May 13th, 2021
6minute read
Ikeep hearing that the .45 ACP is obsolete.
It doesnt hold enough ammo!
All service calibers are equal!
It kicks too hard!
Its ammo is too expensive!
Its too big and heavy!
Having been a .45 ACP shooter for 60 years now, this writer begs to differ.
However, I remember a long-ago conversation with a brother lawman from an adjacent department.
My departments issue gun was a nine-shot .45 ACP, while his agency issued an 18-shot 9mm.
Of course, you guys have 115-gr.
9mm duty ammo, and our .45 pistols take a 230-gr.
Many states limit law-abiding armed citizens to ten-round magazines.
If the Biden Administration lives up to its campaign promises, that ten-round limit may go national.
It aint like we dont have double-stack .45s.
MySpringfield Armory XD-M 9mm pistolshold 19+1 rounds (and the new full-size Elites pack in 22+1).
And I certainly dont feel under-gunned when Im carrying a 9+1 1911 .45.
Your needs and comfort level, of course, may vary.
The latter part is true, but the jury is still out on the first part.
Widely accepted theory is not necessarily conclusive fact especially on the subject of thebest defensive caliber.
Speaking of fact, wound volume is still a thing.
Assuming identical shot placement and wound track angles, the larger wound should have the greater incapacitating effect.
Charles Schwartz, author of the book Quantitative Ammunition Selection, used three different scientific models to compare 124-gr.
.45 ACP, each with full metal jacket ammunition.
The Q-Model resulted in 33.584 gram total wound mass for 9mm, and 48.854 gram wound mass for .45.
The mThor Model came out to 34.022 gram total wound mass and .45 ACP, 50.354 gram wound mass.
The MacPherson Model was 36.096 grams total wound mass for 9mm, and 57.704 with the .45.
Lead to Spread
The fact is that a .45 bullet has more lead to spread.
However, Ive never seen a 9mm bullet expand to a full 1 in diameter in living tissue.
Ive seen that with two .45 ACP loads: the old Speer 200-gr.
driven at +P velocity from a 4.25 barrel, and the currentFederal HST230-gr.
+P at 950 feet per second from a 5 barrel.
I have been in gun shops where they hadonlyFMJ for sale in either caliber, and little of that.
Theanecdotal history from WWI(and on) of the9mm vs .45 debategenerally favored the .45 over the nine.
Just sayin …
Cost Factor
Of course, .45 is more expensive.
Lead, brass and copper cost money, and the larger cartridge uses more of each.
Dont expect that to be the case when and if ammo supply returns to normal, though.
Shootability Factor
This depends.
In similarly sized pistols, the .45 kicks more.
However, Ive found that this is highly individual.
The more the shooter knows how to control a pistol at speed, the more that difference is diminished.
Perspectives
Each of us needs to balance our own needs.
Competence engenders confidence, and vice versa.
If you shoot significantly better at speed under stress with a 9mm, by all means, carry one.
If youre arthritic, as I am, 9mm will be more comfortable to shoot.
Hell, Im a .45 fan andIcarry 9mm more than .45 lately.
When I have to fly to a firearms training venue, the general 11-lb.
limit of ammo in checked baggage allows me to carry twice as much 115-gr.
Bullet design does seem to be more critical to optimum performance in smaller calibers.
Go to forum thread
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XD-MElite Series
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