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9mm vs 45ACP: The Ultimate Caliber Conundrum

People keep saying 9 is just as effective, but the exit shows a different story!
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As said before, with the ammo offered, 9mm has some pretty solid bullets that perform very well. Capacity is something I talk about when asked and recoil another. I love the .45acp. It, as well has some great offerings in bullet design and development, but recoil is different than the 9mm as well as capacity.
 
Rupert1911 said:
People keep saying 9 is just as effective, but the exit shows a different story! View attachment 7097
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Looks great on paper!

Bullet type and ballistic medium will tell a different story.

This example I have below doesn't so much compare 9mm vs .45 as it makes a comparison based on bullet weight and velocity which is some of the biggest differences between these two calibers.

I did a comparison of 3 types of .22lr rounds I posted recently and you could see a major difference in the 3 types of the same caliber with the only difference being a slightly different grain bullet each and a much higher velocity between the 3 types. The bullet with the lightest grain which was only 30gr had a velocity approaching 1800fps and this bullet completely liquefied the core or a cantaloupe with a small exit hole while the slower moving heavier 36gr round went mostly clean through another melon and it had a much larger exit hole.

.45acp is definitely no joke and is one of the most tried and tried rounds out there but no pistol round is perfect for everything.
 
Curious how whenever gun writers and guntubers do reviews or comparisons between calibers they ALWAYS somehow "conveniently" omit 10MM. Maybe because it blows them all way, eh?? That's my thought. 10MM is "THE ONE CALIBER" kinda like the "One Ring" of Tolkien lore.

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Minuteman1969 said:
Curious how whenever gun writers and guntubers do reviews or comparisons between calibers they ALWAYS somehow "conveniently" omit 10MM. Maybe because it blows them all way, eh?? That's my thought. 10MM is "THE ONE CALIBER" kinda like the "One Ring" of Tolkien lore.

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Well yeah, if that was an option, no doubt. We wouldn’t be having this discussion. 10mm trumps all...
 
Compared to long-guns, pistols are pretty awful. But, you can't easily conceal a rifle or shotgun, so you are left with a pistol. Comparing muzzle energy of pistol rounds is pointless, as it doesn't correlate to effectiveness or the mythical pistol "knockdown power." If you are a believer of "knockdown power," then that can only really be a discussion with rifle rounds. With pistol rounds, the 300 vs. 400 vs. 500 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy is a moot point when looking at a .308 which can have a muzzle energy of 3,000 ft.-lbs. Another argument is the hydrostatic shock that occurs with larger pistol rounds...this is also another moot point because, by the laws of physics, you need a round traveling at least 2,200-2,500 fps for hydrostatic shock to occur...aka...rifle rounds. Only a few pistol rounds can reach that fps (e.g. 460 S&W Magnum, 500 S&W Magnum, possibly a .22 Magnum (out of a rifle) or 5.7x28 mm, etc.) I wouldn't call these typical CC rounds, so I would leave them out of the argument. If you're still unsure, don't take it from me, take it from the head of ballistics testing at Federal in the video below. Ultimately, use the caliber/pistol that you are most comfortable with, accurate with, trusting with...and practice, practice, practice. No caliber can beat those mentioned items.

 
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LicensedToPill said:
Compared to long-guns, pistols are pretty awful. But, you can't easily conceal a rifle or shotgun, so you are left with a pistol. Comparing muzzle energy of pistol rounds is pointless, as it doesn't correlate to effectiveness or the mythical pistol "knockdown power." If you are a believer of "knockdown power," then that can only really be a discussion with rifle rounds. With pistol rounds, the 300 vs. 400 vs. 500 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy is a moot point when looking at a .308 which can have a muzzle energy of 3,000 ft.-lbs. Another argument is the hydrostatic shock that occurs with larger pistol rounds...this is also another moot point because, by the laws of physics, you need a round traveling at least 2,200-2,500 fps for hydrostatic shock to occur...aka...rifle rounds. Only a few pistol rounds can reach that fps (e.g. 460 S&W Magnum, 500 S&W Magnum, possibly a .22 Magnum (out of a rifle) or 5.7x28 mm, etc.) I wouldn't call these typical CC rounds, so I would leave them out of the argument. If you're still unsure, don't take it from me, take it from the head of ballistics testing at Federal in the video below. Ultimately, use the caliber/pistol that you are most comfortable with, accurate with, trusting with...and practice, practice, practice. No caliber can beat those mentioned items.

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Rifles and pistols are comparing apples to oranges and even one trying to conceal carry a .460 or .500, ect. Valid points but even if one did carry a .460 or .480 getting back on target compared to a 9mm is no comparison at all.
 
.22
9mm
.45
If you cant hit a target, it wont matter the caliber. A miss is a miss.
.22 placed properly quick will dispatch as well as any other round.
Shot placement counts
.45 helps if you miss by a smidge
Coroner doesnt care if its a .22 or .45
If you cannot use your firearm properly, doesn't matter the caliber
 
BangBang said:
Rifles and pistols are comparing apples to oranges and even one trying to conceal carry a .460 or .500, ect. Valid points but even if one did carry a .460 or .480 getting back on target compared to a 9mm is no comparison at all.
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Yea, that was my point as saying these aren't typical CC calibers so I leave them out of the discussion/argument. Because someone will argue that these are pistol rounds and are powerful and can have hydrostatic shock, which I wouldn't disagree with, but no one is CCing a 500. Typically 380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45 ACP for CC discussion (and sometimes .22 LR). But, my overall point was that arguing handgun calibers is pointless and you should shoot whatever caliber you shoot best (and that everything people argue regarding pistols is really only valid when discussing rifle rounds, hence my exaggerated comparisons between handgun and rifle rounds...i.e. you're splitting hairs arguing <100 ft-lbs. of muzzle energy difference between a 9mm and .45 ACP when rifle rounds are 10x more "powerful"...especially since muzzle energy of pistols have never been correlated to effectiveness in a SD situation).
 
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Minuteman1969 said:
Curious how whenever gun writers and guntubers do reviews or comparisons between calibers they ALWAYS somehow "conveniently" omit 10MM. Maybe because it blows them all way, eh?? That's my thought. 10MM is "THE ONE CALIBER" kinda like the "One Ring" of Tolkien lore.

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”One Caliber to rule them all, One Caliber to find them, One Caliber to bring them all, And in the darkness bind them” 10mm, gotta love it 😍
 
Both cartridges will kill for those of us who served in combat in the Infantry knows both the .45 & 9 mm Kills. and the ammo was military ball FMJ ball ammo. For me, I prefer the higher capacity & velocity & deeper penetration of the 9mm for its ability to penetrate barricades like doors, Car Door, truck fenders, wooden structures, sheet metal, and several others objects the enemy shooting at you. For the sniper clearing his emplacement, the pistol is often put to use where he can't swing his rifle into action in tight close quarters.
 
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