Hand gun Stopping power

[ted]

Ran across this article about diff calibers pretty cool info what do you think ? http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866 Edited November 22, 2012 by ted

[JoeJ615]

those stats are about what i expected to be honest except i would expect the rifle and shotgun category to have been much more effective than the chart shows as compared to handguns, but basically as far as common defensive rounds in pistols go (.38 to .45) they are all similar enough to just say "go with what you shoot best and feel most comfortable with", i would choose 9mm for higher capacity, faster follow up shots, and cheaper ammo for more practice with your gun but that's just personal preference

[BigK]

The author's notes about how the results for 9mm were skewed was interesting. The fact that around half were from ball ammo should tell you all you need to know about the reliability of the data. I'm guessing that the kind of people who carry ball ammo in their 9mm are more likely to hold their guns sideways too.

[leroy]

Thanks for posting this. I've seen it before; and i think its a a great approach that cuts thru all the baloney assumptions. The fact is that nothing trumps accuracy with pistol, rifle, or shotgun. The second thing is that it takes more than one shot to finish most attackers off. The fact is that there aint no "magic bullets" and their aint no "magic calibers". As the great Baron Von Steuben told the continental riflemen (...i think it wuz him...). The most important thing is "accuracy and precision" in shootin.

leroy

[RED333]

Great post, thanks, BUT
it wont stop the post guestions "What caliber is better?"LOL

[03clyde]

[quote name='RED333' timestamp='1353628950' post='849565']
.......................it wont stop the post guestions "What caliber is better?"LOL
[/quote]

Bingo!

[glowdotGlock]

Any caliber is better than none. I'm just a .40 guy always have been. I carry federal HST 180grn.

[dlmeadows]

Any handgun is better than a sharp stick and harsh language. I'm a 45 guy myself but that's only a personal preference. Since I shoot a 45 1911 in IDPA that's what i choose to carry.

[mikegideon]

[url="http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/55185-crazy-headed-buck/"]http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/55185-crazy-headed-buck/[/url]

[RobertNashville]

All calibers of all handguns are pretty much nothing more than glorified peashooters when talking about stopping power.

Unfortunately, carrying around a rifle would be a bit problematic not to mention illegal in most places.

[Sam1]

I wouldn't give any weight to that study, there's an astronomical number of variables that were not even addressed.

[tnhawk]

The main thing I got from the article was a hit is more effective than a missed shot.

[DWARREN123]

Still works out to a good hit with a 22lr beats a miss with anything else.

[Sam1]

[quote name='DWARREN123' timestamp='1353765384' post='849990']
Still works out to a good hit with a 22lr beats a miss with anything else.
[/quote]

We killed a wild boar with the concussion from our main gun in Germany. Darn thing didn't even make it to the other side of the trail... Also had an awesome BBQ that night thanks to dumb luck

So the solution to having an effective hit with a miss, is to use a 120mm cannon as a daily carry

Edited November 24, 2012 by Sam1

[TMF]

My uncle has been putting down his pigs with his PMR 30. Didn't believe it until I saw it done to a wild boar the neighbors caught. I didn't think 22 mag had enough behind it to penetrate the skull. It does. You start putting holes in something and it will most likely stop or die. If my 1911 was a 9mm I'd carry it too.

[Will Carry]

Thanks for posting that. Stopping power ballistics is kind of like Chinese arithmetic. It's interesting but no one really understands it. Edited November 24, 2012 by Will Carry

[Guest fauklin]

If i were actually looking to knock someone down/back with the energy of the projectile, hollow point 9/40/45 (the heaviest bullet i could get) to the sternum would be my preferred scenario. However, i don't think anyone will argue the effectiveness of heart/headshots. Im not a good enough marksman to go for those every time. Center mass and as many rounds as it takes is my motto in defense situations.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2 Edited November 25, 2012 by fauklin

[Jason in TN]

A hand gun is just a means to get to a real gun. Plus a little easier to carry.

Jason

[Alleycat72]

My10mm has knocked a few deer down.

[RED333]

Here we go.

[Guest Frightful1]

[quote name='fauklin' timestamp='1353810507' post='850260']
If i were actually looking to knock someone down/back with the energy of the projectile, hollow point 9/40/45 (the heaviest bullet i could get) to the sternum would be my preferred scenario. However, i don't think anyone will argue the effectiveness of heart/headshots. Im not a good enough marksman to go for those every time. Center mass and as many rounds as it takes is my motto in defense situations.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
[/quote]+1! My D.I. drummed it into my head many many years ago - C.O.M., C.O.M., C.O.M. It still rings true today, shot placement will out over caliber anytime. As someone else said in this topic, "carry what you feel comfortable with" I say shoot whatever you carry well and don't worry about the caliber.

[LngRngShtr]

the knocking down/back works until you consider Newtons Laws action/reaction..

multiple hits causing hydraulic loss that take time but shutting down the brain is instant though it is a harder target than COM

and as some have stated there are too many variables to say one round will work better than the others [i]energy is energy [/i]and enough to end an engagement is good but getting to the next level be it compared to a rifle or shotgun or a howitzer isn't going to happen with todays ammo in a handgun as much as I love my 10mm,.45ACP and my .38 Super they just won't outperform a rifle or shotgun

no magic bullets creating small nuclear clouds inside the target just poking holes causing leaks which the human body will sometimes close up due to elasticity of organs and skin. or work until it all leaks out and collapses

this is why the "failure drill" ( or us old timers Mozambique drill ) and other tactics are employed (pelvic girdle hits,Hammer drills ) since usually if you are involved with a determined predator time is of the essence and you want it stopped [i][b]N O W [/b][/i]

Study your weapon of choice,ammo of choice learn its abillities and limitations and anatomy of your possible target be it 2 or 4 legged and train up accordingly with your primary and secondary aiming points of choice since the target/targets will probably be moving.

I gave up on that what caliber long ago when I hear the saying "Hanguns poke holes, Long guns tear s$&t up.." and upon studying found the living animal be it human or not a rather resilient target to an instant stop the gun rags and ammo marketers try to sell us on and just how hard it would be to do on a "dark and stormy night..."

Think back to when you deer hunt how long an animal went after being shot with a rifle now take that time and change it into a determined individual commited to ending your existence,... even 5 seconds can be an eternity go ahead check with your watch I'll wait... ...... ....... ...... now factor you just did that with even half the energy ( multiple handgun hits)

10 seconds is a long time isn't it......

this is also why I dont get involved in "Just call 911..." debates ever time 10 minutes ? ? ?

Sorry for the thread drift,... just wanted to maybe encourage some thinking beyond normal "thats why I carry Gods caliber with the FBI load..." thoughs..

John