Best badguy stopper? .357 .40 or 9mm semi-auto

[ak47nevada]

I'm talking out of a 4" or 5" Springfield XD

What round will have best penetration against a badguy or badguy vehicle?

I've read the high velocity of the .40 has superior vehicle penetration vs the .45 "which is slow" and the .9mm. I know nothing of the .357 and am having trouble finding ballistic and velocity comparison charts.

I'm looking for the best round for self-defense. Any links or comments appreciated!

A few months ago when the guy with the CCW in Texas took on the AK47 shooter he had a 9mm didn't he?

 

[Monkeyleg]

"A few months ago when the guy with the CCW in Texas took on the AK47 shooter he had a 9mm didn't he?"

Yes, but the bad guy was wearing body armor.

IMO, shot placement first, caliber second.

 

[scubie02]

6 of one, half dozen of the other given those choices, I think. Theoretically the 357 mag outperforms the 40 and 9, so since the 357 sig roughly duplicates the mag in theory it has an edge. But like I said, in practice I suspect you could flip a coin.

Just got my second xd, btw--love em.

 

[ak47nevada]

Monkeyleg I definately agree with you. This also makes me ask, is either the 9mm, .40 or .357 out of the same gun, same barrel length known to be most accurate?

 

[nico]

If this is a gun you plan on shooting for fun I'd throw .357 out right away. It's expensive as hell compared to the others and a PITA to reload from what I've heard because of the case neck.

For a gun that's primarily for defense, I'd take the .40. For a gun that's primarily for fun and would also be used for defense I'd take a 9mm and get some good HP ammo.

One thing to consider with the XD is that if you buy a .40 or .357, you can buy barrels for any of the other two calibers and fire it with no other changes, but if you buy a 9mm you can only shoot 9mm.

 

[1 old 0311]

Best penetration? 357 hands down. It was developed to stop gangsters in the 1930's. They had the .45 and 9mm then.

Kevin
/

 

[jc2]

Best penetration? 357 hands down. It was developed to stop gangsters in the 1930's.

Since he's talking about a Springfield XD that sort of leaves the .357 Magnum out, doesn't it Kevin?

There's not enough difference in effectiveness/penetration between the three calibres (9x19, 357 SIG and .40 S&W) to make a difference. The 9x19 is the least expensive to shoot, the easiest to find and offers a slight capacity advantage over the 357 SIG and .40 S&W (and a slightly faster follow-ups).

 

[mcooper]

Well let me pull some balistics off of Remington's website for the 3 calibers, All from the golden saber line:

9mm, 124grain JHP bullet, 1125fps (at the muzzle), and 349fpe (at the muzzle)
40 s&w, 165 grain JHP bullet, 1150fps (at the muzzle), and 485fpe (at the muzzle)
Well apparently there isn't a Golden Saber load on the ballistics page of remington.com So I'll give the numbers for te "express" line:
357sig, 125grain JHP bullets, 1350fps (at the muzzle), 506fpe (at the muzzle)

So you can see that the 357 sig is the most powerful, but 40s&w is alot cheaper to shoot...so you'll probably practice more with it.

All that being said, my XD is in 9mm, but it was my first pistol.

 

[scubie02]

don't apologize for having 9mm--I've got two xd's and they're both 9mm. I carry a 1911 in 45 acp more than anything else, but if I carry a 9mm I don't feel horribly undergunned.

 

[ak47nevada]

One thing to consider with the XD is that if you buy a .40 or .357, you can buy barrels for any of the other two calibers and fire it with no other changes, but if you buy a 9mm you can only shoot 9mm.

Thanks for the heads up Nico. That's pretty handy.


9mm, 124grain JHP bullet, 1125fps (at the muzzle), and 349fpe (at the muzzle)
40 s&w, 165 grain JHP bullet, 1150fps (at the muzzle), and 485fpe (at the muzzle)
Well apparently there isn't a Golden Saber load on the ballistics page of remington.com So I'll give the numbers for te "express" line:
357sig, 125grain JHP bullets, 1350fps (at the muzzle), 506fpe (at the muzzle)

Mcooper thanks for the statistics. Looks like what jc2 said, not much to make the difference.

I like the idea of faster follow up shots and 15 rounds.

 

[jc2]

While MV/ME figures are neat, they are not terribly important in the scheme of things when it comes to effectiveness, the important figures are below (4-ply Denim Pen/Exp):

9x19 (RA9T) - 14.5/.66
357 SIG (RA357SIGT) - 12.1/.66
.40 S&W (RA40T) - 14.3/.70

It quickly becomes clear that there really is not enough difference to make a difference. In terms of expansion, they are all within .04", and in terms of penetration the the 9x19 and .40 S&W are within 0.2" of one another, and the 357 SIG is only 2.4 behind the 9x19 (and 2.2 inches behind the .40 S&W). Performance wise, they're all "peas in a pod."

 

[EghtySx]

If this is a gun you plan on shooting for fun I'd throw .357 out right away. It's expensive as hell compared to the others and a PITA to reload from what I've heard because of the case neck.

But you could shoot .38s in it.

 

[akluvr]

Interesting stats jc2. Thanks for the info, I've been trying to tell a coworker the + and - of calibers and advised him that if you don't shoot the .45, everything else is in the same ballpark. I'll print this out for part of the facts to prove it.

 

[dasmi]

But you could shoot .38s in it.

Right...

 

[nico]

But you could shoot .38s in it.

lol I'd like to see somebody try that


psst. . . he meant .357 sig

 

[valor1]

Best bad guy stopper is YOU. Practice with what ammo is available to you and eventually you'll end up as a good shooter. Try to give the bad guy a hole in the head and that should stop him.

 

[Sunray]

"...badguy vehicle..." If the BG is in a vehicle, no handgun round will make a lick of difference. If it does penetrate, it won't stop the vehicle. Even with a head shot. 10 MPH is a bit more than 14 FPS. However, a ton or so at 14 FPS won't be bothered by the biggest handgun bullet.
Kevin, EghtySx, think .357 Sig.

 

[Marshall]

For overall defensive round out of those choices, the .40S&W get's my vote.