Better manstopper 357 Mag or 45 ACP?

[pinetree64]

I'd feel good with either though I voted 45acp - big hole and quick followups. If you a table reader, Corbon offers stellar +P for 45acp. Of course what you shoot best is most important. I shoot a 1911 much better than a revolver. That said I am craving 3" SP101 in 357.

 

[ARTiger]

I'm no physicist, but like both rounds a lot. Have 5+ guns in each caliber. My totally unscientific take is that while I love my .45 ACP's, I wouldn't shoot a deer with one. Mainly because I'm too lazy to follow a 1/2+ mile blood trail to find the dead deer. On the other hand I have taken many deer with a 6" .357 revolver using Buffalo's Bore's baddest heavy bullet rounds. Quite a few laid down right where they were standing and most didn't get very far.

For a defense situation however against 2 legged critters, I know that personally I can shoot my .45's better and can get more accurate hits faster. These are different rounds designed for different guns. It's the gun that makes the difference in which is a better round for your purpose.

 

[inggo]

there was actual test done way back 1901

Thompson and LaGarde stated, "the Board was of the opinion that a bullet, which will have the shock effect and stopping effect at short ranges necessary for a military pistol or revolver, should have a caliber not less than .45".
This test was done to an animal of same weight and size

 

[FIREARMZ]

Which ever you shoot the best. Holes in the right place are the only ones that count.

 

[goings_51]

A 230 grain JHP going 850FPS=369 ft lbs energy

A 158 grain JHP going 1200FPS=505 ft lbs energy

The .45 is a bigger hole. You can shoot and reload the .45 faster. The .357 won't ever jam. You should read up on the testing that was done before the 1911 was adopted. I would trust my life to either.

 

[MCgunner]

Opinions are like......well......never mind.

 

[jlh26oo]

Well of course energy matters..

k just checking; sounded like you thought otherwise there for a while.

 

[Doggieman]

I like how you pick tiny parts of my posts and respond to them

 

[roy berkeley]

better manstopper: .357 Mag or .45 ACP?

This topic has been talked to death. I would only point out that:
1) They both offer about the same stopping power
2) The 1911 is just plain better ergonomically
3) A .357 bullet may or may not expand, but a .45 bullet will not shrink

 

[lawboy]

I voted .357. I considered stopping power to encompass a lot of things, such as hit probability at long range, penetration of glass, light cover and heavy clothing, etc. The .357 comes out ahead in most categories other than rate of fire (which encompassess ease/speed of reloads). I carry a .357.

 

[jjohnson]

I go with shot placement.

I voted .45 only because I didn't get to pick ammo. I honestly believe hot 125-gr HPs in a .357 (just an example) may actually cause more tissue trauma than 230-gr ball ammo in a .45, but it doesn't take me very long at all to draw, aim, and hit with my M1911, and hits are a GOOD thing. I like .357s but if I have to carry, it's usually .45, and I never feel like "ooooh, I should have packed a .357 instead....."

And like the guy said (I love this) "a .357 bullet may or may not expand, but the .45 bullet will not shrink." Cool. Elmer Keith once said that big bullets let out a lot of blood and let in a lot of air.

The .357 crowd isn't undergunned.... but neither am I.

 

[SFvet]

I shot a couple Winchester hollowpoints into the dirt and both left a nice trail and expanded beautifully. The .45 seems to expand even with slow Winchesters

 

[S&Wfan]

If the .357mag. was vastly superior, then more folks would want to tote wheelguns it would seem.

The .45ACP offers faster reloads, generally more rounds, and conceals flatter . . . again, generally.

Then again, my favorite .45ACP handgun . . . is a chopped barrel S&W 25-2 revolver!

 

[boomstik45]

OOOooooohhhh. I wish I had one of THOSE.

 

[chipp]

in response to several poeple

i alway assumed that out of same weight guns a .357 would have less recoil than 45? am I wrong? using simialr ammo?(if there is such a thing)

 

[KONY]

Although I think each would do the job, I'm voting for .357mag just for the "fun-to-shoot" factor. With that said, I usually carry a 9mm (Euro-Weenie) for the "cheap-to-shoot" factor.

 

[tnieto2004]

.357 hp

 

[BOOM-BOOM]

According to a chart I just read, in regards to one shot stopping power.

The 357 Mag. rated 96% The 45ACP rated 94%

With that in mind, I wouldn't want to be shot with either.......:


Here's the site. Check it out I was very surprised By the 22's..

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2b.handguns.htm

 

[mavracer]

you are all missing the point both would be better and enough three p's to make sure all 12 shots in torso. besides should have shot 6 feet sooner 21' is the old rule of thumb.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

shot placement. I wouldnt want to be shot by either and I would bet money that either one would ruin someones day if you needed it to

 

[givo08]

I think the super tacticool S&W 8 shot M327 .357 mag revolver that uses moon clips to reload would hold more than a standard 1911 (7 per mag), reload faster (moon clips vs. magazine), and fire faster than a semi-auto could cyle (for a trained shooter like Jerry Miculek).

 

[BOOM-BOOM]

Why would you need moonclips for a revolver that shoots 357mag. shells moonclips are made for ammo like the 45acp capible to be shot in revolvers so the bullits can be extracted

 

[Sniper X]

Since .357 mag was never used in a war or conflict, the US Government never did a study. However, in police trials the .357mag won, by a very slim margin in most studies, and .45acp won in some. I say toss up but you do have quicked reloads in .45acp if you use a Auto, but If it takes more than one or two in a fight on the street, you are probably in BIG trouble.

I'll make up a Johnny Chochranisim here....

If you need more than three in th street, you must retreat!

 

[MichaelJ]

You should use whichever one you can control accurately and quickly.
You won't have time to take a leisurely aim if you are being attacked. And if you can't hit what you're aiming at due to excessive recoil, it's not good.

 

[Plink]

Realistically, the performance between the two is a close call. There have been many reliable reports of stops, but both have also had spectacular failures to stop, like any handgun caliber. I do see a clear pick though, at least for my mindset.

Have you ever touched off a high pressure round in an enclosed area? If you have, you'll know why I went to the .45 ACP. Nice low pressure round. If you have to shoot to defend your life, you don't get to pick the arena. It may be in the hallway!