Poll - if given the choice, would you take a round of .223 or .45?

[Baron]

Purely hypothetical situation. If you had to take a hit from 25 yards from either a .223 or .45, which would you rather?

Let's say the .223 (Remington)/5.56x45 is XM193 from a 16" barrel and the .45 (ACP) is 230 gr. Gold Dot from a 5" barrel.

I know rifles have much greater temporary cavities and shock the tissue far more. At that range, the .223 should fragment properly. However, what if it doesn't, resulting in a .22 caliber punctate wound?

A .45 round is only a pistol round, but under these conditions would not be stopped by bones and ribs. Even if by some slim chance it doesn't expand, it's still a 45/100ths" hole.

I really wouldn't enjoy being hit by either one of these, but if you had to choose, which would it be? We all know there's lots of talk about the effectiveness of .223, particularly from a 16" barrel. Logically, many folks (myself included) that question the lethality of .223 are also great believers in the stopping power of .45. So - when it comes down to it, would you rather a big, reliable pistol round or a small, usually-works rifle round?

For the purposes of staying on track, let's assume we have no control over where the hit would be with one stipulation - no headshots.

Thanks for your participation - I'm looking forward to the results.

 

[Yukonstorm]

Tell me you're kidding. Are you insane, asking what caliber round someone would prefer to be hit with.I think most, if not all would prefer not to take a round of any caliber. You sound demented at say the least.

 

[BBQJOE]

I refuse to even entertain this.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Have someone shoot you in the leg with each round and tell us how it turns out

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I don't know why people don't want to answer your question. For those who say they don't want to answer, just think of the question worded slightly differently:

Which do you think is more effective at 25 yards, 45 ACP or 223 Remington?

That's all the question is really asking, and there is no insanity involved.

 

[eltorrente]

I'd rather get shot by a .45.

You are saying what if the .223 doesn't work properly and ends up being a .22 round. Well you gotta figure that it's gonna work as intended, and I would assume it would and therefore would choose to be shot by the .45 instead.

When you say "..resulting in a .22 caliber puncture wound", that isn't the case. There is a huge amount of energy and there would be much more damage than just a .22 cal puncture wound.

 

[CajunBass]

You go first. I'll let you know later.

 

[Baron]

Look people, it's a poll, not voting on a presidential candidate. When it comes down to it, everybody's got plenty of caliber and stopping-power ideas, but thinking of it this way makes you actually consider what you think it superior.

Please don't get bent out of shape - I'd just like your opinion.

 

[eltorrente]

LOL people are funny. They can't even use a little imagination. It's just another way of saying which is more effective - lighten up folks. Buncha wet blankets in here.

 

[Baron]

Right, ElTorrente, it does have far more damage, but I believe it's referred to as a punctate wound, being specifically a wound in which the round travels straight through. It would certainly be worse than a .22LR through-and-through, but would it be worse than expanding .45 ACP?

 

[Vonderek]

Can I add a category? I'd rather be shot in the buttock by a BB...only if fired from a Daisy Red Ryder...by a buxom country girl named Daisy.

 

[sacp81170a]

OK, so someone offers me a million bucks to take a round and for some strange reason I consent to. I'm gonna wear a vest or it's a no go. I'd obviously rather take a hit from a .45 than a .223. There is no comparison. A rifle round is a rifle round and a pistol is a pistol. .223 goes through most vests, .45 is stopped by a level IIa.

 

[eltorrente]

Right, ElTorrente, it does have far more damage, but I believe it's referred to as a punctate wound, being specifically a wound in which the round travels straight through. It would certainly be worse than a .22LR through-and-through, but would it be worse than expanding .45 ACP?

Well if you want to limit the question to only defective .223's vs perfectly performing .45 JHP's, then maybe it would be closer. I really don't know, but I suspect that the energy imparted from the .223 would still damage/destroy more tissue than an expanded .45. This is just based on seeing gel tests, and no real data to back it up. Both would suck really bad though.

 

[10-Ring]

I would prefer my son's supersoaker

 

[Zeke Menuar]

Is this fired from a gun or is someone going to throw a round from across the room?

Sometimes the logic that emanates from the Internet is positively baffling.

ZM

 

[turtlehitman]

the 223 is going to transfer a lot more energy into your tissue than the 45 will. 45 is a bigger bullet but 223 does more damage.

 

[Baron]

I gotta agree - I would have to say .45, bad as it would be. I must confess I expected a few die-hard mall ninjas to claim the .223 would be no big deal compared to the venerable. Oh well. I guess the bottom line is how the heck would any of us know what either is like with few possible exceptions. There's only so far armchair commandoing will take us.

 

[RobTzu]

Its a valid question, I do not see the need to whine. If it seems dumb, don't bump the thread with posts....

I picked the 45, as someone else already said a pistol round is going to hurt less than a rifle round.

 

[Brian Williams]

223 out of a Keltec PLR or 24 varmint barrel JHP or FMJ
45 out of a carbine or a 3" 1911, 185 gr JHP flying ashtray or FMJ


Now we are getting 223 vs 45, next we are going to have 308 vs 9mm???

 

[alucard0822]

I picked the 45, as someone else already said a pistol round is going to hurt less than a rifle round.

well depending on where it hits you, I think a 45 in the arm probably would "hurt" more than a 5.56 that grenades your heart.

I took a slug from a 45 and all I got was this lousy T-shirt

 

[Creature]

Its a valid question, I do not see the need to whine. If it seems dumb, don't bump the thread with posts..

..

Valid how? It is a stupid question/poll and I am saying so.

 

[W.E.G.]

Dead either way.

I find both equally repugnant.

 

[Outlaws]

I think the XM193 would be more likely to go cleanly through the body at 25 yards than Speer Gold Dot which is designed to cause as much damage as possible.

Voting on this is dumb, but all the people that actually picked a Gold Dot .45 is even more mind boggling.

 

[Joe Meyer]

I picked none of the above.....

 

[MudPuppy]

I'd rather be missed by a 50BMG round than hit by a 22LR.

But, I'll play (if it didn't want to play, I'd stay out of the thread--or at least start a poll on whether on not this one was morbid/dumb/etc).

Out of the two options, I'd prefer the 45. There's a reason they say the pistol is for fighting your way to the rifle.