An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power

a good read i came across on another forum.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866

 

i read that one awhile ago. for some reason i really like reading about ballistics lol.

imho in a self defense role my favorites are respectively .45 acp - 9mm - 40 cal- 10mm.

i think that the .45 is the best defensive round made for a hand gun today you would be hard pressed to find yourself in a situation where a .45 would not serve you as well as any of the other calibers listed.

 

+1. Awesome read, thanks for posting this!

 

I can think of a reason why a .45 wouldn't serve me as well as any of the calibers listed.

.45 semi-auto handguns are harder to conceal. If it's harder to conceal, then it is possible to make the assumption that it may be harder to draw, or harder to carry in general. If you choose not to carry because the weapon is difficult to conceal or uncomfortable, you can't use it. If you can't use it because you haven't carried it, then it has absolutely no stopping power.

Another reason why I wouldn't consider .45 acp superior is because if you're using it for CCW it is most certainly going to be in a full-frame semi-auto. While semi-autos are useful in holding a larger payload and firing at a faster rate than revolvers, they have a greater inclination for mechanical failure (for example, clothing or flesh getting trapped in the breach and preventing a consecutive round being fired) and require multiple steps to rechamber in the event of a misfire.

In a self-defense situation, your fine mechanical skills are non-existant. That is why I carry a .38 sp revolver- if anything goes wrong, I just have to pull the trigger again until it goes right.

 

Always a favorite