HoboCoastie
Member
Just thought I'd throw this out there to help anyone who is pondering their firearm and caliber buying decision. I did a lot of research before settling on what I bought and I found that if you are purchasing a handgun for personal defense, there are some pretty common sense priorities that, if adhered to, make your choice much easier.
I found it pretty unanimous, and common sense really, that the following priorities should be utilized when using a firearm for personal defense:
1) Shot Placement - The equalizer of most calibers. The idea is to incapacitate and eliminate the threat. You put the bullet in the right place and it doesn't matter what caliber you have. The FASTEST way to incapacitate is with a head or upper spinal shot, though this is not likely. The military will tell you to aim for Center Mass. This is defined as the center of the biggest part you see. If an entire sillhouette is presented to me, I train for upper torso focusing on the heart area. It's the biggest area and any low, left, or right misses are probably going to hit the lungs. High misses have a decent chance of a head shot.
2) Penetration - Aside from being able to penetrate the target deeply enough to reach and damage the internal organs, your next possibility of incapacitation is blood loss...as rapidly as possible. The round you use should be able to penetrate at least 12" into the target. This includes going through the denim, leather, cotton, etc. clothes that the target is wearing. The more penetration, the better. If you have a through and through, then the target is bleeding from two holes rather than one. Don't get caught up in the myth that over-penetration kills innocent bystanders. Studies show that in a real gun fight where you and the target are both moving, you can really only expect to actually hit the target 20% of the time. The rounds that went THROUGH the target are significantly less dangerous than all the ones that missed completely. If you're buying pistol ammo to NOT over-penetrate the target, you're making a mistake.
3) Capacity - Due to the frequent misses mentioned above, I place a high value on magazine capacity. If the caliber meets the above criteria, then give me as many of them as possible! Those aren't just bullets in there...They are opportunities at my continued life and I want as many as possible between reloads.
4) Recoil - Lighter recoil will enable a faster follow-up shot and will usually result in higher accuracy. Smaller caliber doesn't necessarily mean lighter recoil (see Caliber Selection below). Someone who has a frail frame or is new to firearms will generally benefit from a lighter recoil, however an experienced shooter can overcome recoil deficiencies.
5) Expansion - I feel (my opinion) that expansion is an over-rated statistic with regard to pistol rounds and I do not place a high value on it. Handgun velocities are simply not fast enough to cause the tissue damage from shock that is characteristic of rifle rounds. One benefit of expansion is perhaps a FMJ round that nearly missed a vital organ, would have clipped it had there been a few hundredths of an inch of expansion from the initial radius like that of a JHP. Another minimal benefit is felt impact by the target. Studies show that a person who knows they've been shot will instinctively fall down, though that's not always characteristic of attackers who may be under the influence of drugs. If the bullet meets the criteria of 1-3 AND I can get some expansion, very well, but I'd rather over-penetrate.
6) Knock-Down Power - Knock-Down Power is a myth as far as pistol calibers go. People do not get lifted into the air and thrown back 6 feet because they just got shot by a pistol. The surface area of a bullet is too small and the velocity is too high to push the body of a human being down. The bullet simply penetrates however deep it will and either comes to rest or exits out the other side. Don't shop for a caliber based on Knock-Down Power. If the gun shop owner tells you "This baby's got more Knock-Down Power!" he's marked you as someone who doesn't know any better, or he himself doesn't.
TIME TO EVALUATE THE CALIBERS!!!
I knew that I wanted an automatic pistol, so I was only looking at 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP as they are the most popular and widely available. I evaluated all three using the above criteria.
9mm - Usually has the best capacity in full-sized pistols. You can buy an Springfield XDM-9 and load an ENTIRE 20RD BOX of 9mm in a single magazine!!! You can buy a sub-compact Springfield XDM-9 and use that same magazine in it. Also, 9mm has the best selection of Concealed Carry firearms compared with .40 and .45. There are many single-stack options out there which result in a thinner firearm. Thin is a hot commodity when you CC. Furthermore, 9mm generally has significantly less felt recoil compared to .40 & .45 enabling higher accuracy and quicker follow-up shots. One negative I found from research was that penetration is at the lower end of adequate on about 50% of available COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) ammo. That being my top priority as far as bullet pre-requisites, it definitely factored into my end choice, however, if you do the research and you're picky about what ammunition you buy, you'll be fine.
.40 S&W - Magazine capacity on a .40 is in my opinion a happy medium between 9mm and .45. A comparable Springfield XDM that I mentioned above still holds 16 rounds of ammo in a magazine and 15 in most other full-size pistols. Single-stack availability is slightly more limited, but they're starting to pop up and now I believe there are 4 or 5 manufacturers who are making excellent single-stack .40 products including Springfield and Sig to name a couple, though capacity is significantly reduced when going to the single-stack configuration in .40. I found penetration to be well within acceptable ranges for all the ammo I could find where penetration testing had been done, so you can buy whatever's available and not have to worry too much about performance. A significant negative about .40 is the violent recoil. It's more of an unpredictable snap compared to the others, though once experienced, it can be overcome. Another benefit of .40 is that most LE (Law Enforcement) are using it. That means when the Zombie Apocalypse happens, there'll be more .40 laying around than anything else.
