9mm VS .45

[Rodney Ledbetter]

I have a test for anyone who says that there is only a small difference between 9mm and .45 ACP.

1. Aquire a soft armor vest. (i.e. bullet proof vest)

2. Have 9mm and .45 caliber pistol

3. Acquire 10 rounds of self defence ammunition in both calibers, same brand for both.

4. Put on soft armor vest.

5. Load 9mm pistol with 10 rounds.

6. Shoot yourself in the chest (with body armor on) 10 times.

7. Take notes on how it felt and take pictures of your bare chest every day for the next 20 days. Do 20 pushups on 7th day. Note how it feels.

8. On the 21st day put on your soft armor vest again.

9. Load .45 with 10 rounds.

10. Shoot yourself in the chest (with body armor on) 10 times.

11. Take notes on how it felt and take pictures of your bare chest every day for the next 20 days. Do 20 pushups on 7th day. Note how it feels.

12. Now tell me there is only a small difference between 9mm and .45. Your chest will disagree with you.

This not a joke. It is reality. As a lifelong hunter, I know that differences in calibers do matter. It's the difference between a one shot kill and a one shot hit

that results in chasing a wounded animal for miles. Get real people.

[GJM]

I don't know anything about shooting sort armor vests, but I have shot all sorts of animals from birds and rabbits on one end of the spectrum, to elk, moose, grizzly bears, cape buffalo, elephant, lion and leopard on the other end, and it is my experience that bullet placement trumps caliber every time.

[Rodney Ledbetter]

So if i shot you in the chest from 500 yards with a .22 long rifle it would be more deadly than shooting you in stomach from 1000 yards with a .50 BMG?

[jmjames]

The goal of shooting things isn't to make them bruised, sore, and achey for a few days, it is to incapacitate or kill them, plain and simple.

If the point is to prove which load penetrates armor better, your test is flawed. If you survive the test intact to the point where you are doing pushups later that day, the bullet failed to do its job. Plain and simple.

If the point is to prove which load inflicts more pain, I'd say that your measure of what makes a load effective is flawed as well. Shooting data shows that .45 incapacitates/kills people only marginally better than 9mm.

Furthermore, your test has a critical mistake, is that apples to apples, you'd want to use 8 - 10 rounds of .45 (I'd argue for 8, a common 1911 loading) and 12 - 15 rounds of 9mm (a common capacity for 9mm pistols). After all, if my first 10 shots didn't kill or incapacitate whatever I am shooting at, I am going to continue firing until it drops. Therefore, even is 9mm is only 75% as painful as .45, a 15 round mag inflicts 50% more pain than an 8 round mag, roughly.

J.Ja

[jstyer]

I'd say the .22 vs 50 bmg analogy is pretty flawed... That's essentially the equivalent of a 45 acp vs a pellet gun.

To make your analogy a little closer to the 9 vs 45 argument, how about 308 vs 300 win mag? I think chest shot with 308 at 500 yds trumps 300 win mag at a 1000 in the belly.

[Rodney Ledbetter]

and it is my experience that bullet placement trumps caliber every time.

[Odin Bravo One]

This not a joke. It is reality. As a lifelong hunter, I know that differences in calibers do matter. It's the difference between a one shot kill and a one shot hit

that results in chasing a wounded animal for miles. Get real people.

I too am a lifelong hunter. And I have hunted with both .45 and 9mm.

Both did the job the job they were expected to do.

And I never had to chase a wounded animal for miles. Come to think of it.........I don't recall every chasing a wounded animal. Seems that if you hammer their vital organs repeatedly, there is not much of an issue with them running off.

[EVP]

Sounds like a idiotic test.

It also sounds like someone is trying to stir up a hornets nest. If you prefer 45acp, cool knock yourself out.

Nothing compares to the almighty death ray of a 10mm. It causes so much hydrostatic shock that the ground trembles with the reverberations of the energy that it releases. It will register on the richter scale and trigger climate change because it upsets Earths balance ever so slightly.

[Rodney Ledbetter]

The goal of shooting things isn't to make them bruised, sore, and achey for a few days, it is to incapacitate or kill them, plain and simple.
. After all, if my first 10 shots didn't kill or incapacitate whatever I am shooting at, I am going to continue firing until it drops. Therefore, even is 9mm is only 75% as painful as .45, a 15 round mag inflicts 50% more pain than an 8 round mag, roughly.

J.Ja

What if the charging 1000 pound bear mauls you before your 5th shot?

I'm not a east coast city person. I carry a gun for more reasons than self defense from people......

[Rodney Ledbetter]

[QUOTE=Kevin P;49816]Sounds like a idiotic test.

Ya it is. Just as idiotic as telling me there is no difference between 9mm and .45. That is the point of the post.