In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
A good read, .380 vs 9mm
Boomerang
Member Posts: 4,513
Read the entire article, very interesting and objective. http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aast9mmv380a.htm
Comments
Question for anyone with knowledge of ballistic test.
Why are these test done at 20 ft ?
When a lot of civilian self defense shoot outs appear to be done a close range from 0-7 Feet .
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=308011360
smaller than the colt
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=308160094
What I did find is if you use the best defence loads in 9mm, 357 Sig/Mag, 40 S&W/10mm, 45 ACP/Colt/GAP there is so little difference in their terminal ballistics (when applied to a human target) they are, for realistic intent, equal!!!
This article is right on target, BUT a 380 in the pocket is better than a 45 in the safe!!!![;)]
My personal preference, when considering the totally of the circumstances and all calibers, is the9mm for self defence/CCW![:)]
how does the 9x18 stack up?
About the same as a .380.
My little 9mm is as small as a .380
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=308011360
You pointed that out to me once before, and I am thankful you did.[:)]
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
He dissin' my favorite action for concealed carry?
9 x 18" - From what I've personally observed, it would be punchier than .380.
Aren't they loaded as hot as 9mm?
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
quote: You can choose among single-action, double-action, or so-called DAO mechanisms,
He dissin' my favorite action for concealed carry?
9 x 18" - From what I've personally observed, it would be punchier than .380.
Aren't they loaded as hot as 9mm?
Makarovs aren't even close to a 9mm. bout' like a .380
I practice a lot and when I practice with the 380 I shoot for the head. Most situations where I will need to pull my gun will be less than 10 feet. At 10 feet I can put 2 in your face in less than a second. I would prefer two to the heart with a 45, but a 45 XD is a little hard to conceal when I am wearing my speedo on the beach.[:0]
Back in the days before CCW I carried a Jennings 22 in my front pocket. Yes I know a Jennings is a POS but it went bang every time. That little 22 had all the black paint wore off it and many times I had to pull a barrel full of lint out of it. I actually had to pull that 22 on a guy one night. When he saw the gun all he wanted to do was get as far away from me as possible.
If I had my choice I would carry my 5" barreled 45 XD but that is a big pistol to conceal. As long as I am carrying something that is reliable, that is all that matters to me.
Thanks for the article.
Question for anyone with knowledge of ballistic test.
Why are these test done at 20 ft ?
When a lot of civilian self defense shoot outs appear to be done a close range from 0-7 Feet .
7 yards is generally considered to be the outer threshold for self defense. beyond that distance, it becomes increasingly hard to make the claim that your life was in imminent danger. there are exceptions of course. one can be in very imminent danger from a mile or better if theres a sniper who knows his business, but in general imminent danger means its happening right in front of you. an able bodied person intent on doing you harm can cover that distance in a very short period of time. as that distance approaches zero, you have less and less time to employ any other means of survival.
this changes somewhat in states that have stand your ground laws, deadly force for simple trespass etc, but its presented as a general theory, not an absolute doctrine.
I carry a 9, by the way.
I carry my .380 Walther for personal defense. That will be at less than 50 feet.
That's fine, but energy out the front end is directly related to energy on the back end, get what you can handle. For small folks with small hands the .380 they can control is much better than the 9mm they can't, and article is addressing small auto loaders, not full sized bricks.
Seems to me a bullet hole in important parts causes "issues" for the target. The bigger the hole the better; however, any hole is better than no hole at all.
This statement is exactly why the myth about the 'bigger is better' continues. There is .097 inches difference between the 45 and the 9mm. It has been show that this 'less than 1/10 of an inch' is insignificant when it comes to wound ballistics.
Like I said above, the difference between the 'wounds' caused by the 'best' defense ammo (expanding bullets) in the most used hand gun calibers is less then 5%, realistically no difference.
Also, I have been to many autopsies and talked to many who preform the autopsies and they all say if they see a complete penetration (pass through) by a non expanding hand gun bullet they can not tell any difference between the wound channel of a 32 or a 45!
No emotion, just fact![;)]
If your reference to 'bigger hole' refers to the 'permanent wound cavity' caused by expanding bullets you are correct, but again when the difference is less than 5% realistically they are ALL equal![;)]