One thing I rarely see mentioned in these discussions (including this particular one) is the effect of firing any particular load on the shooter himself.
I think pretty much everyone agrees that while "one shot stops" with handgun cartridges are possible, they can't be counted on to consistently happen, not to mention immediately incapacitate the hobgoblin being shot. The ability to fire a second (or third, or fourth) shot accurately could be critical to ending a threat. Thus when assessing a defensive round's effectiveness, one has to take into consideration muzzle flash and concussive effect of the round.
Many defensive shootings by civilians are in the dark (bad guys like to work at night) and in enclosed or semi-enclosed areas (inside a house, a parking ramp, or an alley). Bright muzzle flash in a dark room can temporarily blind the shooter. The bad guy might not be affected as badly due to him not looking directly at the firearm, whereas the shooter is always looking at the end of the barrel. For this reason, any rounds for defensive purposes should be test fired under low light conditions, with the load giving the least amount of muzzle flash being more desirable in that regard.
Rare is the time when a defensive shooting occurs and the shooter is wearing ear protection. The louder the blast, the more intense the concussive effects of the noise on the eardrums, and the more the shooter's ability to effectively react to the situation is hampered. If one has ever fired a high velocity 125 grain .357 magnum load from a 2" barreled revolver in an enclosed space, they know what I'm talking about. The blast is so ferocious that it can momentarily stun one's senses.
It is for these reasons that my defensive round choices tend to be subsonic, heavy for caliber bullets. They are hand loaded and tested with various powder/primer combinations that render the lowest amount of flash and muzzle blast, while achieving the desired velocities (under 1,150 fps).
For .38 Special/.357 Magnum, 160 grain SWCHP are my choice. For .45 ACP, I use 230 grain Gold Dots, and for 10mm, 180 Grain XTPs are my go-to bullets.
Which gun I select depends upon the situation. The 3" barreled GP100 .357 Magnum sits on my nightstand, the .45 acp Colt Defender is my concealed carry weapon, and the S&W 1006 10mm is in my glovebox in the truck. When I'm afield out in the sticks, a 7 1/2" Redhawk in either .44 Magnum or .45 Colt is on my hip, loaded with 300 grain SWCHPs.
Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.
Last edited by HoosierHawk; 01/18/17.
