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Posted: 10/8/2007 7:56:49 AM EDT
What would you chose to put center of mass on your target. .45 ACP FMJ of your choice or 9mm HP of your choice?
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You may not feel undergunned, ....but you better be ready to put more than one round there.
Just ask our boys in Iraq......every one that has a chance goes for the .45 ACP. |
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Yeah, they can't use HP...big difference... ![]() |
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I'll take either in any kind of bullet any day over nothing. People are into splitting ballistic hairs too much. Somebody just shot himself through his leg with a 9mm HP and it didn't look like it opened up at all to me. I still could care less. Keep shooting until the threat is done. With whatever you got. Then if you are out of bullets, you have a knife or use your pistol as a club. I don't presume the bullet to be the determining factor.
That's just my thinking. ![]() |
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Not a scientific or empiracal statement. Independent testing has show that the quality hollow points create similiar wound effects between 9mm HP, 40 HP, and 45 HP. |
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You made a key distinction here- Which would you rather put center of mass on your target.
Either one will kill them just as dead if you hit COM. It's ALL about shot placement. Yes, in a test between .45ACP hollow point vs. a 9mm hollow point, the .45 will give you a little more tissue damage, but I'm not so sure on the .45 Ball ammo vs. 9mm HP. That would be a close one. It doesn't really matter if you hit them COM though. They are going down either way. I personally would take the 9mm because- 1. I shoot much more accurately with 9mm. This is all related to personal preference and what you have experience with. It is pretty safe to say though that 9mm at the very least has faster follow up shots. 2. I would have 14 extra rounds with the 9mm, as compared to the 6 that would be left in the .45ACP. (Yes, I know there are .45s out there with a greater mag capacity, but there are 9mm mags that hold more too.) |
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Why? ![]() |
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Depends if I put my 1911, G19 or Kahr PM9 on that AM. In other words both would work just fine.
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9mm HP for sure.
The .45 and 9mm, both in FMJ form, push flesh aside and the size of the wound track from one to the other is pretty much insignificant. But in HP, the jagged edges tear tissue. Additionally, a decent 9mm HP will expand from .6" or so. Would you rather create a .6" ragged hole or a .45" "smooth" hole that's going to shrink back down as soon as the bullet passes? Now when we look at .45 HP to 9mm HP, things change a bit. ETA: But still, as others have said, placement is key. The purpose of a bullet is to put a hole in something important. Do that, and you're set. Don't, and you won't get a stop. Dosen't matter how big it is. |
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+1 Best response right here. |
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This is not necessarily true. Some 9mm FMJ's may yaw. And some .45 FMJ may also too. You're statement excludes hitting bone and deflecting. Which would be a real possiblility in my opinion. But I believe even if there isn't bone it may yaw. Because the heavier end is on the rear and the larger mass wants to be first. I still hold to the fact that the ballistics in a handgun are not the number one component of stopping an aggressor. I think there have been enough shootings to prove that. I believe it is far down on the list. I may be disagreeing with experts with that attitude. But I stand to it by all the info I've gone over through the years. And I can say this with confidence that I disagree with your theory on what a bullet does. |
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Thank you. You are in the minority because most on this sight have flamed the you know what out of me for even suggesting a 9mm FMJ is OK for self defense. I realize it may not be the BEST in every situation. But there are some things it does that hollow points don't. Like penetrate further. Some may say too much. Oh well. I'm not saying it might not be. But I still stand by my belief. There's no proving that whatever HP a person choosed to carry will penetrate enough in 100% of situations either. But again, I'll take either caliber in any kind of bullet over nothing. |
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I have carried 9's, .40's, .45's and .357's with a number of different bullets (HP, FMJ, LSWC, Frangible, etc.) over the years and never felt under-gunned with any of them or got all wrapped up in what is the latest "ballistic wonder ultra fang baby seal killer round". Most modern autos hold enough bullets that to fret over 9 vs. .40 vs. .45 is a waste of time for the average street Joe, IMO. Like you basically said, all beat the hell out of a sharp stick! |
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Fail. CNS = guarantee kill COM = not so much. |
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No, but the orange looks a little low to be over the heart. Looks more like where the Upper GI and Chest cavity meet.
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I don't have any experience with that specific target, that was one of the first silhouettes I came across. I have some white and blue silhouettes that I have held against myself and the COM ring on those corresponds nicely with my heart. The bottom of those silhouettes isn't necessarily the waist. You need to go from the head down. My reason for posting that picture was to show the size I was talking about. I guess I shouldn't have speculated as to the relation of that targets center ring to the location of a persons heart without inspecting it first hand. The point I was trying to make was that a well placed COM shot (a shot to the heart or one of the many major arteries immediately surrounding the heart) will kill someone. |
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Hmmm . . . >.6 inch permanent cavity versus .45" permanent cavity (both "deep enough")--given those choices I'd take the 9mm. I'd rather have Winchester LE RA45T, though.
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I can carry any sidearm that I want and use any ammo that I want. I carry a 1911 chambered in 45ACP loaded with 200 gr Semi Wad cutters. I have seen what this load does to flesh and I am confident that I am well armed.
I will always, if necessary, choose a 45ACP over a 9mm. |
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You're 100% correct, I had not thought of that. And a COM stands a pretty good chance of hitting bone. The sternum may be hard enough to cause a bullet to veer at a dramatic angle. ![]()
Maybe, but pistol bullets are generally a lot more stable than rifle bullets. At least most "jello testing" seems to indicate that. ![]()
We're definitely on the same page there. ![]()
Hey, I agree 100%. ![]()
I guess you're referring to my "put a hole in something important" line. I don't see how anyone can disagree with that, but I may not have phrased it the best way either, I guess. |
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Well, as usual I'm being hypocritical. I said people split hairs too much, and I'm in the thick of it. But only to explain why I choose not to worry about the exact kind of pistol bullet to use. I was just disagreeing with your part about it zinging right through and closing back up. Although I'm sure that happens from time to time too. I just don't see it as an everytime kind of thing.
Did you see that post about the fireman guy shooting himself through his leg? I would've expected a larger exit wound with a hollow point. Especially at close range. But it didn't hit any bone. Either way, sounds like we agree despite the other posts. |
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Who is they? I've heard different. I'm sure not all the time but nevertheless. I don't think we can make broad statements like this without being partly wrong. |
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With that choice, I'll take the 45 (E)FMJ! ![]() |
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"They" is US military. With FEW exceptions US military uses FMJ.
(one exception is embassy guards, but of course they are not regular troops) |
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.45 FMJ versus 9mm HP
is the same arguement as Stock Mustang versus Super-tuned Civic ![]() |
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45 for sure. Lot of hollow points don't expand. Bigger bullet, more damage. I once had to tell a victim who had been shot 5 times with a 9mm to sit down, calm down, and wait for the ambulance. He lived. Most shots were pass throughs, 1 face, three in the back, (one had stopped at the shoulder blade) and one in the ass, stopped by the pelvis. One lung collapsed.
Don't get me wrong, the guy was f*cked up, but he could have fired a gun for a long time. Would a 45 have made a difference? Hard to say. People react differently to being shot. |
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