Bud, I'm a .45 man at heart too, but .40 is far from a "sissy" round. Need to compare it ballistically and you'll see. A semi-heavy bullet hitting a target really fast does just as much damage as a heavy bullet hitting the target slower. The .40 and .45 are very close ballistically except for the .40 is usually slightly lighter but faster.Originally Posted by Big Baller
"Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The much discussed "shock" of bullet impact is a fable and "knock down" power is a myth. The critical element is penetration. The bullet must pass through the large, blood bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid bleeding. Penetration less than 12 inches is too little, and, in the words of two of the participants in the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop, "too little penetration will get you killed." 42,43 Given desirable and reliable penetration, the only way to increase bullet effectiveness is to increase the severity of the wound by increasing the size of hole made by the bullet. Any bullet which will not penetrate through vital organs from less than optimal angles is not acceptable. Of those that will penetrate, the edge is always with the bigger bullet.44"
^^^that is an excerp from an FBI study on wound ballistics as it associates to bullet size and design. It is a very interesting study. It concluded that bullet size only matters IF there is enough penetration in the first place. If a smaller bullet penetrated the 12 in minimum benchmark and another didn't, the edge in stopping power would go to the deeper bullet regardless of size. It also concluded, as it states in the quote, that if all things are held equal and both the smaller and bigger bullet penetrated the minimum 12 in, THEN the edge would go to the bigger diameter bullet. ONLY THEN.
We could go much deeper if yall want, but the bottom line is that some of the larger diameter bullets, because of their mass and lower velocities, USED to not penetrate anywhere near as deep as faster and smaller bullets. Now, if you use +P or +P+ loads and use good bullet designs on the bigger bullets, then the advantage would go to bigger caliber.
I personally wouldn't want to get shot by ANY round, including a .22.
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