mobiushky
Regular Member
So I just found this article and I thought it was really fascinating.
http://www.usconcealedcarry.net/2012/07/17/choosing-best-caliber-concealed-carry/
I make no bones about the fact that I carry 9mm and am 100% comfortable in it's ability to protect me. I don't care what anyone else says about that.
What I find really interesting about this article is a few highlights. First, based on actual real world data, the .45ACP is not the panacea some people think. It's not a bad round. It's just not what people make it out to be. Second, among the most common defensive calibers, the stats show very little difference in terms of ability to protect you. Third, the psychological aspect of just having a gun is more effective than what caliber you have. Fourth, shot placement is king.
If you don't feel like clicking on the link to read it, here are some bullet points. The data collected was nearly 2000 shootings over 10 years. The values he keys in on are % stopped after 1 shot, avg Number of shots to stop, and % that didn't stop at all.
Most commonly used defense calibers are .380ACP, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. Among those 4, the numbers are like this:
.380ACP
9mm
.40S&W
.45ACP
It's not uncommon for an attacker to stop after on shot simply due to the survival instinct. You don't want to get shot again. He also says that in head shots 75% were incapacitated, 41% in torso, and only 14% in extremity. Shot placement.
and finally "Despite all the bluster you see on the internet about not carrying a defensive pistol unless the caliber “starts with a 4,” the .40 and .45 do not perform significantly better than the 9mm in real life gunfights."
Bottom line to me is, carry what you want. Doesn't really give an advantage or disadvantage to carry 9mm vs .45 vs .40. They are effectively all the same in the real world.
http://www.usconcealedcarry.net/2012/07/17/choosing-best-caliber-concealed-carry/
I make no bones about the fact that I carry 9mm and am 100% comfortable in it's ability to protect me. I don't care what anyone else says about that.
What I find really interesting about this article is a few highlights. First, based on actual real world data, the .45ACP is not the panacea some people think. It's not a bad round. It's just not what people make it out to be. Second, among the most common defensive calibers, the stats show very little difference in terms of ability to protect you. Third, the psychological aspect of just having a gun is more effective than what caliber you have. Fourth, shot placement is king.
If you don't feel like clicking on the link to read it, here are some bullet points. The data collected was nearly 2000 shootings over 10 years. The values he keys in on are % stopped after 1 shot, avg Number of shots to stop, and % that didn't stop at all.
Most commonly used defense calibers are .380ACP, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. Among those 4, the numbers are like this:
.380ACP
- 62% stopped on 1 shot
- 1.76 shots to stop
- 16% did not stop
9mm
- 47% stopped on 1 shot
- 2.45 shots to stop
- 13% did not stop
.40S&W
- 52% stopped on 1 shot
- 2.36 shots to stop
- 13% did not stop
.45ACP
- 51% stopped on 1 shot
- 2.08 shots to stop
- 14% did not stop
It's not uncommon for an attacker to stop after on shot simply due to the survival instinct. You don't want to get shot again. He also says that in head shots 75% were incapacitated, 41% in torso, and only 14% in extremity. Shot placement.
and finally "Despite all the bluster you see on the internet about not carrying a defensive pistol unless the caliber “starts with a 4,” the .40 and .45 do not perform significantly better than the 9mm in real life gunfights."
Bottom line to me is, carry what you want. Doesn't really give an advantage or disadvantage to carry 9mm vs .45 vs .40. They are effectively all the same in the real world.
