38 Special Vs 45 Acp Stopping Power

I've been reloading since 1990 in the years I've reloaded mainly 45 ACP and 9x21 IMI but also thousands of 357 Mag, 38 Spl, 40 S&W, 8x57 JS and 307 Winch I usually go to the range 6/8 times a month obviously with shooting glasses, good ear muffs and a baseball hat, I usually shoot 150/0 rounds each time.

38 special vs 45 acp stopping power. The best stopping power is a complex mix of many different factors, including how fast the round is traveling and what it does when it enters the attacker’s body While the classic 45 ACP round is large, it’s also relatively slow, with an average velocity of FPS for most types of ammo. A standard load for the 38 Special is a 158 grain bullet putting out a muzzle velocity of around 7000 fps That creates an energy of 0278 foot pounds depending on the exact load The 380 ACP’s standard load uses an 8595 grain bullet These produce an MV of around 1000 fps with 1 ft lbs of energy at the muzzle On paper this is just. All About "Stopping Power" by RK Campbell photography by RK Campbell July th, 05 Prepare for a shot of reality most of what you have read in the popular press concerning handgun effectiveness have been written for entertainment purposes.

The ammunition most commonly carried by law enforcement officers is a hollowpoint configuration or expanding full metal jacket bullet, typically in one of five calibers, including 38/357, 9mm, 357 SIG, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. A 38 Special bullet is also characterized by a longer case and thus, it is longer and heavier than the 380 ACP This also means more gunpowder can be used on a 38 Special This gives the 38 Special a slight advantage over the 380 in terms of stopping power and speed. All About "Stopping Power" by RK Campbell photography by RK Campbell July th, 05 Prepare for a shot of reality most of what you have read in the popular press concerning handgun effectiveness have been written for entertainment purposes.

In the terms of raw, stopping power, the 45 ACP remains one of the all time greats, especially when coupled with a 125 grain JHP But these assets also pretty much pigeonhole the round into self. The 38 Special fared just as poorly, and the standard FBIissue 38 Special 158grain, lead, hollowpoint P also achieved a 675 percent success rate Among the initial rounds tested, only the 10mm, 45 ACP and a single 357 Mag round were able to score consistently above 90 percent”. While pistols that fire 9mm rounds are generally more accurate and can carry more bullets Where a bullet hits the human body is also a major factor on whether it inflicts a mortal wound.

Please Note The above data is drawn from various sources including the book Handgun Stopping Power by Marshall and Sanow, and various articles in magazines such as Handguns For experienced shooters the headings of most of the columns above are probably selfexplanatory. Since its inception it has become widely used by LE – because it offers the best compromise of stopping power and manageable recoil While this caliber definitely has more recoil than the 9mm – it has close to 70% more energy45 ACP The 45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) has literally been around for 110 years. It’s always a great match up that clearly defines the legendary stopping power of 45 ACP at shorter ranges, with 357 performing better for penetration at longer distances Historically, the 45 ACP was specifically designed for the US Army to be a knock down round at short distances;.

So a 38 Special round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 240 pounds through a one foot distance, while a 45 Auto ACP round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 400 pounds over the same one foot distance. I shoot almost exclusively cast lead from my handguns 9 mm, 40 sw, 45 acp, 44 mag I don’t own anything in 38 special yet, but I have plans to buy a 357 magnum revolver in near future, so I already reloaded couple thousands of rounds in 38 and 357. The differences between the 38 Special and the 357 Magnum can be subtle, but they can also be pronounced, depending on your perspective on the matter In the end it’s not a case of the 38 Special vs 357 Magnum, rather it’s about which one makes sense at the time you need it We could find many reasons to ONLY buy a 38 Special firearm.

By Greg Ellifritz I've been interested in firearm stopping power for a very long time I remember reading Handguns magazine back in the late 1980s when Evan Marshall was writing articles about his stopping power studies When Marshall's first book came out in 1992, I ordered it immediately, despite the fact that I was a college student and really couldn't afford its $39 price. There is a lot to be said for raw, pure stopping power This is why at home I choose to use a shotgun and 45 ACP handguns for protection I’d rather get one 45 ACP round to the body of an attacker than a handful of 380, or even 9mm That’s just me. While pistols that fire 9mm rounds are generally more accurate and can carry more bullets Where a bullet hits the human body is also a major factor on whether it inflicts a mortal wound.

