The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Effectiveness of the .45 caliber. And some of the Myths.

Edward429451 · September 7, 2012, 01:23 AM

I didn't read the whole thread. Too much noise. My experience with the 45 ACP flies in the face of the legendary stopping power that people think it has. I think a lot of people think it's a bad a** round because it's big and fat.

The 45 does not penetrate very well. It's a big slow bullet and is defeated easily in it's standard loadings. I run kind of warm for a 45. A 225 gr LRN @ ~ 846 FPS. When I was shooting bowling pins, I stuck many of them in the front side of the pin. It blew them off the table just fine but very few penetrated the pin completely.

People go down fairly easily so that's where the stopping power reputation came from. It's good for little else. It's no bear round, it wont defeat cover, and it sure as heck isn't a 44 Mag. It's a good city pistol, that's all.

September 7, 2012, 01:23 AM	#95
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	I didn't read the whole thread. Too much noise. My experience with the 45 ACP flies in the face of the legendary stopping power that people think it has. I think a lot of people think it's a bad a** round because it's big and fat. The 45 does not penetrate very well. It's a big slow bullet and is defeated easily in it's standard loadings. I run kind of warm for a 45. A 225 gr LRN @ ~ 846 FPS. When I was shooting bowling pins, I stuck many of them in the front side of the pin. It blew them off the table just fine but very few penetrated the pin completely. People go down fairly easily so that's where the stopping power reputation came from. It's good for little else. It's no bear round, it wont defeat cover, and it sure as heck isn't a 44 Mag. It's a good city pistol, that's all.