This post on my Jews Can Shoot Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/JewsCanShoot/) is proving what I expected: lively debate. So far, 2.3K reactions, 1.1K comments, and 321 shares! My favorite comment so far: I love this argument. It enrages people all day without even getting into politics or religion.
‘“Why carry a 9mm when a .45 makes a bigger impact… right?”
That line gets repeated everywhere. Gun counters. Group chats. Range conversations. The idea sounds simple: bigger caliber, bigger damage, faster stop.
But handgun ballistics don’t work that way.
“Stopping power” has never had a scientific definition. It stuck around because it sounded convincing, not because it held up in testing.
When you look at today’s terminal ballistics from the FBI, the military, and independent researchers, the pattern stays the same.
Defensive ammo in 9mm, .40, and .45 is engineered to do one job: penetrate twelve to eighteen inches and damage vital structures. In FBI testing, these calibers end up producing nearly identical results.
The differences in permanent wound cavities are usually fractions of an inch, not the exaggerated difference people imagine when they talk about stopping power.
Unfortunately, Hollywood has trained people to believe bullets create a shockwave that sends bodies flying.
Handguns don’t work that way. Once a round hits anything, bone, tissue, even clothing, it slows down fast, deforms, and loses energy.
It also doesn’t respond the same way from one person to the next. Some individuals stay mobile and aggressive after taking wounds that will stop them minutes later. Others fall immediately from injuries that aren’t instantly incapacitating.
The only true instant stop is a direct hit to the brain or upper spinal cord, and making that shot under stress is difficult with any caliber.
And this is where the size argument really falls apart. Larger rounds bring real tradeoffs. More recoil. Slower follow-up shots. Lower capacity. More muzzle blast. Harder control when adrenaline spikes. Those factors matter in real life far more than the size of the bullet.
This is why agencies nationwide returned to 9mm after years of chasing bigger options. Not because it was trendy but because under stress, shooters perform better with calibers they can control.
At the end of the day, shot placement and penetration beat caliber size every time.
Keep learning. Keep training. Stay safe.’
Renee Stringer @ LinkedIn
