THE STOPPING POWER OF DIFFERENT HANDGUN CARTRIDGES

2/22/2003

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

General Julian Hatcher, a noted forensic pathologist, in the early 1900’s developed a good formula to determine the theoretical stopping power of a firearm cartridge. His formula has withstood the test of time and validation from other studies and data related to stopping power.

You want a handgun cartridge that has a Hatcher value of over 50 for the most effective stopping power. Values over 55 have diminishing returns in that you don’t gain any significant increase in stopping power for the extra recoil and control you must cope with. Handgun cartridges that don’t make a value of at least 50, should not considered for self-defense. If the rating of your handgun cartridge is under 30, it only has about a 30% chance of producing a one shot stop. Hatcher Ratings of 30 to 49 raise a one shot stop to approximately a 50% chance. Ratings of 50 or higher produce a one shot stop about 90% of the time.

Handgun Cartridge Type ..................... Hatcher Rating

.45 ACP full metal jacket 230 grain .......... 49.1

.45 ACP jacketed hollow point 230 grain ...... 60.7

.44 Magnum full metal jacket 240 grain ....... 92.3

*.44 Magnum lead wad cutter 240 grain ......... 136.8

.44 Special full metal jacket 240 grain ...... 51.6

*.44 Special lead wad cutter 240 grain ............. 76.5

.41 Magnum full metal jacket 230 grain ............. 54

*.41 Magnum lead wad cutter 230 grain .............. 80

10 millimeter full metal jacket 180 grain .......... 50.3

10 millimeter jacketed hollow point 180 grain ..62.1

.40 S&W full metal jacket flat nose 180 grain ...... 53.4

.40 S&W jacketed hollow point 180 grain ....... 59.4

.38 Special full metal jacket 158 grain ...... 26.7

*.38 Special lead wad cutter 158 grain ............. 39.7

**.357 Magnum full metal jacket 158 grain ..... 32.7

**.357 Magnum lead wad cutter 158 grain ............ 48.5

.357 SIG full metal jacket 147 grain ................ 36.6

.357 SIG jacketed hollow point 147 grain ..... 45.2

9 millimeter full metal jacket 147 grain ............ 32.3

9 millimeter jacketed hollow point 147 grain ... 39.9

.380 Auto jacketed hollow point 95 grain ..... 18.3

.32 Auto jacketed hollow point 71 grain ...... 11.1

.25 Auto jacketed hollow point 50 grain ...... 3.7

.22 Long Rifle jacketed hollow point 40 grain ... 4.2

* Jacketed hollow points will have the same rating as wad cutter bullets if the bullet hollow tip is greater than 1/2 of the caliber of the bullet.

* .357 Magnum ratings are taken from a firearm with a 3 inch barrel. Longer barrels will raise the rating of the round.

[Rockpile]

My 28 is hard-chromed. I need to get the thing fixed, it's got some action problems. Think I'll try new springs and if that doesn't do it--off to somebody that knows what he's doing :}

[Lael]

What is the Hatcher rating on the original 7.62 mm Mauser cartridge introduced in 1896 with the "Broomhandle??"

[Voice in your head]

Is that legal?

[Soul Citizen]

bump

[Soul Citizen]

bump

[Clean_Sweep]

You don't say who did the tests or how they were conducted and it obviously was not Hatcher. This stuff has been hashed over and over with different results. There are to many conditions that effect the equation rendering the whole thing as near useless. Basicly your list just lists bullets by weight and says heavy bullets are better. Which may be true but it is not the entire equation for energy transfer on impact. There isn't any mention of +p loadings.

No one should pick a gun for concealed carry based on this factor alone for those of you thinking about a new purchase.

[Clean_Sweep]

I think this part of the paper about says it all!!

"The Allure of Shooting Incident Analyses"

[Clean_Sweep]

SureI have my second model 27 now, just a little nicer version. Fine shooting gun.

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

No one should pick a gun for concealed carry based on this factor alone for those of you thinking about a new purchase.

I am going to repeat one of my previous posts.

Any functional handgun is better than no handgun at all. But I hear some people talk about how good the 9 millimeter, .380 Auto, or .38 Special rounds are. If you have the choice of a better handgun for self protection, buy it.

Also be sure to buy a quality handgun that will not jam on you in a situation where you need it.

There are many factors in purchasing a handgun. If you can effectively shoot a 9 millimeter better than a .40 S&W handgun, you are better off with the 9 millimeter. Heavier rounds are better than lighter faster rounds for self defense. But the bottomline is:

"Any functional gun will do if you will do."

[merak]

Hate to say it, but it sounds like the ultimate cop gun would shoot 22 calibre ammo with some sort of a nerve agent. Kind of like the tranquilizer guns used on animals.

[earplug]

The question was concealed carry. The answer should be qualified as to weather, body size, style of clothing and body build and activity.
A 1911 under a T-shirt may be covered. It won't be concealed. A service pistol may be a fine choice to fire. It may not be a good choice for a CCW.
Pistol ammunition has not progressed much in the last 100 years. Smokeless powder and the human body have not changed much. The 38spl, 9mm, .357 and .45 all stand the test of time. Fancy expanding bullets for pistols are as shiny fishing lures for fish. Many new pistols rounds are the result of government rules.
We need to consider possible multiple shots, inclosed confined space (muzzle blast) and muzzle flash when firing in darkness.
I'm to lazy to pick up my brass and I don't get paid enough to carry a service size pistol. A M38 S+W is fine for me.

