Not exactly scientific research, but I will be happy to share my findings from my recent backyard shooting session.
I had to replace my 32gal pressure tank for my water system here on the farm. The steel tank is roughly the size of a man's torso, so naturally it became a target for my ccw before I took it to the recycler.
Again, my resulting info is completely unscientific....but interesting.
Shots fired from 10yds.
I first shot the tank with my 2.25" SP101 loaded with 6.4gr Unique under 158gr cast LWFP. Every shot passed completely through the tank.
The second gun fired into the steel tank was my little NAA .22mag with 1 5/8" barrel. It drilled right through the first thickness of steel, but barely tried to make an exit hole. Note that the .22 tended to glance off unless the hit was pretty direct.
The .45acp was a big surprise to me as it punched a huge hole, but hardly tried to make an exit. We were shooting fmj Wolf ammo(gun and ammo supplied by a friend). E few rounds even failed to enter the tank, an were lying on the ground in front of the tank fully mushroomed.
Lastly I fired my beloved '58 NMA .44cal cap 'n ball revolver loaded with 30gr 3f goex under a lube wad and .454 round ball. Much to my surprise, the only way to get the soft round ball to penetrate the tank was to shoot twice at the same exact spot. I was quite disappointed with this, as the gun is maybe my favorite handgun of all.
To make a conclusion here, I will say the the .357 snub performed pretty well as compared to the .45acp, and I am satisfied that I made a good choice in ccw/defense caliber. Esp considering that Unique is probably a poor choice in powders for a short barrel, although it works well in my other guns.