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People all over the world are limited to fmj ammo. Most militaries are limited to fmj ammo. Since 9mm is the most common military/police round in the world we can assume 9mm fmj ammo is probably the most common pistol ammo used. I do not disagree that bigger holes are better. But the dfferences in frontal diameter between the 9mm, .40, and the .45 are not as great as many would have you believe.
You can't change a die hard "it needs to start with a 4" type. But by those that actually study wound ballistics, after action reports, and so on the truth is that their is little difference in the ability of one of these rounds to put down an attacker better than another. As someone said earlier all pistol rounds suck about equally as well at stopping attackers. Especially when we are talking about a millimeter or two in frontal area in difference between each of the service calibers.
If you don't think so get a copy of the classic on gunfighting Shooting to Live by Mr.'s Fairbairns and Sykes. Their combined experience involved the British Shanghi Police Force and over 600 gunfights. Read the chapter on stopping power. Written in the 1920's and the same arguments going on back then as now. They site examples of where .45 and .455 rounds failed to stop an opponent. And some where .380 fmj did the job. The only truth they found?
Fire whatever handgun round you have as fast as you can into vital areas of your opponent. They said to copy the burst of a Thompson submachine gun as closely as you could with your pistol to get the most telling effect. An undercover agent from South America who has prevailed in numerous gunfights with a Glock 17 and limited by law to fmj ammo was asked about the 9mm's "lack of stopping power" here in the U.S. . He looked at the person perplexed and said "I fire a burst into their chest. If they don't go down I fire a burst into their head". We focus way to much on hardware (caliber/ammo) when software (tactics and mindset) is what wins fights.
Case in point. Double Taps. Taught as Gospel. Taught it to the police and military in Iraq. Suicide bomber shows up. You fight as you train. Fire double tap, bomber hits switch "BOOM". Double tap useless. New strategy. Keep hitting them until hostilities cease. Referred to by many as "burn them to the ground". Best method with a pistol proven by over a century of work with handguns. In the U.S. Wild Bill Hickock (might be spelling name wrong) dropped several men with well placed rounds from a pair of .36 cal. revolvers. The ballistics were similar to todays .380's.
I know I've taken a long time to answer if you're still reading. But pick a reliable round for your weapon. Get good at hitting vitals fast and repeatedly while moving to cover if you can. If not at least be a moving target. And that is the best you can do. Lots of rounds on board with a gun that has low recoil to make it easier to hit fast is a good thing. Much more important than a millimeter of difference in frontal area. In the end your training and a little luck is what will get you through the night. Not a caliber
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