Is The 9mm vs .45 ACP Debate Over?

By Bob Owens

A little earlier this year, Tactical Life asked 14 respected firearms industry professionals whether they preferred the 9mm or the .45 ACP.

The results weren’t surprising. None came out clearly in favor of the .45. Several hedged with a “it just depends.” The rest pointed out that the 9mm offered greater magazine capacity, lower recoil, faster follow-up shots, lower cost, is easier to find, more consistent and better barrier penetration, and can be used effectively by a wider range of shooters in a wider array of handguns.

The FBI Training Division came to a similar conclusion in their justification to switch away from the .40 Smith & Wesson cartridge that they helped developed back to the 9mm.

When using any sort of “like” ammunition for comparison, the .451″ bullet of the .45 ACP is going to make a bigger hole than a .355″ 9mm bullet. That allowed, the FBI Training Division noted that with modern ammunition, the difference in actual wounds in human bodies is so slight that doctors can discern no difference between the wound channels caused by 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP handguns.

So is the “science settled?”

Yes… and it’s utterly irrelevant.

While scientific data, expert opinion, …read more

Source:: Bearing Arms