# Handgun Caliber Doesn’t Matter........



## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

Interesting article......
Handgun Caliber Doesn't Matter

Related article.......
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power


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## DirtyDog (Oct 16, 2014)

I have to agree. Shot placement is the deciding factor, not caliber. At least as far as handguns are concerned.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Bottom line:

Choose the platform you are most comfortable with, in terms of accuracy, and err on the side of selecting something reasonably powerful enough to give you any edge, whether real or imagined, that might help compensate for any errors that might not be apparent in these studies. It is not an exact science because the variables are too numerous to allow for any definite conclusions.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

All of it matters, just some parts of it more than the others. Shot placement is paramount, but shot placement with a more powerful caliber is ideal. Just as Bisley said above, use what you can shoot well and accurately! :smt1099


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

If you read the FBI article that follows the first one, in the conclusions they state that penetration is most important, followed by the size of the hole.(wound channel) Since they state that bullet expansion isn't necessarily consistent, a larger caliber has the edge.
GW


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

I have to disagree a little with the article from the same standpoint taken by Bisley and goldwing. Still there are some very good points made in it. The thing is, in a gunfight you are going to have misses and depending upon your training and your ability to remain focused and steadfast, there may be no hits to just a few, to a lot of hits or all of your shots being hits. And the chances are good that some of your hits are going to be in non-fatal areas. So having a round that has enough power and penetrating ability to get in there and break bones and tear up tissue is a very significant factor.

Over the past fifteen years, bullet design has gone leaps and bounds beyond where it was in years past. Much of this is the result of some serious rethinking on the part of engineers and designers in the forensics of the wounding factors of defensive handgun ammunition. This is a very good thing. It wasn't so long ago that the idea of a light expanding bullet traveling at a relatively high velocity was the apex of handgun bullet design. But what these bullets missed was penetration. Their lighter weight, the lead and jackets used, and the higher velocities resulted in very rapid expansion which in turn presented a much larger frontal surface area, thereby bringing the bullet's travel to a halt much more quickly with a lot less penetration. Use this bullet against a large man with a large chest, in the winter with heavy clothing and you can easily see how these bullets were being asked to do that which they just could not do well at all.

A good bounded bullet, or one that closely acts like such, has a much better chance of penetrating a sternum and making it into an assailant's heart. Or hitting his upper leg and instead of glancing off of his femur, breaking it up and causing him to collapse. The controlled rate of expansion in these bullets allows them to range more deeply into the perp's body where they have a greater chance of not only hitting something vital but doing a lot of damage along the way.

What this all boils down to is this. Choose your SD ammunition wisely and to do this, stay current with the offerings in your caliber of choice. Read reports, follow the good YouTube tests, check out comparisons, and did I say to choose your SD ammo wisely?? Know what works best in actual shootings in your carry caliber. And train to increase your ability to deliver those rounds to your target so that you can bring hostilities to and end as quickly as possible.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

SouthernBoy said:


> ...What this all boils down to is this. Choose your SD ammunition wisely and to do this, stay current with the offerings in your caliber of choice. Read reports, follow the good YouTube tests, check out comparisons, and did I say to choose your SD ammo wisely?? Know what works best in actual shootings in your carry caliber. And train to increase your ability to deliver those rounds to your target so that you can bring hostilities to and end as quickly as possible.


I think it is actually a little bit simpler than that. A round that is delivered to a vital area will do the job if it penetrates enough. In a weaker chambering, hardball ammo might even be required. If you use a 'borderline' SD round, like a .380, a full metal jacket or hardcast lead bullet may be needed to have enough penetration to reach the vitals, in every possible circumstance.

On the other hand, at the higher end of the SD handgun rounds, like .45 ACP or .357 magnum, almost any hollow point ammo will perform well enough to penetrate to the vital areas, and the tiny differences in expansion achieved by using premium ammo may not make much difference in terminal results.

