Ammo & Self Defense

lrausch said:

I was part of a conversation yesterday with a group of LEO's concerning the best self defense ammo. The conversation ranged from 380, S&W 40 cal, 357, and 45 cal. I hear the term "knock down power" or "stopping power." Knock down power is not really a correct term as the energy needed to knock someone down (as seen in the movies with flying body's after being shot) would also be transferred to the shooter. I spoke about the fact of the matter remains, the larger area that the bullet can damage, the better chances you have to stop or terminate the aggressors abilty to continue the attack. Of couse bullet placement has the most effect on the out come also, so marksmanship skills to count.

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Yep this pretty much sums it up. There are so many variables that you honestly can't say one bullet or caliber is better than the other in handguns (unless you're talking .44 mag or .500 S&W). With the less-powerful calibers (9mm, .40 S&W, .45ACP) calibers, it really does depend on where you shoot them, and then how much area is damaged and how much force is transmitted into the target's body. If it has 10,000 lbs of force but the bullet sails right through them without displacing much energy, it does no good.

Unless you are talking central nervous system of a heart shot, the larger diameter (larger area damaged) of the bullet, and how much force it TRANSFERS not how much it says it has on the box, and the amount of blood loss that wound causes are the determining factors.

Which is why I carry a G30SF loaded with big and slow .45ACP (11.43×23mm ) ...

usually moving ( depending on bullet weight ) around 830 fps with

around 400 ft/lbs of energy

Yea Buddy. Maximum cavitation delivered to vital areas of the body.

It's easier to stop the bleeding from one big hole than multiple smaller holes. All bullets kill whether they're FMJ or JHP. They still kill. When a firefight ensues a lot of lead gets thrown and even with the best training, the best shooters miss. At that point in time it's an odds game and I'll take the odds of 30 rounds thrown as opposed to 21 rounds. I prefer to carry 9mm for that reason.

It's easier to stop bleeding on one big caliber hole than several smaller caliber holes, yes. But who says you stop shooting after firing one big caliber round? You stop shooting only when the bad guy goes down.

Agreed, that's the way I was trained. Keep shooting until the threat is eliminated.

Pretty sure he was referring to the fact that 9mm has very fast and accurate follow up shots.

I like them all. I prefer the 40 and 45 but have no problem carrying 9mm. with the technology today it really dosent matter what caliber you use. Look how much a JHP 9mm expands, or even the 380. I wouldn't want to get hit with any of them

Read my post again, then rebut it.

Argyle_Armoring said:

Read my post again, then rebut it.

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Umm I think we agree lol. Round count is one reason why I dont carry a 1911. I personally prefer the 40 cal. It seems to be a happy medium between round count and "knock down" power.