, you be preachin' the Gospel truth.

The .45 is more effective in many, many ways than competing rounds. Why our troops were forced to use another round is beyond me and common sense.

In the area of rifles, I've really enjoyed using my .45-70 single shot. It only takes one bullet to roll a wild hog.

[Xenophobic Alien]

I have a S&W 9mm and a Springfield Armory 1911. If in a gun fight I would take that 1911 any day over the 9mm. The SA1911 just "feels" more like a real gun.

[colorado tanker]

The M1911 is a fine weapon.

[Disambiguator]

New Kimber Desert Warrior:

[Doohickey]

We have rules here, FRiend. Namely, if you're going to post gun porn, you have to post the pics.

[Bender2]

I love my 1911A1 and will use it...

if they get past my M-1928...

[yarddog]

Comparing the 9mm Luger to the old .38 Colt cartidge is not really fair. The 9mm produces over twice the energy.

Using best bullets the difference between the 9mm and .45 is not nearly as great as everyone seems to know. Still the .45 is a little better and no reason not to use the best.

On the other hand, the large mag capacity is also an advantage of the 9.

[calex59]

One reason the so called stopping power of the 9 is not evident is because they use ball ammunition and it does not expand and give take advantage of the velocity. Another reason is the 9 just sucks. Give me a .45 any day, or a .44 special. I love the .44 special but of course you can only get it in a wheel gun but still it is a good round for stopping something in it's tracks. Long live the 1911 and all it's clones!

[labette]

I'm not quite sure how many long guns I own.
But I only own one pistol, a 1911 .45. For me, nothing else is needed.

[Billthedrill]

A couple of notes - first, that the Geneva Convention requirements for full metal jackets might be met by certain law enforcement ammunition that is both fully jacketed AND hollow-pointed. Interesting stuff. Second, that the real effectiveness of the .45 (or any other bullet) is measured by how much energy it leaves in the target and how much shock and tissue displacement result from this. A monster bullet that overpenetrates has awesome numbers but less than awesome effectiveness. Third, that the 10mm (and another popular caliber, the .357 SiG) suffer more from this latter defect than the .45 because they are faster; slow, wide, and heavy seems optimal in stopping power at short ranges and where the target is not wearing body armor. Personally I find the 10mm just a bit heavy on the recoil side for CQB but then I'm not a very big guy.

Every hunter knows perfectly well that one tunes one's bullet and charge to fit the game one is after. The self defense community sometimes seems to forget this in reaching for numbers that do not always translate to superior performance. I like the .45 because it's optimized for the human body - that sounds awful, but if it's him or me I want something tuned to him.

[caisson71]

I remember many chopper pilots with our Cav. unit in Nam would choose the .45 over the .38 though it was more bulky under their chicken vests. We never doubted it could "stop an oncoming freight train".

[winddream]

This debate has been on-going since the M9 replaced the M1911A.

[umgud]

When size matters.

Some reach for their 50BMG.

[dangerdoc]

ping