Excaliber wrote:Bullet placement is always more important than caliber.
Liberty wrote:There are no magic bullets. . . .
The winner of any gunfight is likely to be the one who is most practiced, not the one with the biggest bullet.
There is no defensive handgun cartridge that can guarantee instant incapacitation of the bad guy. Larger calibers have a higher percentage of one-shot stops.
But 9mm has less recoil. That means you can get back on target quicker. You can hit the bad guy multiple times in less time than you could with a .40 or .45. Is a hit with a .45 better than two hits with a 9mm? I don't know.
Good shot placement is the most important factor in stopping power. And since 9mm is much cheaper to practice with, and less punishing to shoot a lot of, you can become a competent shooter quicker as well.