Good question.montgomery wrote:If shot placement was the over-riding factor as you suggest, then why not carry 22LR? You get the bonus of maximum capacity too.MaduroBU wrote:Poor hits with a pistol caliber won't incapacitate someone. Terminal performance is almost exclusively a function of shot placement once a very low threshold of energy and momentum are reached. I carry a P232 .380 ACP +P with 90 grain XTPs because they are sufficient if I do my part. A weak .380 load from a 2.5" barrel is not sufficient.flechero wrote:Rob Leatham said something to the effect of- while 9mm may be adequate, it was not equivalent, so don't kid yourselves.
He didn't harbor any ill will towards those that carry 9mm, just as none the people in this thread that prefer 45acp have. Most of us have said we carry 9mm at times but choose 45 when attire and activity allow...
I'm good for another few months now. Any other horses we can swing a bat at???
The penetration may be insufficient for calibers smaller than a .380 +P from a 3.5" barrel. Standard pressure 90 grain .380 ACP from a 2.5" barrel may fail to incapacitate with a head hit due to insufficient penetration. A 90 grain JHP at 1150 FPS is my floor, and that's what I carry.
I want to point out that my experience in treating gunshot wounds isn't a formal study and isn't exhaustive. I don't see the people who die in the field or only go to the ICU and die there. My experience is therefore chiefly with injuries which would have failed to stop a sufficiently motivated attacker. Because I don't collect data and could not legally share that data even if I did, I can only offer insights based upon experience. That's a long way from scientific inquiry, so it doesn't hurt my feelings when people choose to utilize other opinions.