Originally Posted by MontanaMan
I can't say that I fully agree with all the conclusions & I still prefer to carry a 45 caliber pistol, but I can say that I do carry a 9mm almost as much these days & I never feel like I'm either undergunned or nor at a disadvantage in carrying the 9mm loaded with 124 gr. Federal HST's.

The 2 undeniable conclusions that I can't argue with is that the 9mm is cheaper to shoot & that most people shoot it better than a bigger caliber handgun.

MM



a very astute assessment.


a while back, i tested a Federal 124 gr HST in 9 mm, and a Federal 230 gr HST in .45 acp. both pills penetrated into the 3rd milk jug, with the .45 acp pill expanding to .84 rounded off, and the 9 mm pill expanding to .69 rounded off--very impressive performance in both rounds/pills.



by contrast, recently i again fired a Federal 230 gr HST in .45 acp using a shorter barreled rig. the pill penetrated 3 jugs, becoming trapped or caught on the backside of the third jug--the sharp tips of the pill catching on the plastic--full 3 jug's penetration.

at the same time--for contrast, knowing this pill would not expand to the wider diameter of a fired Federal HST 9 mm--i used an old standby, the Remington 115 grain hp fired from a shorter barreled 9 mm rig, figuring there would be considerably more penetration. i've used these Remington pills for decades, and they perform fairly well given the cost (today one can buy a 100 box from Wal Mart at a good value). the Rem 115 gr hp fired from the shorter barreled 9 mm rig penetrated 3 jugs, hitting the back wall of the 3rd jug, tearing a partial hole, and bouncing back into the inside of this 3rd jug.

essentially--equal penetration in both cartridges--3 entire jugs. however, the Federal HST 230 gr .45 acp pill expanded to .86 rounded off, while the Remington 115 gr hp 9 mm pill expanded to .57 rounded off.

one would guess/expect that the "narrower pill" would penetrate a greater distance than the "wider .45 pill", but it did not. in a simple layman's way of thinking of this, due to the wider frontal area of the .45 pill, it had considerably "more to overcome" in order to penetrate the same distance as the 9 mm.

a poor cell phone pic of both those pills:


[Linked Image]


remarkable, considering the diameters and the velocity of each pill.



next governmental announcement;

the Surgeon General has determined that smoking is helpful to your health...

all learning is like a funnel:
however, contrary to popular thought, one begins with the the narrow end.
the more you progress, the more it expands into greater discovery--and the less of an audience you will have...