[iluv2viddyfilms]

These are probably three of the most common automatic calibers to carry and I know this isn't the first time someone has asked to compare them. However I was curious as to the foot pound or jules produced by each caliber in the common factory loadings. I have a firearm in each of these calibers.

I went to wikipedia... and I'll accept it as a reliable source, at least for an online question and found the following:

9 mm 115 grain FMJ = 570 J and 420 foot pounds pressure.
.40 S&W 180 grain FMJ = 598 J and 444 foot pounds.
.45 ACP 230 grain FMJ = 561 J and 414 foot pounds.

So there really isn't much difference at all in energy expelled from the rounds. I know there's the old saying that speed kills which is why a relatively narrow .30 rifle round can do so much damage with the supersonic speed it produces - three or four times the amount a handgun round.

At these lower speeds does the size of the wound channel make the big difference in going with the .45 acp over the 9mm? I ask because if energy is what matters then you would think the 9mm would be a more effective round because it gives off slightly more kinetic energy.

I don't know much about ballistics but can anyone explain this or share their thoughts?

[brisk21]

I would say for handgun rounds, the largest, heaviest bullet with adequate penetration would be the best when considering "stopping power". I could be completely wrong though, Im no expert.

[WoodenPlank]

Or go with 357SIG, and get over 500 foot pounds of energy with a 125gr projectile.

[MRBULLRED]

Originally Posted by WoodenPlank

Or go with 357SIG, and get over 500 foot pounds of energy with a 125gr projectile.

Or go with 10mm and have 800 ftlbs.. Or better yet, 50bmg and have over 10,000 ft.lbs.

[WoodenPlank]

Originally Posted by MRBULLRED

Or go with 10mm and have 800 ftlbs.. Or better yet, 50bmg and have over 10,000 ft.lbs.

Might have a hard time fitting that in a handgun.

[aircarver]

Originally Posted by WoodenPlank

Might have a hard time fitting that in a handgun.

Not to mention holstering it ....





.

[kennjen]

Originally Posted by WoodenPlank

Might have a hard time fitting that in a handgun.

there you go.

http://airbornecombatengineer.typepa...under_50_.html

Fitting it in to an handgun form isn't the problem. It's firing it, that is the real problem.

[DeLo]

10mm.

[Lior]

9mm is the SD round that I am most able to afford to shoot 6,000 of per year, so that is what I carry (I also shoot a lot of .22LR and .177, but not out of repeating firearms).

[Feanor]

Originally Posted by iluv2viddyfilms

At these lower speeds does the size of the wound channel make the big difference in going with the .45 acp over the 9mm? I ask because if energy is what matters then you would think the 9mm would be a more effective round because it gives off slightly more kinetic energy.

I don't know much about ballistics but can anyone explain this or share their thoughts?

http://www.m4carbine.net/forumdisplay.php?f=91

Follow the link and read to your hearts content, he covers it all. And there is really little difference between the calibers you've listed when it comes to terminal ballistics, oftentime's, ME's even have difficulty distinguishing the difference at autopsy! DocGKR is pretty much the authority on the subject.

[Bruce M]

Some statistic suggest that there is little difference in actual use between the three calibers. And there is also some evidence that suggests that luck may have a substantial part to do with the outcome also. Ever hear someone in a trauma center say if the bullet had been a centimeter or two to the left/right the guy would have died. Even really really good shots may have some difficulty placing shots a centimeter or two during an actual fight.

[Bilbo Bagins]

[wavetrain75]

I thought Groundhog Day wasn't for another few weeks.

[bac1023]

9mm is my favorite by far.

[scccdoc]

Accuracy is your greatest ally.Shoot the caliber with which you're most accurate and can reacquire the target quickly..........DOC (ps I shoot a 40 )

[MajorD]

sccdoc- has the right idea- the caliber you can shoot most accurately is the one to use. From what I have seen- first hand knowledge from working trauma and some trips to the sandbox- shot placement is what results in incapacitation- doesn't matter if it is a 9mm or a 50 bmg.

[Aceman]

CAliber is secondary to a point. .22/.25 vs 9/40/45 for example.

The real quesiton is reliability of stopping. And in that area, bigger is generally better.

9 v 40 - likely no/little diff
40 v 45 - also likely the same
9 v 45 - maybe some, but possibly marginal difference. Gotta love 45 though! That said - I generally prefer 9

but .25 vs .45....there WILL be a difference there.

You have to run the experiment enough times to rule out luck, obviously vital hits etc.

[VinnieD]

As far as I can see, you can slide the bullet diameter and weight up and down the scale all you want with roughly the same powder charge and get the same outcome.

The overall force behind a round's penetration ability comes down to its forward inertia, and that's a simple case of Mass and velocity. To retain inertia you need mass, but the more mass you add with the same force you lose velocity. Thus you get light 9mm rounds with less mass and more velocity performing not much different from .45acp rounds which will have less velocity but more mass.

