Typically, debates on handgun caliber begin with speed, recoil, or what one of their friends carries. The mechanics which determine the results are not so exciting: whether a bullet may always get to vital organs in ugly positions, through clothing, and when it strikes bone.
It is the reason why the yardstick that the FBI has been using long enough remains obstinately relevant: 12 to 18 inches of ballistic gelatin. It is not a “lethality score.” This is a trustworthiness filter that attempts to ensure that marginal performers are not confused with competent ones when circumstances no longer become ideal.
Certain cartridges hold historical, mechanical, or even fun to shoot. The thing is that fun and fight-stopping have little in common in comparison with marketing and nostalgia are able to imply.
1. .22 Short
The .22 Short is that type of round that will not die out since it does exactly what it was created to do: low noise, low recoil, and simplified utility in the short distance. It also makes guns small and easy to use in small pistols.
Penetration and energy delivery is the ceiling of it. The cartridge has a low case capacity and light bullets, which hinder it to achieve the depth required in order to reach vital organs reliably when the path is not straight-on. A round with a hard time in best-case conditions is leaving a small allowance to heavy clothing, oblique angles and bone.
2. .25 ACP
The actual issue that was addressed by John Browning in his .25 ACP was the issue of reliability in ignition of pocket pistols. The Centerfire primers tend to provide a more reliable strike than the rimfire design and the reputation of the .25 is taking advantage of it.
What it does not fix is reach. .25 ACP, even with FMJ, will frequently fall short of the minimum penetration standard set by the FBI, and increased designs can be made at the expense of depth, with some inconsistent upset. The combination of that gives a small performance range where a barrel length, or a piece of clothing or an angle can vary the results between almost sufficient and inadequate.
3. .32 S&W (Original)
The old.32 S&W is part of the age of small handguns, plain cartridges, and humble hopes. It is still simple to shoot and is still experienced in the olden guns that continue to be passed on.
Its heavy bullets are slow and suffer modern defensive standards. It has less velocity and energy that enable penetration to remain a constant in complicated conditions compared with subsequent .32-family offerings. It serves as history rather than ability.
4. .410 Bore From a Handgun
The idea that handgun-length .410 platforms are selling is a variety of projectiles, a wide pattern and a visually intimidating muzzle. The mechanical feel is true, particularly with shooters that need a different but familiar feel.
The performance trade also exists. Short barrels lose velocity and heavy clothes can abrade away enough of the penetration of the buckshot to cause unreliable results. Sluggish loads can display unpredictable behavior by handgun tubes. The idea tends to trade depth against spread and depth is the demand that is not open to compromise.
5. .22 LR
22 LR is ubiquitous, simple to fire, and can be very impressive. When used in defense, they are characteristics that challenge individuals who consider recoil control or capacity in smaller pistols.
And the main flaw of it is, that it is rimfire. That is to say that ignition reliability is a matter of linear priming compound as opposed to a centralized primer and that short handgun barrels may leave penetration as close to the edge as they can get and not safely above it. Everything is made a tenuous plan by stress, movement and imperfect angles.
6. .380 ACP With FMJ
380 ACP is at a crossroad to small guns, light recoil, and convenient real carry. On those platforms, ammunition choice has to do even more than the headstamp.
FMJ feeds well, and its end behaviour is a dice throw. It may either be underperforming on depth based on velocity and target structure, or push through with a narrow wound track that does not dislodge enough tissue in a short period of time. The whole idea of the modern defensive bullets is to trade a degradation consistency vs. penetration, and 380 is the caliber that becomes most easily lost either way.
7. .45 GAP
45 GAP was an engineering solution to a practical limitation: a fit in a smaller case to allow smaller grip frames. Paperwise, it has known bullet weights and velocities, packaged into a smaller package. In the actual world, it has minimal benefit in recoil, accuracy or terminal impact as compared to the established .45 ACP ecosystem. Where a cartridge fails to provide the obvious performance benefit, the drawbacks such as limited platform compatibility and the reduced selection of defensive loads will be more important than the brilliance of the idea.
The reason behind the existence of penetration standards is that defensive shootings are not similar to clean range exercises. Angels are rearranged, hands are thrown in, winter clothes pile up and bullets must have sufficient impulse to continue functioning when the route to vital organs is longer than anticipated.
No array of testing can distinguish the difference between what might be able to work and works reliably, as well as the FBI-style that puts the most emphasis on penetration – about 70 percent of the scoring in one published analysis of the method. Where the compromises first manifest themselves is when it comes to consistency under imperfect conditions, the smallest cartridges, the most novelty-driven handgun loads.
