Friend sent me this from another site!

[bersaguy]

A friend of mine sent me this from the Bersa gun forum and I found it very informative and had some interesting stats. The man that made the survey spent a lot of time creating it and I think it seem pretty accurate. Makes a good read on a rainy day. I know there will be a few pesimists to this so after some folks have read it maybe we can have a non argumental discussion.

https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power

[Quavodus]

Thats a good read. I read some of Evan Marshall's info years ago. Its weird because you would think that some of the bigger calibers would be really devastating. They work better than small calibers but, not a sure thing at all.

[DaveTN]

Quote

No matter which caliber you use, you have to hit something important in order to stop someone!

That line from that story says it all.

You need a weapon and a round that is capable of making an armed gunman unable or unwilling to fire his weapon at you. That is something very different than studying shooting victims.

Our reasoning is based on our experiences.

The only person that has to be happy with what you are carrying; is you.

[bersaguy]

52 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

That line from that story says it all.

You need a weapon and a round that is capable of making an armed gunman unable or unwilling to fire his weapon at you. That is something very different than studying shooting victims.

Our reasoning is based on our experiences.

The only person that has to be happy with what you are carrying; is you.

That is true but how many folks here have not either been in combat or Law enforcement and had experience to decide their reasoning? 

[DaveTN]

38 minutes ago, bersaguy said:

That is true but how many folks here have not either been in combat or Law enforcement and had experience to decide their reasoning? 

Then they need to educate themselves with testing or listen to the observations/descriptions of those who have been in or observed those situations and determine if they sound credible. My observations are that too many people don’t do that.

Everything is application driven, and no one round is good for all applications. Sometimes you have to pick a lesser round due to recoil, concealability, or capacity.

The .45ACP, the 9MM, the .40S&W and my personal favorite the 158 grain .357Mag have all, at one time or another failed to stop an armed attacker and he has shot the victim to death. On the other hand .22’s have dropped people dead like a switch was turned off. I’m not armed in my house the same way as when I carry outside the house. Different applications.

Simply shooting different guns/calibers and training gives you a better idea than what you read. Especially if you shoot something besides paper.

Basic Physics is the other thing. Mass/Surface Area/velocity are the factors. That hasn’t changed in my lifetime or yours. Even though the youngsters on here try to claim it has. 

[1gewehr]

Caliber selection for a carry handgun is not a science.  You have to balance a number of important factors along with the effectiveness of a specific load.

Is the firearm one you can shoot effectively?  What will be the expected range of engagement? (Close contact? Arms length? 20 feet? Longer?)  Can you carry the firearm properly given your current clothing and weather?  

When it's hot and I'm only wearing shorts and a t-shirt going shopping, I don't try to conceal a large weapon.  Obviously, a tiny pocket pistol is better than nothing.  And I have trouble using a 2-shot .44mag derringer.  So I carry a smaller caliber.

But, when it's cold and I'm wearing heavy clothing in the woods, I have been known to carry a .44mag revolver.

Do what's best for you under the circumstances.  Perfection is not possible.  

[n0rlf]

Different scenarios mean different carry choice for me. Meeting at the office, pocket carry my little 9 or 380. Going into Nashville for a show or event, carry my 1911, an AR,  a shotgun.... Well you get the point. 

Carrying is like anything else, dress for the occasion. No one is ever going to convince some about which caliber is best. There are always folks on both sides willing to argue it though with charts and graphs. Well darn, I guess I been doing it all wrong these last few decades. 

Ignore the noise, find what works and do it. And keep the 380s.  They are fun after all. 

[Capbyrd]

On 11/2/2018 at 6:06 AM, 1gewehr said:

Caliber selection for a carry handgun is not a science.  You have to balance a number of important factors along with the effectiveness of a specific load.

Is the firearm one you can shoot effectively?  What will be the expected range of engagement? (Close contact? Arms length? 20 feet? Longer?)  Can you carry the firearm properly given your current clothing and weather?  

You say that it is not a science but then you literally make it into a science.  You just described science! 

[1gewehr]

There are too many non-measurable factors involved to call it 'science'.  If it was science, then subjective factors like comfort, fit, and how it feels would not enter into the equation.  There would be one-size-fits-all solutions.

As it is, I'm very happy that our thriving market makes a large number of firearm and caliber choices available!  Hmm, I may dig out the old Star PD .45 I carried for over 30 years.  Just because!

[1fast4by]

Thats a good read,  confirms what I have always thought. Any gun is better than no gun, and shot placement is more important than caliber. 

[Quavodus]

I remember at one time the Federal .357 Mag.  125 JHP was on top for 1 shot stops. 

[A.J. Holst]

Handgun bullets do weird stuff when they hit a human body and even a small framed person has a lot of meat on the bones.

If you don't get the one shot stop, meaning shorting out the electrical system, bigger hollow point bullets make bigger wound cavities, so the attacker MAY bleed out a little more quickly.

If you are concerned about concealment, your wardrobe and environment can dictate what gun you can carry.

3 hours ago, Quavodus said:

I remember at one time the Federal .357 Mag.  125 JHP was on top for 1 shot stops. 

Not sure myself, but pretty sure modern  .357 is optimized for a 6" barrels.

Not exactly concealable

I rarely shoot .357 in my 2" or 3", except when I want attention at the range.

[cybernorris]

Interesting information ... thanks for sharing. It balances well with this article: It's not a carry gun if you don't carry it.

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/9/27/it-s-not-a-carry-gun-if-you-don-t-carry-it/

[PAULSHOOT]

Another opinion - good find.

Probably we better off to get off more rounds cause many of the rounds miss anyway.  

Avoidance if possible be the best bet in the long run (no legal problems).