My analysis of handgun cartridge ballistics

[Propforce]

David, thanks for sharing your chart. It was visually informative. I learned a thing or two!

Some of you guys take a deep breath and relax. This chart shows the relationship between bullet weight and velocity at the muzzle exit, it does not say if it is FMJ or JHP, it does not say anything about penetration depth, bullet expansion, or shot placement, and it does not make any statement about terminal performance effectiveness. Most of you are projecting your own conclusions rather than taking this chart for what it is.

It is interesting that the .357, .40, and .45 fall along the same power curve. I am also pleasantly surprise that 158 gr 38+P is closer to the 9mm power curve than the 38 spcl. I learned a few things.

 

[Skribs]

Propforce, the chart for what it is is basically a chart with unusable data. The question is regarding performance, and that just doesn't show up in the chart. If you want target shooting, these numbers don't tell you what the trajectory will be or if there's a greater consistency in the round. If you want self defense, these numbers don't tell you what the bullet will do.

Db4570, I've been on lots of forums, and one thing I've learned is that you will post somethings that people go "meh" over and some things that people will love. When people go "meh" it's better to try and look at why they're saying that than to turn around and bash them over it.

In response to post #9, the analysis in the chart does nothing to show how the .40 compares to the other loads except in terms of muzzle energy. The problem is that performance is based on a number of factors, including muzzle energy. The easiest way to calculate the performance is to look at test results and extrapolate from there.

For example, your chart lists the .40 and .45 as about equal, but in actual performance the .40 will not expand to quite the same diameter, but will penetrate to about the same depth. (Assuming a similar load, i.e. both are heavy-for-caliber Speer Gold Dot). It also suggests that the drop from .40 to 9 will be similar to the drop from 9 to .380. The problem there is that the .40 and 9 will have fairly similar performance in the target (the same difference as .45 to .40), but the .380 will need to be FMJ to penetrate to the same depth as a JHP 9, which means a significantly thinner wound tract.

The chart might show a bit of what happens at the muzzle, but it doesn't talk about what happens in the target, which is the real important part of ballistics in regards to what makes a round formidable.

Is your post to post the chart and then discuss it? If so, then you should be prepared for some people to agree with you and others to criticize it. That's part of discussion, especially on the internet. Or is your post to say "look what I made!" and bash anyone who doesn't see it the same way you do? Because post #25 would suggest that is the case.

 

[Centurian22]

Being an excel / numbers geek I love this!!! Awesome work and I appreciate the time effort and thought you put into this. Very well constructed and labeled.

 

[Propforce]

Skribs, you are absolutely right that David's chart shows the muzzle end only, he makes no claims on what happens on the other end. You are criticizing him for the things he does not show nor does he claim. This criticism is jumping the gun.

Perhaps a separate chart showing bullet diameter (expanded or not) vs penetration distance is what you are after, but then others will argue the implication of that chart on "stopping power" as well... I don't think the argument will stop.

 

[Bovice]

Lol everyone calm down, your 9mm is "enough gun".

This is a chart used to compare two parameters. Several charts like this used in conjunction with each other are useful in picking the "optimal" choice of whatever they're comparing.

 

[481]

Well, I am not sure that anyone has taken the fun out of this- this forum is here for the purpose of debate, after all.

It might be a little more "colorful" than a chart, but the graph appears to offer little more than a graphic display of data taken from a chart.

 

[Skribs]

Propforce, he goes on to say in the rest of the thread that this chart can be used to evaluate performance, which it cannot. In handgun cartridges, the energy does the work, but whether you're looking at target shooting, hunting, or self defense, the energy value itself is irrelevant - what actually happens is.

It would be like me asking what the gas mileage of a car is and you saying "the tank holds 16 gallons."

I've mentioned self defense (which has corallories to hunting), but the other big application is target shooting. In this case, factors like consistency, sectional density, velocity, and trajectory will matter more than what's going on at the muzzle.

Well, I am not sure that anyone has taken the fun out of this- this forum is here for the purpose of debate, after all.

Exactly! It is entirely the OPs peragative whether to agree with my point of view, ignore it, argue with me, or bash me for it. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to say it!