Bigger is better; observations from life.

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Hokkmike

Hokkmike

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You remember when you were a kid and left the baseball out in the rain? Throw that baby hard and it really knocks you back. Catch it without a glove? No way!

Or how about palming a roll of coins just goofing around and slugging your friend? Quite a little extra punch, isn't it?

Every play catch with a medicine ball? Kind of almost knocks you over.

Now, apply some of this simple logic to bullet weight.
 
A pretty creative way to start a caliber war, I have to give you that ;)

Well, since I'm posting already, I can also give my opinion :D

Of course "bigger is better". A .45 ACP is better than a 9mm. A .50 GI is probably better than a .45 ACP and so on. BUT a 9mm is more manageable, thus (for a lot of people) more accurate and faster to shoot. And it usually gives you a higher magazine capacity, is cheaper, comes in every possible platfor, ect.

So, in my opinion, everything has it's pros and cons. Just pick whatever you want and make sure you can hit what you aim for. I prefer 9mm right now, espcially because it's cheap and my favourite (and for me, most accurate) gun is chambered for it. But I would feel just as good with a .45acp, .40 S&W, .357 mag/sig, .38 spc, 9mm makarov, ect. Basically, everything .380 and up.

Just my uneducated opinion though :)
 
I prefer match box car 3 ounces or 1970 plymouh fury 5500 pounds
 
And what round's weight even comes close to that of a wet baseball or medicine ball? Not saying your point doesn't have some value to it, I just see it as a moot point. The same can be said about speed. Would you rather get hit by a baseball at 75 MPH or 100 MPH? When you only take one side of KE (weight/speed) you don't have an effective argument.
 
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Well, that's all settled then. :rolleyes:

Oh, except for that whole energy being the mass time the velocity squared thing. But I'm sure it will still convince any 6 year old on the playground that 45 is better than 9mm!
 
A .45 is not a stopper.

A 9mm is not a stopper.

A .357Mag is not a stopper.

A .44Mag is not a stopper.

All handguns and handgun rounds are terrible at stopping people. Shot placement is the only thing that matters. Therefore, any caliber that you can put multiple rounds on target fast with is a good choice.
 
Oh, except for that whole energy being the mass time the velocity squared thing. Jorg
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Do you have the formula somewhere?

Pitchfork, sledgehammer. Which do you want to get hit with?
Today 08:49 AM Vaarok
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Neither, but don't put weight behind that pitchfork either.

Not saying your point doesn't have value, I just see it as a moot point. Heavy Metal Hero
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But apparently you agree?
 
Do you have the formula somewhere?
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Why yes there is
Idpa realized the potential for peoplt to "game it up" so they came up with a power factor. What this does is equals the whole weight verses speed issue. The basic formula is speed x bullet weight so a 45acp at 230 gr doing 875fps=201,250 so a 9mm at 115gr needs to go 1750 fps to be equal. Is this realistic not really can they both kill you yes. These do not account for bullet construction so it is not a perfect formuls but it does work to some extent.

A .45 is not a stopper.

A 9mm is not a stopper.

A .357Mag is not a stopper.

A .44Mag is not a stopper.
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I beg to differ sir even a 22lr can be a man stoper with a good hit on a vital system. No body said 1 shot stop
 
I carry my Colt 45 in the cooler months and my Glock G26 9mm in the summer, so I go both ways and don't feel undergunned with the 9mm.

However, let me say that I don't entirely agree with the "shot placement is king" rationale or the ole "22 to the chest is better than a 45 to the finger" argument. These arguments assume that only small calibers are capable of shot placement. This is not always true and while lightweight hi-power handguns are more difficult to attain fast followups, this certainly doesn't apply to 1st shots.

Also, please understand that not all 45 shooter are using lightweight guns. I can get better followups with my 1911 than with my more snappy 9mm pocket guns.

If it was ALL about shot placement, we could all carry pellet guns.
 
Nifty intro ! But let's not forget that 'punch' works two ways. Newton never sleeps. And despite the best work of the ad men, no gun mfg has figured a way around the basic physics of action/reaction. Should anyone ever discover the magic formula - they won't need to make/sell guns.

Having that hefty punch out the front end is OK if you can handle the recoil it generates at the 'tother - and get that arm back into shooting position/aim point rapidly. If you can't - or anticipation of the recoil makes you flinch, - then all that 'stopping power' stops what ? Air ? Trees ? The neighborhood ?

Better is the long or short gun caliber you can shoot accurately and effectively multiple times for an extended period. I once made a hell of a deal on a brand new Remmington BDL in 7mm Rem Mag - including four boxes of ammo, six fired - from a gentleman sporting a freshly bandaged brow....and a new .243 in hand........ >MW
 
To paraphrase Jeff Cooper, "a .22 to the tear duct is better than a .45 to center mass."
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And to paraphrase Uncle Herbivore, "If you have to hit the other guy in the tear duct to win, and he only has to hit you in the torso -- you lose!":what:
 
Newton never sleeps. And despite the best work of the ad men, no gun mfg has figured a way around the basic physics of action/reaction
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Not exactly all the way true.
The recoil can be affected in several ways, gas operation gun/barrel weight comps recoil springs ect. If you take a .22 and shoot it out of a light weight gun you will have more recoil than a .22 shot out of a comped heavy gun. The reaction is the same as the light weight gun it is just dispersed more effectively
 
not always true

I would rather have a fast load that will expand that way your target will absorb all the energy.If your bullet is big and just passes thru,the target will not absorb the energy.
 
The recoil can be affected in several ways, gas operation gun/barrel weight comps recoil springs ect.
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True. But anything you can do to affect the recoil of one cartridge, you can do to affect the recoil of another. So, given pistols of equal design, relative recoil will remain the same.
 
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