While intellectually I know that modern bullet designs have closed the gap in man-stopping effectiveness between 9mm and .45ACP, I still fall into the "bigger, fatter heavier bullet is better" camp. I own both and enjoy shooting both (just bought a used M9A1 Beretta that I'm loving), but for carry I prefer the .45 even though it's bigger and heavier and has a lower capacity. In warmer weather (like now ) when wardrobes are necessarily lighter, I switch to a sub-compact 9mm or a .38 snubbie. But in my heart I'll always be a 1911 .45 guy.

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Bob C.:
Because there is not a .55 ACP.

What he said.

RC

Because they don't make a .46

I think everyone should have at least one 1911 in 45 ACP. You may think whatever you please.
Rod

Until we can controllably get 2200+ feet per second from an easily concealed weapon, it's largest diameter and deepest penetration for the win.

Same for porn.

However, it is frustrating that .45 acp is so much more expensive to practice with. I have to concede that point.

I chose both.

You are in a room with one door. Six men each with a meat cleaver are coming through that door at 3 second intervals. You have 6 rounds of ammo. Do you want them to be 9mm or 45?

quote:

Originally posted by dbuck47:
You are in a room with one door. Six men each with a meat cleaver are coming through that door at 3 second intervals. You have 6 rounds of ammo. Do you want them to be 9mm or 45?

That's something to think about.

quote:

Originally posted by dbuck47:
You are in a room with one door. Six men each with a meat cleaver are coming through that door at 3 second intervals. You have 6 rounds of ammo. Do you want them to be 9mm or 45?

With the 9mm you'd have 12 rounds.

quote:

Originally posted by dbuck47:
You are in a room with one door. Six men each with a meat cleaver are coming through that door at 3 second intervals. You have 6 rounds of ammo. Do you want them to be 9mm or 45?

What a contrived analogy, since it is 6 I’ll take a .44 mag or .45 Colt revolver then. As said, for a given size gun, 9mm probably has 2x the capacity. Two .5” holes and 2 wound channels beats 1 .75” hole (assuming HPs). That is before considering misses.

quote:

Originally posted by dbuck47:
You are in a room with one door. Six men each with a meat cleaver are coming through that door at 3 second intervals. You have 6 rounds of ammo. Do you want them to be 9mm or 45?

I'd chalk it up to poor life choices.

You've got a damn handgun. It's a piss poor choice for this scenario anyway, and regardless of what you shoot, unless you're on the silver screen and your last name is Willis, the men with meat cleavers aren't going to be dropping dead with that single shot (or two shots) anyway. In fact, even if they do die, they're going to bury that meat cleaver in your face.

It's a piss poor choice for defense in any event, but you're carrying it most likely because you couldn't get your hands on a rifle.

So you've arranged for these six guys to enter one at a time, at three second intervals, carrying nothing but a meat cleaver? They're just going to stand out there, counting off the interval? Bob's got it, Jim, it's your turn. Wait for it. Wait for it. Go. Allen, you're in the hole. Wait for it, go. Ed, you're up. Really?

There are valid reasons for carrying .45...such as the fact that your weapon is chambered for it. Or you really like it. Or you're in a state that doesn't allow higher capacity, or it's what you've been issued. Whatever. One reason for carrying it which is NOT valid is stopping power, that mythical gun-rag fairy tale that includes one-stop shots and the notion that a bigger hole will get the job done faster or save your life or penetrate better or stop the fight quicker or whatever the flavor of the day is. That .45 acp round doesn't have any more muzzle energy, won't penetrate any better, and in many cases won't penetrate as well as a smaller, faster round. It's not going to knock anyone off their feet, and it's not going to have nearly the barrier capability that some other rounds might have.

Now I like .45 acp. I like reloading it, I like shooting it. That's a valid reason to carry it. The notion that you're going to fare any better against an idiotic wet-dream walter mitty encounter with six men dumb enough to come to the fight underarmed, unarmored, and who enter a room single file in three second intervals...is not a valid reason to choose one cartridge over the other...and frankly, you might empty your magazine into the first one and still not stop him.

It's not hollywood.

In this particular video game scenario, my plan is to stand just off to the side and point blank boom headshot each one as the enter in their orderly fashion. So I suspect I could get by with anything that will reliably go boom 6 times.

Then ima get me a couple meat cleavers and find the evil scientist doing this crazy experiment on me and go through his door meat cleavers in hand.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:

Then ima get me a couple meat cleavers and find the evil scientist doing this crazy experiment on me and go through his door meat cleavers in hand.

Heck no...what if he has a .45?!!