In the middle range chamberings, like 9x19 and .38 Special, bullet performance can make a lot of difference. A 9mm firing a 147 gr. bullet that will expand well (at the lower velocity it achieves with that bullet) can perform very well in all conditions, whereas the lighter bullets traveling at high speed may be disrupted by heavy clothing, bones, or other factors, and not achieve satisfactory penetration.

This is opinion and perception, of course, and the variables make all the difference in actual performance. All of the ammo manufacturers play to these perceptions in designing bullets and composing advertisements. In reality, the differences between the terminal performance of bullets are probably very much less than they would have us believe. I will always believe that Speer's Gold Dot ammo made huge profits by simply designing a bullet that expanded into a pretty flower - it's good ammo, but those pictures of the pretty spent bullets were very appealing to gun nuts, myself included.


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## zeke4351 (Jan 29, 2013)




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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

I just read an article by Massad Ayoob talking about this very subject. I think he had some very interesting perspective, as he usually does. Not a long read, but good.

Massad Ayoob: Downsizing Defense | The Daily Caller


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## lefty60 (Oct 13, 2012)

Shoot them in the face until they fall down. Don't worry the small stuff. :numbchuck:


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## jdw68 (Nov 5, 2011)

With modern ammo like HST or gold dot there is very little difference in 9mm, 40 or 45 acp. 

In addition, everything I have studied seems to indicate that none of these rounds are going to assure a one shot stop. Which means, you will likely have to fire 2 or 3 times. Therefore, why not choose a caliber / gun that allows you to put 2-3 rounds on target quickly. The 9mm is high capacity and low recoil which helps with quickly putting rounds on target. It's also the cheapest, of the three calibers mentioned to shoot, therefore, the one that you are more likely to shoot often (which also helps with accuracy). 9mm platforms are often more reliable and last longer than larger calibers. All of these reasons are probably why the FBI and the rest of law enforcement are returning to the 9mm. 

Of course, this is just my opinion and I do believe that all of these calibers are great calibers. This is just why I prefer the 9mm, and likely why it's the most popular cartridge today.


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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

jdw68 said:


> With modern ammo like HST or gold dot there is very little difference in 9mm, 40 or 45 acp.
> 
> In addition, everything I have studied seems to indicate that none of these rounds are going to assure a one shot stop. Which means, you will likely have to fire 2 or 3 times. Therefore, why not choose a caliber / gun that allows you to put 2-3 rounds on target quickly. The 9mm is high capacity and low recoil which helps with quickly putting rounds on target. It's also the cheapest, of the three calibers mentioned to shoot, therefore, the one that you are more likely to shoot often (which also helps with accuracy). 9mm platforms are often more reliable and last longer than larger calibers. All of these reasons are probably why the FBI and the rest of law enforcement are returning to the 9mm.
> 
> Of course, this is just my opinion and I do believe that all of these calibers are great calibers. This is just why I prefer the 9mm, and likely why it's the most popular cartridge today.


Agreed! I like what Ayoob said about scenarios. "For every agency, and indeed every individual, choice should follow rational cost/benefit analysis specific to our own unique needs. The 9mm choice can certainly make sense, but said choice needs to be made for valid reasons to answer genuine needs, and those needs are not necessarily the same for all of us, all of the time."


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

lefty60 said:


> Shoot them in the face until they fall down. Don't worry the small stuff. :numbchuck:


Good plan! I like it.


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

An old friend of my brothers who was more than familiar with the science of putting a bad guy down told me to put two in at high center of mass and when the BG is reeling give him one in the thinker. He is a big advocate of carrying a 9mm.
GW


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## DirtyDog (Oct 16, 2014)

goldwing said:


> An old friend of my brothers who was more than familiar with the science of putting a bad guy down told me to put two in at high center of mass and when the BG is reeling give him one in the thinker. He is a big advocate of carrying a 9mm.
> GW


After some 30 years in the ER, this is exactly the advice I give.


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## Kynochco (Jan 9, 2015)

That new multiple impact bullet by from Multiple Impact Bullet Technology seems pretty sick, though it might be a gimmick.


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