UrbanHermit
member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
- Messages
- 242
I usually try to avoid the caliber debates, but this is always an interesting point brought up in these discussions.
It seems as if physics only seems to work one way in the caliber debates. Guns chambered in .40 S&W, .45 Auto, .357 SIG, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, etc., are all described as harder to shoot than 9mm, well, because of physics. However, 9mm is just as effective as the aforementioned calibers, where apparently physics is now on vacation. Apparently, Newton's 3rd Law of Motion is not applicable in defensive handgun calibers.
Hey, there are valid reasons for choosing a 9mm pistol over a gun chambered in .40 S&W, .45 Auto, .357 SIG, etc., capacity is higher, the round is easier to shoot fast, it is easier on the guns and the shooters, and probably the number one reason it is usually chosen, it is less expensive.
I think data on the real world effectiveness of any cartridge or bullet is incredibly bad. That's why I prefer what I see with my own eyes on game and meat targets.
It's concerning that "stopping power" is still largely seen as a function of caliber or bullet design or energy. I think it's almost purely a function of shot placement. The advantage of larger bullets with more effective designs is that they will cause more tissue destruction and thus lead to exsanguination and organ failure more reliably. It's no different than why most people would say a .308 is more effective on deer than a .243. It causes more trauma, so the animal bleeds to death or loses oxygen faster, that's why it's more effective. That has nothing to do with stopping an attacker instantly at close range. To stop an attacker instantly, you shoot them in the head or spine, perhaps that hip girdle. The reason why you want an effective bullet is not to "stop" them better, it's so they lose consciousness faster if the fight occurs at long range and drags on and you have to hide behind cover or seek an escape route. If you're just shooting a guy at 7 yards who has a knife it doesn't really matter what caliber or bullet you are using. The reason why we are still having these debates 120 years after these rounds were developed is that people still haven't figured out that you can't reliably stop someone instantly with lung trauma no matter what you shoot them with. Every deer hunter knows this.
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