So apparently you completely missed the point that not even a thermonuclear detonation launched from low orbit provides a guarantee of instaneous, one-shot success [/hyperbole]?
Is the .45apc an "effective" caliber? Depends on 1) what you mean by "effective" and 2) where/what it hits. And the same goes for everything else, including the thermonuclear warhead referenced above. It's just a matter of degree by how much you can miss the "sweet spot" and still stop the threat with one shot.
Why j4l introduced the issue of the .45 Long Colt, when the OP clearly indicated he was intertested in the .45acp, is beyond my ken unless he was intent on jumping right in and trying to get some commentary in on it- no matter how irrelevant to the topic.:uhoh:
To clarify for j4l why reference to the .50BMG and .22 calibers were made - a good hit with a .22 will beat a miss by a .45 (ap or LC) every day of the week. It's a way of discussing the relative importance of shot placement as opposed to mere caliber in use.
stay safe.
Never made any claims to that effect, at all. I merely pointed out that whatever he had read/been told was terribly mistaken.
That the .45 is undeniably
ONE OF the
TOP fighting handgun rounds. Im not claiming any miracles, or magic-bullets, or one-shot anythings.
Along with the .357 Mag, it ranks as one of the MOST EFFECTIVE of the choices available for a defensive side-arm.
That said, it -like the .357- does indeed have
a much higher record of 1-shot stops/kills vs. most of the other rounds /calibers out there.
Debating this is like debating whether the sun will rise tommorow, or simply fade away. It's been one of
the Gunfighter's Facts of Life since the time of the black-powder .45 Colt, and continues to be so to this day.
As for the shot placement myth. It has some truth. But it isnt the end-all/be-all of gunfighting. To assume everyone is going to miss with their .45- or any caliber at hand, is simply silly. You can plink away at a BG all day long, scoring multiple headshots each time with a lot of different, lesser rounds-without ever penetrating the skull, or inflicting anything fatal at all. You have a MUCH BETTER CHANCE of penetrating that skull with a larger, heavier round than with the lesser types, though.
Shot placement is all well and good, if the round fired makes it to something vital. If it only penetrates 3" and stops 6-8" before it reaches those vitals, shot placement didnt do jack squat for you, did it?
But, of course anyone engaged in shooting should make every effort possible to place their shots well- no matter what round they are using.
Try reading what is actually WRITTEN, rather than reading INTO what is actually written.