A standard load for the 38 Special is a 158 grain bullet putting out a muzzle velocity of around 7000 fps That creates an energy of 0278 foot pounds depending on the exact load The 380 ACP’s standard load uses an 8595 grain bullet These produce an MV of around 1000 fps with 1 ft lbs of energy at the muzzle On paper this is just. The arguments boil down to this The 45caliber round is the bigger bullet, so it has the “knock down power” to neutralize any adversary with one shot;. The 38 Special remains a powerful and effective selfdefense cartridge, but many people prefer the undebatable stopping power of the 357 Magnum Don’t forget, however, that the 38 Special is certainly a capable round;.

The lethality and stopping power of 45 ACP is based on the 230 grain bullet The Army chose the 230 grain load for the 1911 after extenstive live animal testing and reconfirmed those studies is the late 1980s If you choose to use a lighter load then don’t expect the same performance from the round. Also the 38 tops every caliber except the 45 ACP in terms of the number of people who have been shot with it It is a very widely used round Back in the 1980s during a brief and regrettable stint in a quasilaw enforcement capacity, I sometimes carried an ancient Smith & Wesson 38 Special M&P, also known, I believe as the Model 10. A standard 38 ACP load will send a 130 grain bullet at about 1040 fps;.

But, like you said, all of this arguing is moot if you cant hit your. The tradeoff is that most self defense ammunition offered in 38 Special will yield 25% to 45% more power than the 380 ACP As mentioned previous, there are 380 rounds available that will improve. The 32 H&R packs about as much power as the 380 ACP or standard velocity 38 Special loads and the 327 packs a lot more Note than any 327 revolver can also fire 32 H&R ammo The 327 Magnum is, in fact, really too powerful for small frame revolvers, such as the Ruger SP101 reviewed by Guns and Shooting Online.

The caliber myth among others are behind some myths about 380 ACP, and we're here today to set the record straight380 Auto Doesn't Have Stopping Power Thing about stopping power is that there's mostly no such thing, whether it's a 380 Auto or a 44 Magnum Thing about bullets is the physics behind them is rather basic. Intended to put a man down with just a couple of shots. Stopping Power Stopping Power 32 ACP vs 38 spl from snubby New Topic Reply to Topic Printer Friendly Author Topic To me any 38 Special would be more gun and a better choice AM FWIW, I just got rid of both of my Kel Tec 32s, my question to myself was would I want to count on the 32 while trying to shoot a very big BG.

The 32 H&R packs about as much power as the 380 ACP or standard velocity 38 Special loads and the 327 packs a lot more Note than any 327 revolver can also fire 32 H&R ammo The 327 Magnum is, in fact, really too powerful for small frame revolvers, such as the Ruger SP101 reviewed by Guns and Shooting Online. The 45 ACP boasts greater stopping power, while the 38 Super wins in terms of accuracy Selfdefense situations nearly only occur when an attacker is very close to their intended victim, though It is unlikely you will ever need to dispatch of a mugger several dozen yards away. Handgun stopping power is simply a myth (Bold emphasis theirs, red emphasis mine) It doesn’t matter if it’s 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45 ACP;.

They all do damage the same way So before I get into comparing and contrasting 9mm vs 40 S&W vs 45 ACP, lets spend a minute talking about how bullets ACTUALLY do their damage Wound Ballistics Basics. The arguments boil down to this The 45caliber round is the bigger bullet, so it has the “knock down power” to neutralize any adversary with one shot;. The ammunition most commonly carried by law enforcement officers is a hollowpoint configuration or expanding full metal jacket bullet, typically in one of five calibers, including 38/357, 9mm, 357 SIG, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP.

