“Carry a .25 if it will make you feel better, but don’t ever load it.” This quote from the late Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper brings home a very valid point with regard to a self-defense weapon when it comes to a matter of life and death in split seconds, a defective caliber can be worse than having a gun in your hands.
Although it is true that any rifle is preferable to nothing, it is not true, however, that all handgun calibers offer the right mix of penetration, reliability, and controllability to have a entrepreneur end result. Years of gel tests, real-world feedback, and hard-fought lessons have taught us which calibers tend to fall short in situations where every round counts. In the following list, we will take a closer look at seven handgun calibers and explore where they go wrong, justifying why veteran gun handlers do not choose these calibers for every-day use.
1. .22 Long Rifle – Familiar but Flawed
The .22 LR has been dubbed the most-manufactured cartridge globally and is particularly sought after for its low recoil, economic prices, and noiseless discharge. However, its rimfire system makes it less reliable than its centerfire counterpart by up to 8-10% for bulk pack reloads while figured at 1-2% for heavy loads. Muzzle kinetic energy tends to be lower than 200 ft-lbs, with penetration of heavy clothes potentially falling below the FBI-standard minimum of 12 inches.
Despite the high-capacity ammunition, Federal Punch has also resulted in a gel penetration of 13.75 inches with gel with a snub revolver, while its ability to expand has remained irregular. As already noted by the USCCA testing, “the .22 LR may well not get the job done” against a determined attacker.
Its performance in training, pest control, or target shooting has already been acknowledged, while its terminal performance capacity and increased chances of misfire make it a substandard selection for a first-strike defense system.
While the history of the .22 LR dates back to 1906 when Colt offered the first
2. .25 ACP – Outclassed by Modern Pocket Guns
Created in 1905 to emulate the ballistics of .22 LR in a centerfire cartridge, .25 ACP matches the .22 LR in delivering less than 70 ft-lbs of force half the power of many .22 LR loadings. The gelatin test on high-end hollow-points such as Speer Gold DOT penetrated only about 10 inches, which does not comply with FBI requirements and features minimal expansion.
.25 ACP pistols are typically small, but they are likely to have crude sights, cumbersome controls, and short life spans. According to Greg’s research, 35% of shots fired at people using .25 ACP pistols failed to incapacitate, twice the failure-to-incapacitate ratio of .380s. Now, compared to the current generation of micro- .380s and 9mms, .25’s shortcomings are rarely necessary.
3. .32 ACP – Soft Shooting, Soft Impact
John Browning’s .32 ACP cartridge from 1899 was used by police and military forces across the globe, but its avg. muzzle energy of 125-170 ft-lbs brings .22 LR more closely into range. There’s poor expansion on heavy cloth, and few of its loads expand past 12 inches of penetration.
Although recoil is small and concealability is very high, caliber options are limited and nearly all are obsolete models such as the Walther PPK. For recoil-sensitive shooters, it provides decent handling, but at the expense of a significant loss of stopping power compared to other cartridges like 380 ACP or 9mm.
4. .410 Shotshell in Revolvers – Gimmick Over Guardian
“Taurus Judges” provide “shotgun-like flexibility,” shooting .410 shot shells or .45 Colt rounds. In reality, short barrels reduce speed, allowing a 30-inch spread of birdshot at 15 feet, which has enough gaps in the middle to completely miss small objects. Tom Givens’s tests determined that #9 shot wouldn’t penetrate a plastic bottle, nor could #4 shot get through ¾-inch plywood.
Buckshot loads such as Federal’s four-pellet 000 Buck pattern densely pattern within seven yards, but after that range, the risk is great that bystanders will be struck. .45 Colt accuracy is impaired by the cylinder gap found on the Judge. For self-defense calibers, standard handgun calibers will provide more reliable results.
5. Sub-Par .380 ACP Cartridges – Designed to be Marginal
“The .380 ACP can and does penetrate effectively,” but many of the popular loads from shorter barrels do not meet the FBI standard of penetration of 12 inches,” blogger Larry Correia statecs about handguns and hollow-point bullets:
“Many hollow points expand very well but do not travel very far, and others will penetrate but will expand very little
High-powered ammo like Federal HST, Hydra-Shok, and Gold Dot is rated from 189-223 ft.-lbs and has controlled expansion. Unfortunately, with the small and lightweight pistols and their corresponding caliber of .380 ACP, snappy recoil results due to its marginal ballistics. Carriers of such ammo should be discriminating with ammo and thoroughly practice to compensate for its marginal ballistics.
6. 10mm Auto – Power with Penalties
Originally developed for the FBI for its high power output, which sometimes exceeds 600 ft-lbs, the 10mm Auto is known for its penetration and stopping power. However, its recoiling, muzzle report, and over-penetration aspects make this cartridge unsuitable for most users.
Gel tests have demonstrated that optimized rounds can match .40 S&W, prompting the question of whether the added recoil is justified for human threats. The 10mm rounds are excellent for defending oneself in the woods against bigger-game animals, but in self-defense, 9mm or .45 ACP are likely to provide a good medium.
7. .38 Special from Ultra‑Short Barrels – Tradition Undermined by Physics
The .38 Special has good defensive credentials, but snub-nose revolvers with barrels under two inches lose muzzle velocity, which oftens inhibits hollow points from fully expending. In comparative gel tests, several cartridges failed to achieve 12-inch penetration, and fabric obstructions commonly prevented full expansion from being achieved. “+P” loads increase recoil with scant ballistic benefit on such short-barreled platforms.
While choosing a load designed for a short barrel can remedy this issue, there is inherent sacrifice in controllability versus terminal effectiveness. Selecting a defensive handgun size is all about finding a balance between power, manageability, and reliability. The ammunition considered in this section is all very effective at halting a threat. However, each requires a level of sacrifice that few can truly affect when the going gets tough. Popular defensive handgun sizes in the form of the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP round are significantly more reliable. The idea in self-defense is to deliver accurate and reliable fire.
