What is the best handgun caliber for general self-defense?

Capacity. The 9mm offers greater magazine capacity than virtually any other pistol caliber carried for personal defense. If the wounding capabilities of 9mm and the other cartridges are nearly identical, it would seem to be that having more rounds in you magazine will give you a better opportunity to stop an attacker.
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What is the best all around pistol caliber?

It's no surprise that the 9mm round dominates the top spot as the most popular handgun caliber. Developed in the early 1900s by Austrian designer Georg Luger, the 9mm cartridge is the most widely used round in the handgun realm.
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What is the most reliable handgun for self-defense?

5 Top-Rated Handguns for Home Security and Self-Defense
  • Glock 19. When it comes to handguns, the pinnacle brand for reliability and ease of use is Glock. ...
  • Glock 43. ...
  • Sig Sauer P320. ...
  • Sig Sauer P365. ...
  • Smith and Wesson M&P.
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What is the best round for self-defense?

The Best Personal-Defense Handgun Cartridges and Loads
  • Speer Gold Dot Personal Protection in .327 Federal Magnum Speer.
  • Remington Ultimate Defense Full Size Handgun in 9mm Luger Remington.
  • Federal Premium Personal Defense HST in .45 ACP. ...
  • Buffalo Bore Heavy +P LV JHP in .38 Special Buffalo Bore.
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What caliber handgun has the most stopping power?

Everyone should buy a magnum-powered handgun in . 357 or larger caliber and feel completely secure that he or she has the best stopping power.
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Best Caliber for Self Defense



What does more damage 9mm or 45?

Using a . 45 ACP might lessen the risk of bullets going through walls. Hence, it's a more preferred caliber for home defense. However, the 9mm may be more comfortable to use, but it might cause more damage indoors because of its penetration.
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Is a 45 ACP more powerful than a 9mm?

Also quoting from the Marine Corps Times: The arguments boil down to this: The . 45-caliber round is the bigger bullet, so it has the “knock down power” to neutralize any adversary with one shot; while pistols that fire 9mm rounds are generally more accurate and can carry more bullets.
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Is a 22 or 380 more powerful?

A 380 ACP case, on the other hand, is just about as long (0.68 inches) but the bullet it fires is 0.355 inches in diameter. This means there is a lot more room for powder inside a 380 ACP case than a 22 LR case, resulting in a more powerful round.
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Is a .40 or .45 more powerful?

The energy of the . 40 S&W exceeds standard-pressure . 45 ACP loadings, generating between 350-foot-pound (470 J) and 500-foot-pound (680 J) of energy, depending on bullet weight.
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Is 38 special more powerful than 9mm?

Standard pressure . 38 Special only produces 264 foot-pounds of force (147-grain bullet at 900 feet per second out of a 4-inch barrel), while standard pressure 9mm can produce 365 foot-pounds of force (124-grain bullet at 1,150 feet per second). This is 38.25% more energy at the muzzle in favor of the 9mm.
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What has more kick 9mm or 40?

40 caliber will be a little slower in velocity. The . 40 also delivers more felt recoil and has a slightly higher recoil velocity. Another difference is that the 9mm round is in pistols around the globe.
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What handgun Do Navy SEALs use?

In 2015, the Glock 19, a compact 9 mm, was added to the SEAL handgun inventory. The SEALs plan to eventually replace the P226s with the newer Glocks. For now, the M9 continues to be the primary sidearm for U.S. uniformed personnel worldwide and the P226 continues to be the primary handgun of the SEALs.
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What is the most popular handgun in the US?

Glock had three of the five best-selling pistols in America, according to GunGenius.com. The Glock 19 was number one, followed by the Glock 43 in second place, then the Sig Sauer P365 came in third and the Springfield Armory Hellcat and Glock 17 rounded out the top five.
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Is a 357 more powerful than a 9mm?

The 357 Magnum round loaded with a 125-grain projectile reaches almost 1,500 feet per second and strikes targets with 585 foot-pounds of energy. Needless to say, ballistically, it outperforms the 9mm. The 357 Magnum also has no problems reaching the FBI standards and even exceeding them.
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What caliber pistol do police carry?

In each of the three most common law enforcement handgun calibers (9mm Luger, . 40 S&W, . 45 Auto), there are some projectiles that have a high likelihood of success for officers (i.e., all three are very effective).
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Why 9mm is better than 40 caliber?

9mm always has higher magazine capacity than . 40 S&W, provided you're comparing two guns of the same size. So, in almost any context, a 9mm handgun enables you to perform better than . 40 S&W.
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Is the 45 ACP a man stopper?

45 ACP is the elder statesmen of the two cartridges. In keeping with the prevailing attitudes on handgun cartridges in that era, Browning designed the . 45 ACP to shoot a big, slow bullet that was an effective "man-stopper" when using full metal jacket ammunition. He was very successful in that regard.
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Why is the .40 cal the best handgun?

40 S&W delivers a bullet with greater frontal surface area, expansion potential, and kinetic energy than standard-pressure 9mm loads. At the same time, . 40-caliber handguns can be more compact than those chambered in . 45 ACP and tend to have higher magazine capacities.
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Is a 22 A good self Defence gun?

22 LR is “the best” round for self-defense, or even a good choice for many firearms owners who can use a more powerful cartridge. But the . 22 LR may be the best option for certain shooters, as a primary or back-up firearm, and if this is the case, they need to choose the best ammunition and firearm for the job.
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Is a 380 A good self-defense weapon?

From a self-defense perspective, the . 380 ACP performs to its greatest ability at close ranges, and by close I mean less than 3 yards — closer is even better. And, as always, shot placement is king.
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Is a .380 a good carry weapon?

380 ACP is good for women's concealed carry. First is that . 380 ACP often has softer felt recoil, meaning the kick you get from the gun is less than from more powerful calibers...for the most part.
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What is the difference between .45 and .45 ACP?

There is no difference between 45 Auto and 45 ACP. They are in fact one and the same, which leads us to the point of this article: Some cartridges have more than one name. Some have many, in fact, to the point where an inexperienced shooter may wonder if they are ordering the correct ammunition.
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What is the deadliest 45 ACP round?

Here's the Best . 45 ACP Ammo for Self-Defense
  • Winchester 230-Grain Ranger T-Series. Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore.
  • Federal 230-Grain HST. Brownells.
  • Remington 185-Grain Golden Saber +P. Ammunition Store.
  • Magtech 230-Grain Bonded. MidwayUSA.
  • Speer 185-Grain Gold Dot. ...
  • Speer 230-Grain Gold Dot Short Barrel. ...
  • Hornady 200gr XTP.
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Do police use 9mm or 45?

"While many law enforcement departments and agencies still use . 357, . 40, and even . 45 caliber guns, most have already switched or are switching to 9mm," says Joel Harris, SIG Sauer's director of media relations and communication.
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