This is Part II in a series, if you have not read Part I it can be found here Choosing a New Gun Part 1
Searching the Internet for information is a bit like getting on a telephone “party line” and asking for an opinion. I spent several hours researching the various calibers for a carry gun and finding a lot of opinion, conjecture, and supposition.
There were several interesting sights offering various bits of data, mixed with conjecture. One of the best quotes I found during the research was on The Box O’ Truth
People often say, “I think…”, “I suppose…”, “I bet…”, when discussing facts like penetration of ammunition.
There is only one way to know how much a certain round penetrates.
You must shoot it into a medium and see for a fact.
Results found: 9MM penetrates slightly more (one additional sheet of plywood) than 45ACP
I visited several other websites that had were of the same opinion (9mm fast, 45 slow). A few websites, however, proclaimed the 40 S&W as a good mix of the two.
After a couple more websites, with ballistics results, I started to understand Ayoob’s comments about ”Morgue Monsters and Jello Junkies.” There was a seeming endless, sometimes contradictory, stream of data available.
.40 S&W 155 grain Federal Hi-Shok JHP, 1/7/91:
Test Gun Barrel Length Velocity Bare Gelatin Clothed Gelatin Penetration Expansion Penetration Expansion Glock 22 4.5″ 1167 fps 13.75″ 0.61″ 19.50″ 0.51″ .40 S&W 165 grain CCI/Speer Gold Dot JHP, 11/17/97:
Test Gun Barrel Length Velocity Bare Gelatin Clothed Gelatin Penetration Expansion Penetration Expansion SIG P229 4″ 1076 fps 13.05″ 0.65″ 15.80″ 0.60″ .40 S&W 165 grain Federal Tactical HydraShok JHP, 2/27/97:
Test Gun Barrel Length Velocity Bare Gelatin Clothed Gelatin Penetration Expansion Penetration Expansion H&K USP 4″ 1007 fps 13.85″ 0.62″ 15.15″ 0.64″
After all of the reading and research, I decided it was time to get a 40 S&W caliber firearm and go to the range.
Related posts
Choosing a New Gun Part 3 (0)
Choosing a New Gun Part 1 (0)
Assault Weapons Ban Confusion (0)
You guns belong on foreign battlefields… (0)
The 5th Amendment rights vs. police investigations (0)
