"The Mighty Stopping Power of a 1911"

[Guv]

View attachment 43921

I set a 1'x1' piece of phenolic resin board up against a solid backstop and shot at it with a
30-30 Marlin,
Springfield Gov Model 45 ACP and a
6" GP100.
Loads were;
Win 30-30 170 Power Point
Fed 45 ACP 230 Ball
Fed 357 Mag 158 SP all from 25 yds.
45 looked like a hard hit from a ball peen hammer, I'm sure it hurt.
357 looked like a dull drill bit that tried to dig in but gave up after about an 1/8". Looked like a considerably more violent impact took place.
Last, the much disrespected 30-30 made a nice .30 diameter entrance hole with a beautiful cone shaped exit that tapered out to about 1-1/2".
Phenolic is very tough, obviously in no way representing the hide of anything that walks on two or four legs.
The most eye opening part of this was the 30-30's penetrative ability.
No animals were hurt during this test

 

[Uncle Rick]

An old US Army training video, with a few "updates" - got the link from my nephew (did a search and didn't find anything previously posted, so have at it ;^):

Must have been good! They suspended his account!

 

[jmca]

How thick was the phenolic?

 

[Sam Summey]

View attachment 43921

Those guys are Russian, those holes were made by a 90 gr steel cored 7.62x25mm bullet.

 

[Guv]

How thick was the phenolic?

1" as I remember. I had been making some insulators out of it using a hole saw.

 

[jmca]

1" as I remember. I had been making some insulators out of it using a hole saw.

Wonder what a 1/2" would stop?

 

[Guv]

I think it might reach a point where it starts to crack and break apart. I know even cutting it you can only go so fast, it's some tough stuff, pretty heavy too.

 

[JohnL]

Battle proven in four wars and countless skirmishes. Highly effective when one is limited to FMJs by the Geneva Convention. Us civilians can use expansive bullets at higher velocities in smaller calibers. I have owned four 1911s in .45 ACP over the years. They fit my hand perfectly and shot reasonably well. All were mil-spec guns.

 

[freakindawgen]

I don't know if a 45 ACP blew him backwards but it sure did help move him backwards! They say he died on the scene but I believe he died on his way to the floor. No movement, no twitch or response after he landed!
Gun store Robbery Fail - Idiot tries to rob gun store - receives instant justice - Jan 2017

He using black powder? That's alot of gun smoke!

 

[bhp9]

An old US Army training video, with a few "updates" - got the link from my nephew (did a search and didn't find anything previously posted, so have at it ;^):

In the 1980's Pistolero Magazine shot live barnyard pigs in Mexico to get around U.S. animal cruelty laws and found zero difference in killing power between the .38 special, .357 mag, 9x19 and .45 acp. Pistolero said the pigs jumped higher and squealed louder when hit with the 9mm as opposed to the .45 acp.

Pistolero's tests proved that there is a vast difference in killing power between a pistol round and a high power rifle round.

In the book "The Ingles Diamond" it states that in 1945 a whopping 34 years after the .45 acp was adopted the U.S. Army found that the 45 acp was literally a "dud" round when it came to combat use. The .45 acp bounced off a military helmet at a scant 35 yards while the mighty 9x19 penetrated a military helmet at an astonishing 125 yards and might have done so even further away but no one succeeded in hitting the helmet beyond 125 yards.

So why did not more nations adopt the .45acp??????? Only a few did while the majority of the world adopted the 9x19 since it was invented decades ago.

It was because the 9x19 shot flatter making hits at long range easier.

The 9x19 had less recoil making it easier to train people to be accurate shooters.

The 9x19 carried more firepower.

The 9x19 had greater penetration than the .45 acp.

The 9x19 round was less costly to make.

The 9mm round was smaller and lighter and the soldier could carry more rounds of ammunition on his person.

I personally shot a 180 lb deer with a Glock 19 using 125 grain Remington old fashioned "golden bullets" that were "not" bonded. The deer died after being shot just once and died quickly. So much for the 9x19 being an anemic round.

