Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Why the .45 ACP "sucks" for self defense

Uh, NO! There's a little thing called SD (Sectional Density). It's a really simple calculation that compares a bullet's weight to its diameter and is a huge determinate of penetration. Here, the .380 fails miserably. A 90 grain .355" bullet has a SD of .102, while a 95 grain bullet is only .108. By comparison, a 40 grain .22 bullet is .115 and the "lowly" 158 grain .357" bullet has a respectable SD of .177. You guys carry a .380 if you are so inclined, but just don't fool yourself into thinking it's more than a mediocre choice for self defense. Just MHO.

Don

My grandfather was the Sherrifs for 28 years back the the revolver heyday and the 38 special was considered minimal and nothing more.

Police were not involved in nearly shootings as they are today and were not targeted by radical groups like they are today.

actually I think there is a number of recorded in did encryption where the 158 RN 38 load failed miserably

SD does not take bullet shape into consideration. So, a .357" round nose 158 grain bullet has the exact same SD as a 158 grain SWC bullet. Since the round nose bullet in .38 Special has been supplanted for all practical purposes by the SWC and other designs, that's just one more reason why today's .38 Special is a better choice than the .380 for self defense.

Don

never had to deal with police budget meetings huh?

The 9mm is much better than the 380 and small 9's are marginally larger. I'll never understand a 380 over a 9mm as primary weapon.

I am aware of three shootings involving the 38 Special and plain lead bullets. Two were 38 RNL, 1 and 2 round each, and the the other involved two rounds of 148 grain target wadcutter, applied to a big drunk a-hole who was advancing on the shooter with a knife.

Common to them was that they were all face-on shootings, the rounds landed between the navel and clavicular notch all were within a couple inches of the centerline. Oh, and none of the recipients traveled more than about six feet before they face planted.

I'm not so sure bad guys have changed much. Back when all revolver rounds were RNL or RNFP, men wrangled horses, chopped wood, shoveled coal or carried railroad ties. They drank rotgut whiskey, warm beer and some used/abused the drugs of their day. They roved in predatory gangs, recognized no law, stayed on the run longer and perpetrated acts every it bit as sick as what you see today. Does anybody here think those SOB's were less tough/easier to stop than today's average man?

I think not. They still have the same anatomy. You punch one or two large, heavy pistol bullets through the middle torso and you are going put the man down- perhaps not as quickly as you'd like, but avoid incoming for a bit and he won't be a problem for long.

Having seen he results of way too much mayhem over the years, I am certain of one thing. This obsession over bullet construction is foolishness. Use enough gun and concentrate on punching the middle. Gunfights are uncertain. You can shoot well and still get killed, but you don't have to go alone.

Let's not over look these,



The Smith County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a woman was fatally shot after shooting her ex-husband several times Friday afternoon.

According to Sheriff Larry Smith, deputies were called to the 12900 block of Philpot Rd., near Farm-to-Market 1252, in Smith County after reports of gunshots in the area.

Smith says the incident began after a man visited a home his ex-wife was at to deliver food to her. The woman allegedly met the man at the door with a gun and shot him several times before fleeing the scene.

Smith says after the woman fled the home, she crashed her truck into a tree down the street, walked back to find her ex-husband who was lying in a yard, and shot him several more times. The sheriff says the man somehow crawled back to his own vehicle, retrieved a weapon, and shot his ex-wife twice, killing her.

Sheriff Smith says the man was taken to the hospital, where he is in critical condition at this time. Authorities have not identified either the man or woman involved at this time.

It's unclear whether the man will face any charges. Smith says the sheriff's office will continue investigating the case and will decide at a later time.

Copyright 2015 KLTV. All rights reserved.

http://www.kltv.com/story/30394941/...-ex-wife-after-being-shot-multiple-times

There are many more

As a New York City detective, back in the mid-80s to early 90s in Brooklyn New York my brother, had a total of six shoot outs, on the books, four hits 3DOA,158 federal/Winchester swchp. At the time that round worked for him, as [bleep] as it was.

The 158swc has no flies on it. it was a huge step up from the lrn

Big difference from a .380.

Take a look around you. See any size difference from 100 years ago? No? I see multitudes of people who outweigh the average early 20th century man by 100 lbs or more. Many with fat, and some with muscle. There is very likely to be considerably more flesh to penetrate.

...and the part of my post you did not quote, covers that.

Americans have, on average, gained about 30 pounds of weight and 4" of height since the Civil War. There have always been people substantially larger/heavier than average. The idea is to use something that will work on any of them. You punch one or two large, heavy pistol bullets through the middle torso, between the navel and clavicular and within a couple inches of the centerline- and the results will be the same regardless.

Pistol wounds roughly equate punching a rod through the body and withdrawing it in milliseconds. You want a 3/8 rod or a 1/2" one? Round end or square? You want an 8" rod or a three-footer?

Obsession over trick bullets only confuses what post-mortem makes clear.

"but I've also treated more gunshot wounds than most military medics that have been to war" states GG.

Of all the ignorant, self aggrandizing statements that you have made this tops the list.


mike r

As I have noted before Kevin is full of crap.

You were and are, correct.

Chit stirer extraodinare.

As many jobs as that guys had he must be at least 137 years old, we're spose to be kind to the elderly.

Cocked and Locked. I like that.