.45 ACP - Performance wise, the .45 is very comparable to the .40 with significant difference in velocity...the .45 being quite a bit slower. Cross-section is much better than the other two with penetration comparable or slightly less than the .40. The big negative about .45 is magazine capacity. The same full-size XDM mentioned previously is now down to 13 rounds of ammo. Because the diameter of the bullet is significantly larger, the grip of the firearm is usually much fatter even with the reduced capacity. I looked at the G21 (Full-size Glock .45), and found it very uncomfortable in my hand due to the size of the grip. It was comparable to holding a bar of soap. This isn't true for everyone, as my hands are what I would consider to be slightly smaller than average. There are numerous single-stack .45's out there as it's the platform for the famous 1911, however, you are now down to 7 rounds in a magazine and still carrying a full-size frame. A huge benefit of the .45 is the recoil. Still significant, but due to the lowered velocity, it's more of a "push" rather than a kick. I think .45 has the best feel of the three and I personally have been historically more accurate with it than the others. I really wanted to land on .45, but with the very significant reduction in capacity, I had to decide against it. Another significant factor that detracted from my selection of .45 is the cost of ammunition. That is NOT to say that I won't own a nice 1911 one day.
In closing, I'd like to say that I conducted extensive research over several months to compile the above results and much of the information in this article is my OPINION derived from that data, so please keep destructive and counter-productive comments to yourselves. This is about helping people make their decision.
I am not a "Fan Boy" of any Caliber or Firearm Manufacturer and kept an open mind in my selection process and encourage you to do the same.
Of course, whatever firearm you buy should have a history of being immaculately reliable. Don't be cheap...This is your life we're talking about. You WILL get what you pay for.
I hope I've helped people with this article, but the best advice I can give is to:
A) Find something that feels the best in your hand. As soon as you pick that weapon up for the first time, you'll know what I'm talking about. Feeling good in your hand is the first step in obtaining peak accuracy. It's different for everybody!!!
B) Fire that weapon in all of the calibers available and see which one you are the most accurate with. Remember, it's widely agreed upon that Shot Placement is the most important factor. Be accurate FIRST.
C) Practice Practice PRACTICE!!! Be masterfully familiar with your firearm, practice drawing and acquiring the target, and shoot OFTEN. Keep your skills honed.
Good luck with your selection process and I hope that my insight has been of some benefit to you.
I found it pretty unanimous, and common sense really, that the following priorities should be utilized when using a firearm for personal defense:
1) Shot Placement - The equalizer of most calibers. The idea is to incapacitate and eliminate the threat. You put the bullet in the right place and it doesn't matter what caliber you have. The FASTEST way to incapacitate is with a head or upper spinal shot, though this is not likely. The military will tell you to aim for Center Mass. This is defined as the center of the biggest part you see. If an entire sillhouette is presented to me, I train for upper torso focusing on the heart area. It's the biggest area and any low, left, or right misses are probably going to hit the lungs. High misses have a decent chance of a head shot.
2) Penetration - Aside from being able to penetrate the target deeply enough to reach and damage the internal organs, your next possibility of incapacitation is blood loss...as rapidly as possible. The round you use should be able to penetrate at least 12" into the target. This includes going through the denim, leather, cotton, etc. clothes that the target is wearing. The more penetration, the better. If you have a through and through, then the target is bleeding from two holes rather than one. Don't get caught up in the myth that over-penetration kills innocent bystanders. Studies show that in a real gun fight where you and the target are both moving, you can really only expect to actually hit the target 20% of the time. The rounds that went THROUGH the target are significantly less dangerous than all the ones that missed completely. If you're buying pistol ammo to NOT over-penetrate the target, you're making a mistake.
3) Capacity - Due to the frequent misses mentioned above, I place a high value on magazine capacity. If the caliber meets the above criteria, then give me as many of them as possible! Those aren't just bullets in there...They are opportunities at my continued life and I want as many as possible between reloads.
4) Recoil - Lighter recoil will enable a faster follow-up shot and will usually result in higher accuracy. Smaller caliber doesn't necessarily mean lighter recoil (see Caliber Selection below). Someone who has a frail frame or is new to firearms will generally benefit from a lighter recoil, however an experienced shooter can overcome recoil deficiencies.
5) Expansion - I feel (my opinion) that expansion is an over-rated statistic with regard to pistol rounds and I do not place a high value on it. Handgun velocities are simply not fast enough to cause the tissue damage from shock that is characteristic of rifle rounds. One benefit of expansion is perhaps a FMJ round that nearly missed a vital organ, would have clipped it had there been a few hundredths of an inch of expansion from the initial radius like that of a JHP. Another minimal benefit is felt impact by the target. Studies show that a person who knows they've been shot will instinctively fall down, though that's not always characteristic of attackers who may be under the influence of drugs. If the bullet meets the criteria of 1-3 AND I can get some expansion, very well, but I'd rather over-penetrate.