If you go too far to the light extreme you can get your projectile faster but don't have enough mass to retain the inertia and it quickly loses inertia and with it penetrating capability. Conversely if you get too heavy without increasing the charge propelling the projectile you don't get the projectile moving fast enough to build up any forward inertia. 9mm, .40S&W, and .45acp (along with most other standard power rounds in the same category) all seem to slide up and down the scale in the same safe zone of moderate effectiveness.

This is why I stand by magnum rounds. To get any real effectiveness you need both mass and velocity. In other words a heavy projectile moving at high speed and with that carrying a ton more inertia. Thus a hot loaded .357 magnum or 10mm round with a heavy projectile is going to outperform anything with less charge behind it regardless of caliber. It's simple force=mass x acceleration


If you can't carry or handle a more potent round, then just carry whatever in the range you shoot most confidently. I could maybe argue that wider diameter round will produce a slightly larger wound, while a smaller round will give you more shots, but that's an argument that's been made plenty of times already.

[Aceman]

There is the physics, and then there is effect on a nervous system. I'll say bigger is generally better...generally.

And so is faster. Generally.

But big and fast is definitely best.

[Gregg702]

Originally Posted by Aceman

There is the physics, and then there is effect on a nervous system. I'll say bigger is generally better...generally.

Yup, but bigger means fewer rounds.

[cowboy1964]

http://www.firearmstactical.com/hwfe.htm

Everything you need to know, in order of importance:

1) Shot placement & penetration

2) Permanent cavity

3) Temporary cavity

4) Fragmentation (not applicable to these handgun calibers)

#1 is 99% of what's important. The rest is gravy.

[High Altitude]

All you have to do is look at why someone was stopped with a 22lr. Usually it is because the bullet destroyed something very vital, like the heart or aorta etc.....

Now use a round that consistently penetrates enough to reach that vital even if it has to go throw an arm or some other soft barrier.

Then you have to actually shoot that bullet so it hits the vital part.

Look at hard barrier performance if you are LE.

In the end 9/.40/.357sig/.45 all have what it takes to reach that vital through a soft barrier if you place your shot.

If you shoot someones heart with a 9mm or a .45 it isn't going to make any difference so I will take an added advantage and have more capacity.

Hard barrier performance is a different story.

[arclight610]

Originally Posted by iluv2viddyfilms

These are probably three of the most common automatic calibers to carry and I know this isn't the first time someone has asked to compare them. However I was curious as to the foot pound or jules produced by each caliber in the common factory loadings. I have a firearm in each of these calibers.

I went to wikipedia... and I'll accept it as a reliable source, at least for an online question and found the following:

9 mm 115 grain FMJ = 570 J and 420 foot pounds pressure.
.40 S&W 180 grain FMJ = 598 J and 444 foot pounds.
.45 ACP 230 grain FMJ = 561 J and 414 foot pounds.

So there really isn't much difference at all in energy expelled from the rounds. I know there's the old saying that speed kills which is why a relatively narrow .30 rifle round can do so much damage with the supersonic speed it produces - three or four times the amount a handgun round.

At these lower speeds does the size of the wound channel make the big difference in going with the .45 acp over the 9mm? I ask because if energy is what matters then you would think the 9mm would be a more effective round because it gives off slightly more kinetic energy.

I don't know much about ballistics but can anyone explain this or share their thoughts?

First, I'd like to point out that the numbers you are using are very skewed. The 9mm loading you list is 115 gr @ 1300. That is a VERY atypical 9mm loading. That's +P+ verging and close to .357 sig performance. If you want to go that route, there are +P+ versions of the .45 ACP called the .45 Super and .460 Rowland that get close to 44 Magnum energy.

Also, Wikipedia lists other 45 ACP loads that you didn't include such as the 185@1225 for 616 ft/lbs.

You were trying to match high-end 9mm performance with low-end .45 performance.

Anyways, real-world shootings say that there is not much difference between the major service calibers. I've always been a 9mm guy my entire life, and part of me still is. However, when I bought my first .45 about 6 months back the difference was apparent. The .45 slug did more damage to my target holders, hit steel targets with more authority, knocked bowling pins down easier, and cut larger holes in stuff.

[homersapien]

Ahhhh...the never ending "which caliber is best" argument, where the 9, 40, and 45 crowd argue back and forth while the 357 and 10 guys - truly the best combat rounds - sit back and smile.

[Caver 60]

IMO, any centerfire non-magnum handgun caliber is a marginal one shot fight stopper at best.

Bill Jordan used to say something like, if you know you're headed into trouble, make your war weapon a rifle or shotgun and quit arguing about unimportant details like which handgun caliber is best. And he was a master 357 magnum shooter.