Is it really the case that the shot placement is perfect in any caliber? The practical shooting incidents and controlled experimentation continue to fall upon the same clumsy truth, that handguns are already functioning with a limited margin of error, and that nothing smaller or more gimmick-laden cartridge will succeed in narrowing the margin. That is why the current ammo development and testing continues to revert to repeatable standards, primarily penetration. The conversation with 12-18 inches of gelatin expectation is still anchored in the FBI protocol to include various scenarios such as heavy clothing and wallboard.
Here is a practical examination of seven such calibers, which are so frequently discussed, appear in small guns, or possess some sort of nostalgia yet seem to repeatedly fail to provide the sustained effect of performance which defensive shooting standards are attempting to quantify.
1. .22 Short
The .22 Short is an object that will just not go: recoil of light, non-obtrusive noise, and a history that dates back to the 1800s. It remains rational when range time is low and pest work is very small and penetration requirements are minimal.
The curtailment is gross and obstinate. The cartridge is more likely to increase the depth required to reach vital structures with small case and light bullet, when there are variables present – bone angle, layered clothing or inaccurate hit location. On the contemporary defensive terms, it has little margin of performance and that margin is more than nearly anything when the stress is great and hits seldom textbook.
2. .25 ACP
25 ACP was designed out of a real life issue: provide pocket pistol reliability in centerfire rather than rimfire. The cartridge has that advantage and can be seen as the reason why the cartridge continues to have such a small but steady following within the ultra-compact guns.
At this point the math becomes brutal. .25 ACP frequently falls in the close, yet not enough category in pocket-pistol testing; one set of tests found that only one load was able to press all five rounds past about the 11-inch point. Any expansion is not a safe way out, either; when small bullets do fly open, they usually lose the small depth which they possessed.
3. .32 S&W (Original)
The old .32 S&W used to be ubiquitous – the laid-back revolver bullet that was just right and just what was required by the times. It now survives largely in the old revolvers and in collector quarters, where it is still as charming and pleasant to shoot as it was formerly.
Defensive expectations are shifted. The original .32 S&W would have had less velocity and energy compared to later .32-family cartridges, and would not have been able to plow through obstacles and at least provide sufficient penetration. Its offspring (.32 H&R Magnum and .327 Federal Magnum) were only made due to the desire of the users to have the same controllability, but far better terminal capability.
4. .410 Bore from a Handgun
.410 loads fired by handguns offer an intuitive pitch, several shots and a broad pattern in order to have a higher chance. The fact is that short barrels and rifling make that promise difficult, and performance may be variable in both directions depending on the choice of load and clothing breakers.
Trials using.410 shotshells also point out a consistent issue with birdshot as a self-defense option. In a single series, birdshot, at short range in water, was penetrated a distance of about 7 inches, and the buckshot loads and slugs went much deeper. Even in cases where loads of deeper penetration are present, the handgun form will tend to water down the benefits that people are expecting to purchase: spread will be able to come without the consistency in penetration that defensive standards expect.
5. .22 LR (for self-defense)
The reasons why 22 LR is everywhere are low recoil, inexpensive practice, and legitimate use in rifles in small game. In handguns, one can find it easy to shoot and easy to carry in greater capacities.
The self-defense use is faced with two issues that are not relieved by internet confidence. To start with, rimfire ignition is not as robust as centerfire. Second, barrel handguns can tend to slow down sufficiently that penetration is now load- and platform-sensitive, but expansion cannot be counted upon. Small variations in barrel length even under controlled testing can result in significant results; a single data set led to an average of 126 fps velocity improvement when transitioning to a 4.4-inch to a 1.9-inch barrel of the .22 LR handgun.
6. .380 ACP with FMJ
The 380 ACP is frequently considered the lowest, most serious, defensive semi-auto cartridge, mostly due to the ability to be packed into very small pistols with easy recoil. That aspect is factual and that is what makes the caliber remain popular.
The fallacy is that it is a fix-on to assume that penetration is easy with full metal jacket. FMJ may either not penetrate to sufficient depth or slide off with minimum disturbance depending upon the particular load and target conditions. The variables of modern hollow points are supposed to be struck a balance, but .380 is only on the fringe of these- that is, ammunition selection determines whether a particular combination will just enter the penetration window that defensive requirements of its category are designed on.
7. .45 GAP
45 GAP is an example of a problem that the market had ceased to care about. It was created to achieve performance of about .45-class in a smaller case size to allow handguns to be constructed using smaller grip frame.
On paper, the concept is clean. Practically it had never reached the necessary level of ecosystem support to be significant in the long run, and it could not provide an interesting performance advantage versus .45 ACP. Having a modest adoption of the platform and a declining load diversity, .45 GAP is a niche solution to a question that has been answered by the more widespread cartridge types.
The trend is the same in these seven calibers, the weaker being not harmless, but again again they offer lesser consistent penetration, less dependable terminal impact via adornment or obstacles or both.
Caliber snobbery is a lesson that lasts forever; it is standards. Where handgun rounds already require multiple hits in most real shooting matches, cartridges which cannot even achieve the minimum penetration limits under ideal conditions have less tolerance of less than perfect angles, moving targets, and real clothing- just the stuff that appears during off-range shots.
