Stopping power of .45 vs. .40

[cowssurf]

Okay, recently I've been following the newest incarnation of the 9 vs. .45 debate. And of course the 9 vs. .40 is a popular argument. A lot of people say it's just beating a dead horse. Personally, I like beating dead horses.

But here is a horse that's not been beaten enough. Which is a better manstopper, the .45 acp or the .40 s&w?

 

[DougDubya]

 

[TnShooter83]

Ask the horse, maybe he can tell you?

Truthfully they both work just as good as the other.
Pick one and hit the target, I'm sure you won't have many that will volunteer for another shot.

 

[Marshall]

"Pick one and hit the target, I'm sure you won't have many that will volunteer for another shot."]Pick one and hit the target, I'm sure you won't have many that will volunteer for another shot.

+1

 

[loop]

If you shoot yourself in the foot the .45 will make a slightly bigger hole.

If you are shooting at an aggressor only a CNS hit will be a stopper. If you can make a CNS hit on a BG you won't care what caliber the ejected case has stamped into the rim.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Which is a better manstopper, the .45 acp or the .40 s&w?
__________________

That one....Why? More data accumulated over many decades...

 

[Rinspeed]

They are both handgun rounds and will work about half the time if you're lucky.

 

[R.W.Dale]

The real answer is with handguns Stopping power is a complete myth NOW Go to jail, Go directly to jail, do not pass go do not collect $200



Some people need to watch more mythbusters

 

[Harley Quinn]

The answer is somewhere the biggest arguement is usually in the weapon delivering the projectile.

 

[DougDubya]

Outside of a very few .40's, the .45 ACP is generally more accurate. Thus, when trying to hit the vitals, the .45 is more likely to hit that truly important thing keeping el bad guy standing than the .40.

However, in terms of rumbling channels through dessert mix, both churn it up a might nasty bit.

 

[TMann]

 

[Stinger]

It aint the 'injin, it's the arrow. And stop the beating.

 

[Lonestar49]

Picture show

...

45cal vs 40cal




~ End ~





Ls

 

[DougDubya]

Oh the horsemanity! Two beaten horsies in one thread!

Cute Shepherd and kitteh tho.

 

[DougDubya]

Outside of a horse, it really doesn't matter which caliber you use.

Inside of a horse, it's too dark and there really isn't any room to shoot.

- all apologies to Groucho Marx.

 

[Silvanus]

This should explain the whole caliber issue to you

 

[MCgunner]

Don't EVERY ask about "stopping power" on a gun board. You now see why!

Personally, though, I don't care if its 9, .40, 45, it's the shooter and the platform he shoots best that's most important. .40 (or 9) tends to come in smaller platforms with slightly more firepower than .45 does, but there are always a few exceptions.

Just all in what ya wanna beat that dead horse with.

 

[outerlimit]

^ hahahahaha

I change my mind a lot on things. I used to think there was not much difference between 9mm and .45. I've since changed my mind. My current belief is that a heavy +p .45 acp is the best choice for self defense in an auto pistol. It seems like it tends not to get stopped as easily by bone and heavy clothing. I'm not a fan of 165-185gr. loads. Prefer 200gr. or heavier.

 

[gunnie]

any of the vast collection of corpses these two calibers have produced could prob NOT know the difference if whacked by the other, in the same bullet path.

just a personal choice issue, at best.

gunnie

 

[Carl_Winslow]

I heard this from an instructor:
"Handguns do not have stopping power, so just shoot until they fall out of your front sight..."
Bullet placement > Higher caliber
that said I shoot .45 because I feel it is an easier round to shoot.

 

[ChrisMG]

Silvanus, that is hilarious!

 

[The-Fly]

Given the same style of bullet in both calibers (for sake of argument, say gold dots), at the heaviest weight for that caliber (180gr and 230gr), the 45 will give you a TINY extra bit of performance. The difference it will make in a real world shooting is likely to be non measurable.

 

[heritageguy]

I'll answer your question if you answer these:

Which gun should I buy?

Which caliber hits harder?

What's more powerful, a revolver or automatic?

What's the most powerful/lowest recoil gun?

:banghead:

 

[-v-]

Another question, I saw in the store two cartons of eggs, one says 6 the other says half a dozen, which one has more eggs? Basically, thats my view of the 9mm vs 40 vs 45 debate.

 

[Macpherson]

This topic reminds me of an exchange from the movie 3:10 to Yuma.

Charlie: The outlaws robbed the stagecoach!
Sheriff: Why didn't you do anything?
Charlie: Because they had guns mister, and they was shootin bullets!

Nuff said, if you gun shoots bullets, shoot until the threat is ended or you run out of ammo. More shots=more probability of a stop, thus pick the caliber that gives you more shots.