10mm or 45 acp for self defense

[CDW4ME]

Little common sense will tell you the .45ACP is the right choice. It can be had in smaller pistol and there are many, many more defense loads for .45ACP than for 10mm auto. Companies like Winchester even load premium hollow point with reduced flash which is what smart person would choose in the first place. Average person posting here doesn't really need to carry handgun for defense let alone one with 15 round magazine. I recommend S&W Shield .45ACP with disclaimer "for very experienced handgun shooters only".

I like the size of the 20/21, longer barrel is advantageous, grip fills my hand and easy to shoot.
Need? LOL.
I've been carrying over 25 years, never "needed" it, despite that my carry has increased from a subcompact 26/27 to a 19/23 to a full size.
Capacity: better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
My wife has a Shield 9mm, not my idea of a primary and it won't fit in my pocket and allow for a quick draw.
Single stack 9mm (Glock 43/Kahr PM9) that fits in pocket is useful, offers a 2nd option* to the "big" pistol I'm carrying concealed IWB.
*Option to put my hand on it without revealing I'm carrying, which I can't do with the Glock 20. (Handy / comforting in certain situations)

"Need". Made my morning.

 

[coyotehitman]

I think you should put yourself on a timer. I'm not calling you liar or anything, but I seriously doubt that you can double tap or get on target with follow up shots with the 10mm as well (fast) as you can the 45. And a timer would give you that info. For me, that would be more of a deciding factor than can I run 135 grainers at nuclear speeds.

None of that is going to matter under stress.

I'm a big advocate of the .45 acp, but the 10mm is more versatile. Either one will work well with nearly any load, but I really, really like the versatility of the 10mm. 135 gr. speeders to 220 gr. loads at respectable velocities, the ability to shoot .40sw and .357 sig in a pinch, recoil that any man should be able to handle, and 15+1 rounds on tap.

And to the medic who was touting .45acp exit wounds, you have likely never seen a 10mm wound.

 

[ruger357]

Prefer the.45

 

[jjones45]

It's funny when people talk about the velocity of handgun rounds for self defense, like bad guys dodging the slow 45 acp cartridge is a trend or something lol. If I were a bad guy and got to choose which caliber were to shoot me in the chest between the 10mm or 45acp I wouldn't choose the 10mm, however I wouldn't be to thrilled about choice B either lol

 

[hq]

It's funny when people talk about the velocity of handgun rounds for self defense, like bad guys dodging

Projectile velocity can have a significant effect on terminal ballistics like every hunter knows. I'm not quite convinced anyone suggested a fictional Matrix-movie -type scenario becoming reality in this thread.

 

[jjones45]

Projectile velocity can have a significant effect on terminal ballistics like every hunter knows. I'm not quite convinced anyone suggested a fictional Matrix-movie -type scenario becoming reality in this thread.

Yes in hunting you are correct. But in a self defense shooting at an average of 10ft or less I don't see the distinct advantages of extra fps when velocities are over 800fps. Everyone knows 10mm is a more powerful cartridge, especially at greater distances. Im not suggesting a fictional movie type scenario becoming reality, but that's kind of the picture some paint of the old trusted and true 45 acp. I'm just tired of a lot of caliber experts these days saying the 45 acp is a big slow obsolete round. Then they bring up the whole auto glass front windshield scenario. This is way more relevant in law enforcement scenarios than civilian self defense shootings. I don't have any sources of the stats for it but I'm pretty sure the number of civilian self defense shootings where one had to shoot through a front windshield is pretty darn low. It's just a bit comical how the highs and lows of handgun cartridges have varied over the years. One view that hasn't changed however is the effectiveness of the 10mm or the .357 magnum for that matter. Any magnum cartridge is going to be stronger than one that's not. I'm pretty sure 9, 40, and 45 have all killed more people than 10mm. 10mm is an very respected cartridge and I am very found of it, but in real world self defense shootings the 10mm and 45acp aren't going to differ that much in the outcome with good shot placement. As far as my dodging bullets comment I was just having a little fun, I didn't know this was meant to be a forum that one couldn't do so. Maybe I need to look at the forum rules a little closer lol

 

[jjones45]

Projectile velocity can have a significant effect on terminal ballistics like every hunter knows. I'm not quite convinced anyone suggested a fictional Matrix-movie -type scenario becoming reality in this thread.

If this thread was about hunting game and not self defense then it wouldn't have been much of a thread would it? 10mm would have won that debate and vote pretty easily

 

[jjones45]

My last comment to this thread is about a shooting that happen in my town at a local bar about 2 1/2 or 3 years ago. Only 4 shots were fired from a 45 acp handgun and 3 men died and one was injured. The one injured was from a pass through of one of the other victims. All the victims were nice sized men, like around or over 200lbs. One was a leo from the city of Elmore. I don't really see a 10mm doing much more damage than what the 45acp did. The perps name was Igmidio "Roger" Mista if you care to verify my story. So I'd say 45 acp will do what you need it to do in a life of death situation

 

[hq]

The consideration is terminal ballistics. Few people have first hand experience of having shot a human being and observed their behavior after the shot. Even fewer outside operating rooms and morgues have ever examined a wound channel in human tissue. Hunters are a notable exception to the extent animal tissue and hide can be an analog. The common nominator is making the target to stop, the difference is having no primary intention to kill. Differences are subtle but obvious and ballistic effects on primary and secondary wound channel seem to be a matter of endless debate.