The caliber myth among others are behind some myths about 380 ACP, and we're here today to set the record straight380 Auto Doesn't Have Stopping Power Thing about stopping power is that there's mostly no such thing, whether it's a 380 Auto or a 44 Magnum Thing about bullets is the physics behind them is rather basic. 45 ACP Revolvers , Why You Need One in You Arsenal 45 Colt, 44 Special, 38 Super (OldSchool Gunfighters and Caliber Comparison 9mm vs 38 Special The Truth About Guns. I shoot almost exclusively cast lead from my handguns 9 mm, 40 sw, 45 acp, 44 mag I don’t own anything in 38 special yet, but I have plans to buy a 357 magnum revolver in near future, so I already reloaded couple thousands of rounds in 38 and 357.

For defensive use in a handgun the 9mm Luger, 38 Special P, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 357 Magnum, and other, similar cartridges when of high quality manufacture, and loaded with expanding bullets appropriately designed for their respective velocities to both expand and penetrate adequately, are reasonably good choices. After all, it was used to protect police officers and citizens through most of the th century. The 38 Special dates back to 17 and is a modification on the 38 long colt round used by the miliatary for their pistols Short History of 380 ACP The 380 Automatic Colt Pistol was developed by John Browning (some people call it a 9mm Browning) and was marketed by Colt as a self defense round in 1908.

Skip to comments THE STOPPING POWER OF DIFFERENT HANDGUN CARTRIDGES 2/22/03 Posted on 02/22/03 422 PM PST by 2nd_Amendment_Defender General Julian Hatcher, a noted forensic pathologist, in the early 1900’s developed a good formula to determine the theoretical stopping power of a firearm cartridge. Stopping power is not the same as joules or ft/lbs On these metrics, the rounds are generall equal However, physics will not be denied, and 45 ACP, while slower, is heavier, and will therefore break bones that 9mm would otherwise deflect off of Mass is an important factor!. More punch than the 38 special loadings of the day, but a bit shy of the 9mm The Colt M1900 and its variants were never picked up by the US Military, who instead opted for the M1911 in 45 ACP The smaller cartridge saw modest civilian sales for a couple of decades, but.

Since its inception it has become widely used by LE – because it offers the best compromise of stopping power and manageable recoil While this caliber definitely has more recoil than the 9mm – it has close to 70% more energy45 ACP The 45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) has literally been around for 110 years. Though the 10mm and 44 Special won’t displace the 9mm or 45 ACP kings, these rounds are proving that with enough fans and a little nudge from gun makers old cartridges can breath new life once. But according to the hearsay reputation of the awesome destructive power of the venerable 45 ACP, it might as well be And make no mistake, the 45 ACP is a proven performer while the 9mm may or.

But according to the hearsay reputation of the awesome destructive power of the venerable 45 ACP, it might as well be And make no mistake, the 45 ACP is a proven performer while the 9mm may or. Production History The 38 Special was introduced in 18 as a military service cartridge as 38 Long Colt had insufficient stopping power against the wooden shields of Moros during the PhilippineAmerican War The 38 Special rounds can be fired from revolvers chambered for 357 Magnum or the 38 Long Colt as only the case length of 38 Special is different. There is a lot to be said for raw, pure stopping power This is why at home I choose to use a shotgun and 45 ACP handguns for protection I’d rather get one 45 ACP round to the body of an attacker than a handful of 380, or even 9mm That’s just me.

BUG calibers (380, 32 ACP, 38 spcl, etc) are in a different category all together These calibers do not have the same wounding potential of the more powerful sevice calibers (38 Special is close to 9mm with some loads) Furhermore most of these calibers do not have adequate wounding potential after penetrating barriers. It depends If you are talking about the difference between a 45 automatic and a 38 revolver, the revolver is going to be much more reliable, easier to maintain, etc But a 45 automatic is easier to reload and has that much more stopping power For someone not used to shooting, I think a 38 snubnose is better. While the 9mm does look better on paper, its heavy weight load tops out at 147 grains, while the 38 Special tops out at 158 gains Yes the 38 Special would be moving slower, but heavier loads should penetrate better This is not to say that a 158 grain 38 Special is more effective than a 147 grain 9mm.

For a 380 ACP (with a starting diameter of 0355″) we want to see a bullet that expands to roughly 053″ Almost every servicecaliber defensive loads will meet the 15X expansion and 12″18″ penetration tests It doesn’t matter if the round is 9mm, 40 S&w or 45 ACP, all the good hollowpoint bullets will pass the test.