Down through the decades there have been so many laughable myths about the .45 acp it would fill volumes. One of my favorite Moronic Babblings was that the .45 acp can knock a man off his feet, or spin him around like a top or make him disappear in a red puff of mist. The sad thing is people actually believe such malarkey.

 

[JohnL]

In the 1980's Pistolero Magazine shot live barnyard pigs in Mexico to get around U.S. animal cruelty laws and found zero difference in killing power between the .38 special, .357 mag, 9x19 and .45 acp. Pistolero said the pigs jumped higher and squealed louder when hit with the 9mm as opposed to the .45 acp.

Pistolero's tests proved that there is a vast difference in killing power between a pistol round and a high power rifle round.

In the book "The Ingles Diamond" it states that in 1945 a whopping 34 years after the .45 acp was adopted the U.S. Army found that the 45 acp was literally a "dud" round when it came to combat use. The .45 acp bounced off a military helmet at a scant 35 yards while the mighty 9x19 penetrated a military helmet at an astonishing 125 yards and might have done so even further away but no one succeeded in hitting the helmet beyond 125 yards.

So why did not more nations adopt the .45acp??????? Only a few did while the majority of the world adopted the 9x19 since it was invented decades ago.

It was because the 9x19 shot flatter making hits at long range easier.

The 9x19 had less recoil making it easier to train people to be accurate shooters.

The 9x19 carried more firepower.

The 9x19 had greater penetration than the .45 acp.

The 9x19 was round was cheaper to make.

The 9mm round was smaller and lighter and the soldier could carry more rounds of ammunition on his person.

I personally shot a 180 lb deer with a Glock 19 using 125 grain Remington old fashioned "golden bullets" that were "not" bonded. The deer died after being shot just once and died quickly. So much for the 9x19 being an anemic round.

Down through the decades there have been so many laughable myths about the .45 acp it would fill volumes. One of my favorite Moronic Babblings was that the .45 acp can knock a man off his feet, or spin him around like a top or make him disappear in a red puff of mist. The sad thing is people actually believe such malarkey.

With modern expanding bullets and improved propellants, the 9 X 19 Parabellum should be an effective round for all the reasons you mention.

 

[the_leper_colony]

In the 1980's Pistolero Magazine shot live barnyard pigs in Mexico to get around U.S. animal cruelty laws and found zero difference in killing power between the .38 special, .357 mag, 9x19 and .45 acp.... The sad thing is people actually believe such malarkey.

When folks choose to debate the relative effectiveness of handgun cartridges, I generally quote KY Jim's 'rules of carry':

1) Any gun is better than no gun.
2) A reliable gun is better than an unreliable one.
3) A hole where you want it is better than a hole someplace else.
4) A bigger hole is a better hole.

Whether that translates as 9mm or .45 (or .22 or .30 or .40 or .44 ;^) for you personally, is up to you to decide - make your own choice based on your own priorities!

 

[Jeepnik]

Battle proven in four wars and countless skirmishes. Highly effective when one is limited to FMJs by the Geneva Convention. Us civilians can use expansive bullets at higher velocities in smaller calibers. I have owned four 1911s in .45 ACP over the years. They fit my hand perfectly and shot reasonably well. All were mil-spec guns.

I believe it was the Hague Convention that regulated the use of "expanding" bullets. It also regulated things like shotguns. One thing folks forget is that to be required, both combatants must be signatories to the convention. The US only use FMJ in a number of conflicts because it was easier than having different types of ammunition of the same caliber in the supply chain.

 

[gnappi]

I don't know if a 45 ACP blew him backwards but it sure did help move him backwards! They say he died on the scene but I believe he died on his way to the floor. No movement, no twitch or response after he landed!
Gun store Robbery Fail - Idiot tries to rob gun store - receives instant justice - Jan 2017

That guy was dead before he hit the ground, I'd like to know more details on how many shots he absorbed and what caliber.