by Cori Tyler
Which round is the best overall for defense? It’s one of those ageless debates. I’ve already written a little about this, but
it bears a little more coverage. This discussion
has brought forth some great one liners:
Q: Why do you carry a
.45?
A: Because they don’t
make a .46!
10mm, because let’s face it, if you don’t carry it, it’s
because it hurts your girly wrists.
.40, like 9mm, only for men.
9mm, because anything that needs shooting needs shooting 15
times.
You get the idea.
What is the real difference between all of these?
Let’s look at the numbers.
Bullet diameters are .45 = .452, 10mm = .40, 9mm and .380 = .355, .38
and .357 = .358. Let’s think about that
for a minute. The smallest common
diameter bullets differ from the largest common diameter by .097 inches. 97/1000 of an inch. Not a lot of difference. Especially in proportion to the surface area
of a person’s body – the target.
Bullet weights for common calibers range from around 115
grains to 230 grains. Now, a grain is
equal in weight to about 1/7000 of a pound.
So, we’re talking about a range between 2/125 and 4/125 of a pound. Compared to the relative size of a 200 pound
target, there still isn’t a lot of difference.
Is velocity the major difference? Most loads in the range we’re discussing here
fall between 850 and 1500 feet per second (fps). That’s a lot of range. This might be the difference, right?
So, how about the oomph we’re hitting a target with, muzzle
energy? Let’s look at some of the usual muzzle
energy figures for common rounds:
.45 ACP 230gr
Gold Dot 404
ft-lb
10mm Auto 155gr
Tac-XP 774
ft-lb
.40 S&W 180gr
Golden Sabre 412
ft-lb
9mm Parabellum 124gr
+P Gold Dot 410
ft-lb
.357 Magnum 125gr
HP XTP 624
ft-lb
.38 Special 110gr
+P JHP 269
ft-lb
As a frame of reference, most automobile manufacturers
recommend tightening lug nuts on the wheels to 80 ft-lb. So, the .38 Special hits with roughly 3 ¼ the
force we tighten our wheels to. Next,
the 9mm, .40, and .45 are at just over five times that force. .357 comes in just under eight times as much
and 10mm at just under 10 times. We’re
talking a spread of 505 ft-lb.
Contrary to Hollywood portrayals, people shot with handguns
aren’t picked up and thrown across the room.
Officers have taken .357s in the vest and continued standing and
fighting. So, how much better or worse
are the other rounds above going to fare?
Here’s the point I’m working toward: caliber selection, or even ammunition
selection, may not be the most important factor for us to consider deciding on
our defensive tools. It’s really a
pretty small difference in all measurable areas. Let’s face the fact many people more knowledgeable
than me have pointed out. Handguns are
under-powered. You’re better armed with
a rifle or shotgun. Those don’t tuck
inside the waistband so well, though.
So, we’re not going to stun them with power anyway (says the
guy who loves his 10mm). We’d damn well
better pick a handgun and ammo combination that A) we can afford, 2) are comfortable for us to carry and shoot,
and III) shoot well. A friend of mine used to say he’d rather be
missed by a .44 than hit by a .22. That
illustrates it pretty well. None of
those numbers above mean a single thing if they’re misses while defending
yourself.
So, along with the three factors in the last paragraph,
possibly the most important thing to consider is . . .
. . . wait for it . . .
. . . shot placement!
How you train, practice, and perform might just be the most
important factors in surviving a defensive shooting situation. If you can put your rounds on target,
reliably, in the necessary amount of time, you’ll have a good chance of
survival.
So, find the handgun you like, the ammo you like, and train
as much and as constructively as you can.
If you can get outside training from quality instructors, seize that
opportunity. If you can’t, take
exercises you’ve learned in the past and repeat them. Start slow.
Safety first. You’ll be amazed
how fast you’ll see an improvement.
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