If two bullets have the same mass, we can look at the caliber or diameter of the bullet. Stopping power is the ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. For home defense, you might not want as deep penetration but instead a large wound cavity. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The round with a smaller bullet diameter should have more penetration because the force is localized to a smaller area. while the 45 fires a big 45 caliber bullet at a slow speed but still hits very hard. 10mm vs 45 ACP—A Brief Background. BONUS OFFER: Get your 500 Page Ammo Comparison Handbook (worth $43) for FREE right into your inbox. But it is still here, and that speaks for something and in recent years has been gaining in popularity. For twenty-five years, "full-power" 10mm was 200grs @ 1200fps, but some of the boutique ammo makers are loading close to 1300fps, which the. For handloading, you are probably going to see a significant increase in recoil energy for the 10mm. 9mm vs .40 vs .45 Debate | Which Is Better for Self-Defense? We see that all five rounds from each cartridge have some variation to them but tend to group together with no overlap between the rounds at the 50 or 100-yard mark. On top of that, the increase in velocity and bullet momentum (within 50 yards) really helps the 10mm rounds deal with penetration of cover. In our opinion, the most important quality to stopping power is shot placement. Swampfox, Doubletap, and Buffalobore come to mind as 3 makers of full power 10mm that is equivalent to what the round was originally supposed to be. Federal Fusion 10mm Auto Handgun Hunting Ammunition. But both have advantages over the other..45ACP.45 ACP is a very controllable defense round. It’s definitely important when choosing a certain round. For hunting large game, you would want more momentum to be able to push through thicker hide and bones which are denser and provide more resistance to the bullet entering the body. Bullets with higher sectional density (SD) usually have higher penetration. The .45 ACP, on the other hand, was designed by John Browning in around 1905. From the data I obtained, the 10mm rounds display a flatter trajectory with 1.12” average bullet drop at 50-yard mark and 4.06” at 100-yard mark. 100 yards for both of these rounds is pretty tough given their ballistic properties, but that’s just the data. As far as price goes, both of these cartridge types have their cheaper and more expensive options. A 200gr 10mm around the same muzzle velocities is going to pack a punch when it comes to recoil. We do want to give you some numbers from all of these rounds, and we will list tables in most of the different performance sections the averages of these various rounds. Best Gun Belt Reviews: CCW Leather and Nylon Belts To Buy in 2018, large pistol (small pistol too in some brass), Compatible Glock Magazine Calibers: 10MM & .45 AUTO (Not for .45 GAP). For hunting purposes, those 10 inches less bullet drop from the 10mm is going to be pretty significant. Though its popularity isn’t as high as that of the .45 ACP or 9mm, or even its front rival (the .40 S&W), it’s still widely used today. Best Concealed Carry Insurance [Comparison Chart]. As you can see form the graph, there is not a clear difference between the actual cartridge types. While this energy does translate to felt recoil, it is quantifiable. stopping power. We also want to take a look at the ballistic coefficients and a bitter longer range trajectory. Bottomline in the 45 ACP vs. 10mm Debate. What if you plan to go to the range and do some tactical drills? We write this to benefit you and hopefully help you in wading through all the information and options that are out there. Its stopping power is still superior to most semi-auto pistol rounds, and its recoil is already generous. Felt recoil takes a lot of other factors into account that is difficult to put numbers with including the handguns grip and the positioning of the shooter. Chuke discusses the myth of Knock Down Power, stopping power, and if the 45 can cut it in Alaska. If we were to go by the averages, the 10mm ammo would be around $50 more expensive. With that said, let me take you through some crucial data comparing the KE of the two handgun rounds: Remember we said that the 10mm rounds come out of the muzzle at higher velocities, which increases their KE. The reliability and accuracy of the 1911 is amazing, and the stopping power of the .45 ACP is battle proven. It’s what they were designed to do and they do it well. That question came up in the mid 80’s when the 10mm was the hot new round that people were all talking and writing about. It should be noted that although the 10mm Auto (aka 10 x 25mm) does seem to provide the ultimate in handgun stopping power when loaded with a relatively lightweight bullet, it is not the best choice for shooters with smaller statures or those who are recoil-shy because it requires a large frame handgun like the .45 ACP and generates a significant amount of recoil. The differences between these two cartridges at the 10 yards were less than .005” between the cartridges and left out of the graph to make it a little cleaner. But these assets also … For the .45 ACP, we like the Federal Personal Defense HST 230gr. We have not only looked at these ten rounds. In the terms of raw, stopping power, the .45 ACP remains one of the all time greats, especially when coupled with a 125 grain JHP. We can also look at the velocities of these rounds and realize that their performance is going to suffer as they move downrange, even with a longer barrel carbine adding a few hundred fps. Mine is a CZ Tactical Sports Orange in 9mm. How relevant this depends on what you plan on doing with these rounds. Sure, the 10mm has a flatter trajectory and quite a bit more than the .45 ACP when you get out to 75 and 100 yards. But one thing I can assure is that the factory loads of both cartridges will not show any significant differences concerning recoil energy. The 10mm rounds also tend to stay above the 1,000fps mark until the 75 to 10-yard mark while all of the .45ACP rounds except for the Speer Gold Dot round leaves the muzzle under 1,000fps. In 1945 the U.S. Military tested the .45 acp against the 9×19 and found to their horror it was a completely dud cartridge. Momentum simply describes the ability of an object in motion to stay in motion. The best stopping power is a complex mix of many different factors, including how fast the round is traveling and what it does when it enters the attacker’s body. A lot of quality issues plagued the rounds acceptance into the mainstream handgun cartridges. Note the size of this Federal 230-grain, .45 ACP HST +P bullet, which dropped a charging hog instantly. This can be attributed to the somewhat heavier 230gr. But, the .45 ACP counters that it is bigger at 100 yards than the 10mm at the muzzle. