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.40 can hit harder than .45 and .357 Magnum

buschmasterbuschmaster Member Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭
edited June 2019 in General Discussion
when can you say one cartridge hits as hard as another?

we can judge the power of a cartridge with kinetic energy and power factor. which one determines how hard a bullet hits?

if it has the same kinetic energy it might smack the target the same, but not have the power factor (momentum) to follow through.

if it has the same power factor (momentum) it might push as hard, but not have the kinetic energy to punch it like the other did.

it seems you can't pick only one.

so it stands to reason that, if it has the same kinetic energy and power factor, then it hits as hard as the other.

if it has more of both, then it hits harder.

if it is equal to one, and has more of the other, that also hits harder.

well then....



.45ACP averages around 200 power factor and 360 ft-lb kinetic energy.

.357 Magnum has power factor in the upper 180's and kinetic energy in the low 600's.

when you look at the numbers for .40S&W and .357SIG

(BBTI data)
chart.png

in a G22 they almost equal .357 (not much difference) and surpass .45ACP.

a G35 surpasses both of those. it hits harder no matter which way you cut it.

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