[Servant of the Nine]

The question was concealed carry. The answer should be qualified as to weather, body size, style of clothing and body build and activity.
A 1911 under a T-shirt may be covered. It won't be concealed. A service pistol may be a fine choice to fire. It may not be a good choice for a CCW.

I have conceal carried a 45 for years. First a Detonics Combatmaster in the '70s. Later a Para Ordnance P-10. Now usually a Para Ordnance Double Action Ultra Cary. They are all smaller than a Walther PPK or a S&W J frame 5 shot with 2 " barrel and being flat, they are easier to conceal than the Smith.

So9

[Shooter 2.5]

Same here. I just discribed carrying a Ultra-Compact under a t-shirt. As long as the shirt is a heavier cloth and a darker color, there isn't a problem. I can also carry a Commander under those circumstances so it's not the grips that are difficult to hide and it certainly isn't the barrel. The only reason I can see why the amount of people shy away from that type of gun is the weight. After a solid week of carrying, the weight isn't an issue.

[7MMmag]

To all: (RogFromGA was just convienent)
Like my father taught me, "a handgun is only good for fighting your way to a rifle..." Though just the other day he was hankerin' for one of those Charter Arms .44 Special snubnose's. I'm rather interested myself.
Still, we think we prefer rifles--much better. Little bitty hole goin' in---greAT BIG hole, goin' out...

[earplug]

I own an original Detonic. I consider it heavy, chunky and hard to carry due to its short barral and weight. The multiple sharp edges don't help. Does your body and dress match the lady in question?
I perfered a light weight Commander over it. I Have carried a Bulldog and still like my Smith. The Charter was a mid 70's gun and it sucked.

[waterstraat]

Ailleen Wornous, the famous female serial killer from Rochester Michigan, shot, stopped, and killed, 6 out of 6 men( or 9 out of 9 men depending on who you believe) with a .22 caliber revolver.

[arly]

Charter Arms .44 Special "Bulldog":

Hey just like the one Spike Lee threatened to shoot Charleton Heston with!

[PatrioticAmerican]

"Federal 230gr Hydroshocks for winter"

Those are the worst clothes packers of all; slow, big, and easily flattened. Speer Gold Dots have the best reputation of not packing, and the 155gr 40 cal has been shown in a number of studies, FBI included, to do the best on winter clothes, due to its high velocity (1300fps) and smaller opening. It opens better than the Hydroshocks in gelatin and through obstacles, yet, has better penetration through hard materials that flatten the Hydroshocks.

My recommendation is any Gold Dot that is of a high velocity (1100+fps), 40 or 45 cal. For 45 that would mean a 180gr, and for 40 a 155gr. I carry the 40 in 155gr.

[archy]

Aileen Wornous, the famous female serial killer from Rochester Michigan, shot, stopped, and killed, 6 out of 6 men( or 9 out of 9 men depending on who you believe) with a .22 caliber revelover.

True enough, though what lessons we should learn from her example are somewhat unclear to me, other than that even less than usually outstanding weapons may get the job done very effectively if fired with the muzzle in contact with the target, adding the force of burning powder gasses and muzzle blast to the damage caused by the bullet. I certainly prefer to avoid such close-range engagements, and also don't at all intend to emulate the late Ms. Wournous methodology for achieving such close-range encounters; neither do i plan to shoot anyone who is unarmed and not a lethal threat to me, though I'll admit it could happen. But I am happily not in the line of work that Eileen Wournous was.

Neither was her choice of a .22 anything particularly new; Smith and Wesson's original family management ceased the production of the original S&W *Ladysmith* .22 revolvers when they learned that the little handguns were being favoured by prostitutes who no doubt had learned the same trick as that employed by their notorious later sister. That name has recently been revived by the firm, hopefully intended for professional women in professions other than that sometimes said to be the oldest one.

But it is really fairly irrelevant whether those we may have to attend to in such circumstances die or not- it is the immediate cessation of their activities that is desired, especially if they're trying to harm us or another, and while their subsequent death may be a byproduct, it is not a substitute for the best possibile ability to cause their actions to cease right now. I learned that so long ago that it sometimes seems self-evident. But there are those who do not get it, or who have misplaced priorities on the matter, and it doesn't hurt to remind others, I guess.

-archy-/-

[archy]

My recommendation is any Gold Dot that is of a high velocity (1100+fps), 40 or 45 cal. For 45 that would mean a 180gr, and for 40 a 155gr. I carry the 40 in 155 gr.

I hope the handgun in which you're using it has a full-length 5-inch barrel if you're hoping to get that 1100 FPS out of it. You certainly won't get that from a Colt Officers Model/Star PD length barrel from a .45/185, and I doubt that the 3½-inch barrel of a mini-Glock 27 in .40 will develop that velocity either.