Is .45 caliber ball ammo as good as 9mm HP for SD?

[elwaine]

I was on the Ed Brown web site recently and was struck by the statement that .45 ball (FMJ) makes a good self defense round. I've been so focused (hung up?) on expanding HP loads that I never thought of ball ammo for SD.

Possible advantages of .45 caliber ball ammo:
1. It leaves a pretty big hole in that target (even larger than most hollow points in 9 mm).
2. Penetration by .45 ball is excellent... probably better than 9 mm HP
3. Ball ammo is about the most reliable feeder that one can buy.

(Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't military handgun ammo FMJ and not HP?)

I'd appreciate your thoughts... but PLEASE stick to the topic. I want to know if .45 ball is as good as, or better than, 9mm HP. I do not want a comparrison of .45 ball to .45 HP - or info on any other calibers. Thank you.

 

[45reloader]

45 FMJ is good if your gun doesn't feed JHP well.But I would always pick a JHP round first in any caliber.

 

[elwaine]

I would always pick a JHP round first in any caliber.

Are you saying that you'd prefer a 9 mm JHP over a .45 FMJ? Or are you saying that you'd prefer a .45 JHP to a .45 FMJ? The latter is a given... but I want to know this:

If your ONLY two choices are:
.45 FMJ ball
or
9mm JHP
what would you pick?

 

[OBIWAN]

Most of the better 9mm HP's open up to a larger diameter than .45

And they have sharper edges so they make more of a "mess"

In ball ammo.....bigger is better...and .45 won't get any smaller

It is much better than a 9mm HP that fails to expand

But in HP's all the better loads in the service calibers (9mm and above) perform pretty well

 

[beezaur]

(Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't military handgun ammo FMJ and not HP?) . . .

Right. Expanding small arms bullets violate the Geneva convention (might have been another one). So they use incendiaries and high explosives instead.

Scott

 

[elwaine]

Most of the better 9mm HP's open up to a larger diameter than .45

OBIWAN:

You are correct (as usual). The .45 caliber = .45" - and as one can see:

(Source: http://www.tacticalforums.com/cgi-bin/tacticalubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=78;t=000964)

 

[cochise]

Now you went and done it! ............. What's that matter with you?

This will be a 200 page post. The war is on!

 

[chris in va]

I'd rather have 45 ball than 9mm HP in the winter due to the possibility of denim/cloth getting jammed in the cavity.

 

[The Body Bagger]

Ball ammo does very little damage. A 9mm JHP will reliably expand given good ammo. People utilizing ball ammo need to have their heads examined.

 

[mjrodney]

Ball ammo does very little damage

That might be a bit too extreme of a position.

I've got a spare tire, but I'm pretty sure there's no self-sealing inner tube in there.

Hit any part of the CNS, any part of the heart or the aorta, and you've got problems.

Lot's of the enemy in the WWW's, the Korean War, and in my fun time away from the neighborhood, will attest to that, if they were still around to discuss the matter.

HP's may be better, but ball can still put a wuppin' on you.

 

[skeeter1]

.45 ball usually functions very reliably, but maybe try some .45JHP and see if they function well in your particular handgun. I strikes me that if they work OK that would be the best round. Nothing against the 9mm. I depend on a .38Spl+P, which is in the same league as a 9mm.

I don't think there is any "one best" when it comes to handgun cartridges. As someone here once pointed out "a handgun is something you use to protect yourself while you get back to your longgun."

 

[orionengnr]

If your ONLY two choices are:
.45 FMJ ball
or
9mm JHP
what would you pick?

9mm JHP.

 

[p99guy]

While the .45acp made its reputation in the past with FMJ, and considering until the 1970"s fmj was basically all any autoloading pistols ammo was availible in, whether it was .32/.380/9mm/.45acp...45acp would of course be the top of the heap out of those choices.
With modern hollow point ammo, all the above calibers have better performance then at any time in the past.
.45acp ball really lacks when compared to the same pistol firing modern hollow points. The same can be said of 9mm and the others.

So heck yes I would rather have a pistol full of 124gr+p Gold Dot 9mm
than a pistol full of 230gr Generic fmj .45acp

FMJ is for the range, and for those that are bound by rules stipulating its use.

 

[Socrates]

Very few 9mm rounds penetrate 18" in gelatin. I figure of the ones that do, the HP advantage is over in the first 9", since the bullet pretty much dies the rest of the way.

45 Ball would have a pretty good size wound channel, all the way through the target, and, it might tumble, if it hits something to destabilize it. Also, the 45 is much more likely to just motor right through any heavy bone it hits, then a 9mm HP is.

S

 

[elwaine]

Very few 9mm rounds penetrate 18" in gelatin.

According to FBI data, the magc number is 12" of penetration... not 18. I guess they were defining center mass as the chest, not as a rotund abdomen. Socrates, let's face facts: you and me are simply huge fans of the .45. But take a gander at this:

You gotta admit, at the very least, that my chart has nicer colors than yours.

[sourse: http://www.tacticalforums.com/cgi-bin/tacticalubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=78;t=000964][/url ]

 

[cheygriz]

Obiwan,

The force IS with you!

 

[BobK]

I did not vote because I did'nt like any of the choices. I will not use any ball ammo in any caliber. I use only premium self defense ammo. If you feel the need to use FMJ then take a look at Corbon Powrball.

But, if I had to choose between 45 ball and 9mm defense, I would choose the 9mm.

 

[Edward429451]

I'd rather have the 45 w/ball ammo. I just like the momemtum theory coupled with the supposed increased feed reliability, plus its what I own. The 9mm with a jhp would probably be just fine too, especially if the jhp worked good. Which it probably would and even if it didn't you'd have a fistful of extra rounds to make up for it.

If something happened of a political nature that made jhp's unavailable in the future, and you were reduced to shooting lead boolits...which would you want then? Hmm

So I think 45 is better.

 

[BobK]

I would tend to agree that 45 is better. But I prefer hollow points so I will stick to the 9mm. But if FMJ was all that was available, I would use a 45.

 

[Officer's Match]

I suspect if FMJ was all that was available, alot of people would choose 45acp.