6) Knock-Down Power - Knock-Down Power is a myth as far as pistol calibers go. People do not get lifted into the air and thrown back 6 feet because they just got shot by a pistol. The surface area of a bullet is too small and the velocity is too high to push the body of a human being down. The bullet simply penetrates however deep it will and either comes to rest or exits out the other side. Don't shop for a caliber based on Knock-Down Power. If the gun shop owner tells you "This baby's got more Knock-Down Power!" he's marked you as someone who doesn't know any better, or he himself doesn't.
TIME TO EVALUATE THE CALIBERS!!!
I knew that I wanted an automatic pistol, so I was only looking at 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP as they are the most popular and widely available. I evaluated all three using the above criteria.
9mm - Usually has the best capacity in full-sized pistols. You can buy an Springfield XDM-9 and load an ENTIRE 20RD BOX of 9mm in a single magazine!!! You can buy a sub-compact Springfield XDM-9 and use that same magazine in it. Also, 9mm has the best selection of Concealed Carry firearms compared with .40 and .45. There are many single-stack options out there which result in a thinner firearm. Thin is a hot commodity when you CC. Furthermore, 9mm generally has significantly less felt recoil compared to .40 & .45 enabling higher accuracy and quicker follow-up shots. One negative I found from research was that penetration is at the lower end of adequate on about 50% of available COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) ammo. That being my top priority as far as bullet pre-requisites, it definitely factored into my end choice, however, if you do the research and you're picky about what ammunition you buy, you'll be fine.
.40 S&W - Magazine capacity on a .40 is in my opinion a happy medium between 9mm and .45. A comparable Springfield XDM that I mentioned above still holds 16 rounds of ammo in a magazine and 15 in most other full-size pistols. Single-stack availability is slightly more limited, but they're starting to pop up and now I believe there are 4 or 5 manufacturers who are making excellent single-stack .40 products including Springfield and Sig to name a couple, though capacity is significantly reduced when going to the single-stack configuration in .40. I found penetration to be well within acceptable ranges for all the ammo I could find where penetration testing had been done, so you can buy whatever's available and not have to worry too much about performance. A significant negative about .40 is the violent recoil. It's more of an unpredictable snap compared to the others, though once experienced, it can be overcome. Another benefit of .40 is that most LE (Law Enforcement) are using it. That means when the Zombie Apocalypse happens, there'll be more .40 laying around than anything else.
.45 ACP - Performance wise, the .45 is very comparable to the .40 with significant difference in velocity...the .45 being quite a bit slower. Cross-section is much better than the other two with penetration comparable or slightly less than the .40. The big negative about .45 is magazine capacity. The same full-size XDM mentioned previously is now down to 13 rounds of ammo. Because the diameter of the bullet is significantly larger, the grip of the firearm is usually much fatter even with the reduced capacity. I looked at the G21 (Full-size Glock .45), and found it very uncomfortable in my hand due to the size of the grip. It was comparable to holding a bar of soap. This isn't true for everyone, as my hands are what I would consider to be slightly smaller than average. There are numerous single-stack .45's out there as it's the platform for the famous 1911, however, you are now down to 7 rounds in a magazine and still carrying a full-size frame. A huge benefit of the .45 is the recoil. Still significant, but due to the lowered velocity, it's more of a "push" rather than a kick. I think .45 has the best feel of the three and I personally have been historically more accurate with it than the others. I really wanted to land on .45, but with the very significant reduction in capacity, I had to decide against it. Another significant factor that detracted from my selection of .45 is the cost of ammunition. That is NOT to say that I won't own a nice 1911 one day.
In closing, I'd like to say that I conducted extensive research over several months to compile the above results and much of the information in this article is my OPINION derived from that data, so please keep destructive and counter-productive comments to yourselves. This is about helping people make their decision.
I am not a "Fan Boy" of any Caliber or Firearm Manufacturer and kept an open mind in my selection process and encourage you to do the same.
Of course, whatever firearm you buy should have a history of being immaculately reliable. Don't be cheap...This is your life we're talking about. You WILL get what you pay for.
I hope I've helped people with this article, but the best advice I can give is to:
A) Find something that feels the best in your hand. As soon as you pick that weapon up for the first time, you'll know what I'm talking about. Feeling good in your hand is the first step in obtaining peak accuracy. It's different for everybody!!!
B) Fire that weapon in all of the calibers available and see which one you are the most accurate with. Remember, it's widely agreed upon that Shot Placement is the most important factor. Be accurate FIRST.
C) Practice Practice PRACTICE!!! Be masterfully familiar with your firearm, practice drawing and acquiring the target, and shoot OFTEN. Keep your skills honed.
Good luck with your selection process and I hope that my insight has been of some benefit to you.
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