https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/ I spent many hours reading about terminal balistics from Thompson and LaGarda on. All of them had the same conclusions. Know the anatomy of your target. Know and be proficient with your choice. SHOT PLACEMENT. A handgun is a compromise. It is minimal stopping power. I think Jeff Cooper said it is a good thing to have to use to get to your rifle.
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Sidearms & Scatterguns Calibre choices help
- Thread starter JOS
- Start date
Handgun rounds don't have the velocity to plastically displace the tissue of a body like rifle rounds do. As long as you get something that's effective enough, I think it is worth it to carry more ammo in a lower recoiling caliber, if able. Higher velocity, lighter rounds will do more damage to an opponent, while also fragmenting or stopping faster after hitting a barrier like a wall in you or someone else's house.
15 rounds of 115gr 9mm hollowpoint are going to recoil less than, and give you more opportunities to get a good hit with, than .38 Special.
But, if you're at a wedding and want a pocket gun, maybe a snub-nose .38Spl is the best solution.
Some research of self defense and police shootings led me to some ROUGH conclusions. These could be way off, but seemed to be some very general and semi-consistent conclusions.
- Most people would draw a firearm in self defence in their life if they had one on them
- over 99% of the time a gun is drawn, no round needs to be fired. The gun itself controls the situation.
- Of the times the gun needs to be fired, frequently everything in the gun will be fired, regardless of capacity.
- Of the times someone shoots back, frequently every round available on the person is fired.
15 rounds of 115gr 9mm hollowpoint are going to recoil less than, and give you more opportunities to get a good hit with, than .38 Special.
But, if you're at a wedding and want a pocket gun, maybe a snub-nose .38Spl is the best solution.
Some research of self defense and police shootings led me to some ROUGH conclusions. These could be way off, but seemed to be some very general and semi-consistent conclusions.
- Most people would draw a firearm in self defence in their life if they had one on them
- over 99% of the time a gun is drawn, no round needs to be fired. The gun itself controls the situation.
- Of the times the gun needs to be fired, frequently everything in the gun will be fired, regardless of capacity.
- Of the times someone shoots back, frequently every round available on the person is fired.
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Thanks. I'd taken that info from a source I thought was reliable. I could not find tangible info to support that. It is removed.
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I thought I was making a reply to a different thread about what people carry. Messed up for sure. Sorry.
No worries. Lots of bad sources of info out there. This site is a great place to learn.
As far as handguns are concerned, I generally wouldn't go smaller than 9mm unless your situation mandates a tiny gun. 45 acp is still the gold standard of man-stopping effectiveness.
Modern expanding bullet technology has allowed smaller, faster rounds like 9mm to minimize the performance gap, but they are STILL outperformed by the 45 acp in terminal performance.
Having said that, the 9mm/40S&W/etc. have some distinct advantages over 45 acp:
-Lower recoil is easier to control, making it a better choice for people with less hand/forearm strength.
-lower recoil makes it a better choice for those who who don't dedicate significant time to regular practice with handguns.
-Lower recoil allows for faster follow up shots.
-Higher capacity.
" As far as handguns are concerned, I generally wouldn't go smaller than 9mm unless your situation mandates a tiny gun. 45 acp is still the gold standard of man-stopping effectiveness. " " Modern expanding bullet technology has allowed smaller, faster rounds like 9mm to minimize the performance gap, but they are STILL outperformed by the 45 acp in terminal performance."
I do not believe that is true today. What data is there to back that up?
I do not believe that is true today. What data is there to back that up?
I love .45acp and shoot it a lot. I carry 9mm. I can make faster more accurate hits with my 9mm's. After killing a few deer from bow stands with regular 124g hollow point and seeing the result some years ago coupled with being able to shoot the round more accurately faster I switched to carrying 9mm.
There have been big improvements with all ammo. The 1911 is one of the top target pistols which often comes in .45 acp. Super trigger. "New and Improved" is not always junk. "The old ways" are not always the best.