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. more, and moved at a slower velocity of 850 ft./sec. If you’re going with the .45 ACP, we like to go big. Both seem to be at the opposite ends of what makes up good stopping power, small and fast vs big and slow. The range you’ve in mind when firing your handgun determines if trajectory will affect your shooting. So, let’s first take a look at a big component of deciding between two cartridges, the recoil. But it’s important to note that this factor is influenced by various aspects which we’re going to discuss separately below: The mass and velocity of a given bullet heavily influence the amount of energy a bullet carries. You’ve all the information you need in this post, so you’ll be able to make a more informed decision on which round would meet your specific needs and expectations. Figure out which round feeds best through your gun and spend some time on the range, and you won’t worry about accuracy again with either of these cartridges. Even with shooting these rounds through a carbine, we are not talking the ranges of centerfire rifles. We do not see much of a difference between the two cartridges at first glance. At a 100 yards the 10mm has as much power as the .45 acp does at the muzzle. Today on Kentucky Ballistics we shoot some 10% ballistic gel with 10mm and 45 ACP + P. I hope you enjoy the video and thanks for watching! The difference tends to shrink as we approach the 25-yard mark. We are not going to graph and discuss all forty rounds because that would bog down the graphs and the discussion. The reason for this was that the standard bullet used in the .45 was a round-nosed 230-grain FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) projectile, while the 9mm featured an FMJ bullet that was much more streamlined and around 100 grains lighter. Now, for most situations people are using handguns, the trajectory makes little difference, but once you get out to the 30+ yard range, there might be some difference between two different cartridges. We compiled the ballistic coefficients of these rounds and graphed them below (Graph 5). The theory behind sectional density and penetration is that the heavier the bullet, the more mass that is behind it when it hits the target. Now, these numbers can be a little higher or a little lower depending on your carbine, but you see the trend. Sure, you can even hunt with it, but you are really limited in range when looking at the kinetic energy and the trajectory when getting out at 75-100 yards. Bow Hunting 101: Discovering the Parts of an Arrow, The Best 10/22 Accessories for You! Bullet design is another important factor as is bullet momentum which we are about to cover. It was to be the ultimate 1911 round, something to revitalize the platform. What they offer you is a lot of bang for your buck. I was recently debating though if I should get a simple, easy, do-it-all carry & protect handgun. The 10mm Auto was also adopted by the FBI due to its power in the mid-1980s. He was looking for a cartridge that could outperform the .45 ACP using a 200gr., 400” bullet that could be shot from a 5” gun barrel at velocities of up to 1200 feet per second. My head was at 10mm, because, well, the stopping power is unbeatable. The lethality and stopping power of 45 ACP is based on the 230 grain bullet. There, he met 2 businessmen, and together they began building the new weapon later in the same year. Others have adequately answered your question about its size, but as for stopping power, that depends. Here’s what you need to know about 10mm and 9mm ballistics and stopping power. Receive our newsletter with the best articles covering guides, guns & gear. One of the pros to a low velocity round is that you get a smaller muzzle flash which can help with target acquisition on follow up shots. That question came up in the mid 80’s when the 10mm was the hot new round that people were all talking and writing about. It was designed following the need to provide the US Calvary with a pistol round with higher stopping power. There has always been a debate over the best caliber for self-defense. But when it comes to handgun stopping power, things get a little trickier. As far as comparing the two cartridges go, computer-generated data has its advantages in that environmental variables and these differences in firearm profiles are negated, so the trends are uniform across the board. If we look at the averages, the 10mm Auto ammo is around a buck fifty more expensive, but again, we don’t think this is enough to sway you towards one cartridge or the other. It recoils less and can be fired much more rapidly than the hard kicking 10mm. They are … It should simply tell you if the round will suit what you intend to use it for. We are not going to tell you that this is a useless comparison. You might also argue that the recoil factor affects accuracy. This is not usually an aspect looked at when discussing handgun cartridges, but we think it can be quite interesting when discussed with regards to use in carbines and sub rifles chambered for these cartridges. Fans of the .45 ACP counter that the … 45 ACP is a better choice because it has a higher stopping power than the 9mm. With these two rounds overlapping in their applications, we wanted to do a side by side comparison of the rounds. For hunting purposes, I’d recommend you to go with the 10mm Auto. It also gives us something to look back on when we see the numbers and help us make more sense of them. Yes, it’s a classic argument that pits small caliber (9mm) versus large (.45 ACP) and extra capacity versus brute stopping power. Talking about availability, the rising popularity of the 10mm Auto has made its ammo more available. It also hit pop culture with the Bren Ten in Miami Vice. Additional factors such as velocity and bullet design also come into play higher velocities lead to increased penetration as does the highly bonded bullets that don’t fragment on impact. On these metrics, the rounds are generall equal. Both of these cartridges use pretty large caliber bullets with the 10mm utilizing a .4005 inch diameter bullet with the .45ACP utilizing a wider .451 inch diameter bullet.