9mm vs 45 1st or 2nd hand

This topc is for 1st or 2nd hand experience shootings involving 9mm or 45 acp.

 

1978 Weisbaden, Germany. Weisbaden Arm Hospital (often featured in the news). My buddy is in a ward recovering from a foolball (combat rules) injury.

One of the guys was recovering from being shot with a 45 some idiot was playing with. The guy pointed a 45 at the armorer (just kidding around) and pulled the trigger. The armorer realized what was happening and threw up his hands. The bullet penetrated one hand, broke the other arm, reuned the spleen, damaged liver, stomach and some intestines.

John had been recovering for 6 weeks when I met him. He was telling his tale to another guy beside me. I asked "what did that feel like" (interested not being a smart ass). He said it was like being hit with a sledge hammer. He could hardly breathe, and the only thing that releaved a tiny bit of pain was curling into a fetal position.

He survived because:

1. Combat medic (Man Vet) saw it happen, and assisted.

2. 4 minutes from hospital by car-no waiting for ambulance.

3. Just plain luck.

This guy was still in a wheelchair with a broken arm, shot hand and could hardly walk after 6 weeks. He feels that the 45 is pretty effective.

I have a 9 mm but would prefer the 45.

My 9mm is a Beretta 92FS which is what I carried while in the army minus the stainless finish.  Like most pistols, it's simple to clean and operate.  I've had zero malfunctions with it with the exception of one reloaded shell.  This out of several thousand rounds pushed through the thing.

The 45 is a bigger slug and heftier punch.  For those reasons I'd prefer it over the 9mm. 

Accuracy between the two is so similar that it's not a factor IMHO.

 

A gun dealer I know loves to show off his .45 slug hole scars, both nice purple circles the size of a quarter. 230gr military ball in one side out the other. He was an MP in Vietnam and was shot by one of our guys while breaking up a drug deal. It's been sometime since I've heard the story but the other guys isn't around to show off his scar if you know what I mean.

DD

Edited by deaddog

No firsthand accounts, only one second hand. My chiropractor popped a 230 grain ball thru his upper thigh. Lucky for him it missed his femur and femoral artery. Treatment involved antibiotics and a drain, he healed in a couple of weeks. BTW, he freely admited it was a negligent discharge, not and accidental discharge.

With all the documentation out there about LEO shootings, I don't believe there is a dime's worth of differenve between a 9x19 and a .45ACP, assuming BOTH are loaded with modern, high proformance bullets. My carry loads are Pro-Load's 9x19 115 Gr +P JHP, and Pro-Load's .45 ACP 200 Gr +P JHP. I'm comfortable with both.

Hey guys, enough of these 45 accidental shooting.  Let have those big guns shooting at the bad guys!

Makes me more glad I rely on 38,357 and 9mms.

BEAR

Mickey;

I own & shoot both the .45 ACP and the 9mm.  I also own, shoot, and carry the .40 S&W.  I would not feel under-gunned carrying something like a Kahr in 9mm rather than the gun I do carry.  I don't believe anybody's arguing the effectiveness of the .45 ACP at this time.

To me, shot placement has always trumped caliber.  I've always adopted the policy of;  not IF I hit, but WHERE I hit what I'm shooting at.  Of course, being able to espouse that believably means that you've got to practice with the gun. 

On the other hand, nobody in their right mind wants to get shot with anything either.  You pays yer nickle & you makes yer choice.

900F

I don't think there really is all that much difference in the terminal effectiveness of either. I've carried and used both over the years, and do not believe that I'm significantly better armed with one over the other based on the cartridge itself. I do prefer the mag capacity of most 9's over the mag capacity of most 45's. Being able to finish a fight without a reload would be a plus if things get protracted. I figure when the lead begins to fly, the size of it isn't nearly as important as whether or not you get hit and where.AW

I do carry both and am confident in both. I also carry a model 60 S&W that I am very confident with. Truth being, if one is proficient with a .22, he shouldn't feel undergunned. I guess the myth of a .45 ACP striking an attacker in the thumb and knocking him back 30 yards is dispelled once more. All I can say, from forensic pathology files is, a "center punch" is effective ALL THE TIME. On the other hand, safety is NOT to be compromised any time...........................................Kingpin