What Is the Best Caliber for Self-Defense?
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
HansGruber
Ronin
I don’t disagree with you at all…in fact, I’d point out that a lot of those arguments can be made over smaller departments and their SWAT teams, as well.
Or about street cops getting militarized mindset tactics and training.
RosalynREley
Alpha
Self-defense ammunition typically has a hollow point or soft point bullet. These bullets are designed to expand upon impact, causing more damage to the target and stopping the threat more effectively. This expansion reduces the risk of over-penetration, which is when the bullet travels through the target and goes into objects or people behind it.
babaylan
Alpha
Was this article written by "AI"? It's full of half-truths, at best.
For one thing, the concerns of the FBI are not necessarily the same concerns that a civilian would have in the realm of personal protection on the street on in the home. The often-repeated "12 to 18 inches" figure is actually about penetration in calibrated ballistic gelatin, and has little to do with real world performance. It's just that the FBI believes that a bullet that can penetrate to these depths is *likely*, but not guaranteed to perform well in the real world.
What we can say is that a preponderance of evidence would tend to suggest that even with modern personal defense specific loads, .380 ACP, with about 200 ft-lbs muzzle energy is a bit on the weak side to be a reliable man stopper. The 9x19 mm will give about 300 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, and is considered to be effective enough, but the .40 S&W and .45 ACP will reach 400 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, and are more reliable. A .357 Magnum, by the way, will easily top 600 ft-lbs, which is why it exhibits the greatest performance in pure stopping power.
However, neither penetration nor stopping power alone are the only factors we need to consider. There is also muzzle blast, flash, and report, particularly indoors in the dark. There is recoil to consider. There is cost to consider. There is availability to consider. There is suppressability to be considered. There is capacity. There is compatibility.
It is my personal opinion that probably the best compromise of all of these factors is probably .40 S&W, because it offers enough power to reliably stop when using personal defense specific subsonic loads and still offers better capacity than .45 ACP. But maybe that compromise isn't the best choice for each individual.
Typical personal defense specific subsonic loads for the most popular calibres are:
95 grain .380 ACP
147 grain 9x19 mm
180 grain .40 S&W
230 grain .45 ACP
Velocities being relatively equal, the larger, heavier bullet is the one that carries and transfers the most energy and momentum to the target, and has the least tendency to overpenetrate or pass through walls. Again, the concerns of the FBI, the military, and police forces are not necessarily the same thing as the concerns of the civilian.
Yes, you can get higher velocity rounds, and a 9x19 mm +P supersonic loadwill generally equal a .40 S&W or .45 ACP subsonic load in energy, but at the cost of greater muzzle blast and greater risk of overpenetration or unintended injury to innocents if you miss, greater recoil, and lessened ability to suppress. For the civilian, the larger, slower, heavier bullet has advantages.
So, .45 ACP is definitely the winner in these terms, but when you factor in that you generally lose a couple of rounds of capacity compared to .40 S&W and that .45 ACP ammo tends to be slightly more expensive, .40 S&W starts looking very attractive.
But, compatibility with other weapons and other people is often a desireable feature, and in terms of popularity, the order is 9x19 mm, .45 ACP, and .40 S&W comes in last. So, there are some very good reasons to choose 9x19 mm, as well.
I think the real and obvious answer to the question of "What calibre is best for civilian personal defense?" is, "The biggest one of the above four you—and every other authorized user of your weapon—can reliably shoot and actually hit the target with at least twice, unless there is some compelling reason for you to choose something else."
30 Super Carry! Well, maybe. Been thinking about this one. Smith Shield is only $250 after rebate and I reload, so after an initial 100 rounds, I can work up some loads. I like the idea of having 13/16 rounds without a reload in a compact package. Besides it is different. Haven’t bought one yet, still mulling it over.
Sigh. I wasn't going to pitch my two cents in here but, here goes. Many a member here and on many other forums I and you are on have these same debates/discussions. Best is - what you can comfortably use, train with and are accurate with depending on your laws, clothes and several other factors. I do use several different ones depending on those criteria. Maybe I'm odd but my .45acp has very close ammo count to a .40 and not much off a 9mm. It's double stack. Plus in all of my carrys I use +P or magnum loads. I can shoot as fast or accurate with the big stuff and the regular stuff. In IPSC I used top end .357 mags for the revolver runs. And won btw. Some like and swear by 357 sig or super or .45acp or something else. Great - you do you and forget about the rest demanding you agree with them. Some folks have health issues or injuries and have less size/weight choices. no worries at all - pick what you can safely reliably use.. I'll stop typing now.
Jfal
Professional
I'd take a .22-short over a stick any day.
Jfal
Professional
Pfft.
SimonRL
Hellcat
UTexas. Kent State was when the Guard opend fire on unarmed protestors
Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “What Is the Best Caliber for Self-Defense?” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/most-practical-caliber-for-self-defense/.
The FBI and other agencies also needed to address more recruits of smaller stature, as 9mm requires a bit less training time than .45 auto for people with less muscle density. Probably the biggest factor today is ammunition cost. The bean counters could care less if it takes 3 hits of 9mm on average vs. 2 hits with .45 auto. An agency the size of the FBI can save tens of thousands annually by using 9mm. Seeing the enormous number of law enforcement personnel who panic and mag dump, it's easy to see why capacity is also a major factor.Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “What Is the Best Caliber for Self-Defense?” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/most-practical-caliber-for-self-defense/.