What is better urban self defence ammo?

Question

Would you use .45 or .32 in an urban environment?

I have just gotten my CWL in Atlanta. I won 2 handguns, a .32 and a .45.

I know that my .45 would stop an attacker but also would rip through him and could possibly hit someone behind him.

But a .32 would not put that guy down, unless i placed an entire mag in his upper torso, and a couple in his head.

What would you recommend? 9mm is in the middle?

Is it legal to use 9mm dum dum rounds?

Answer 1

9mm 124 gr hollow points are powerful enough to get the job done, but being that you own a 45 and a 32, i'll keep my opinions focused on those two calibers. First of all, I consider the 32 a  back up pistol. Granted it may work on a normal person, but someone that is all hopped up, may just look at you and laugh; then again they're more likely to wrap their hands around your throat and squeeze the life out of you. I'd stick with the .45

The FBI performance requirements for an ideal cartridge must have bullet expansion of .50" (1/2 inch) or more, and at least 12 inches of penetration in bare and clothed ballistic gelatin. Bullet penetration should not exceed 18 inches depth. 12 to 15 inches is considered the ideal range

Below is a link to a chart that outlines the cartridges and the FBI requirements listed above for sufficient defense ammo.

It shows the ballistic tests for various grain cartridges. I was going to suggest a cartridge for .32 but you didn't mention what .32 it was. for 32 Auto the Sellier and Bellot 73gr FMJ is about as powerful a round you can find for that caliber.

Answer 2

The .32 is a minnimal round. When in a life or death situation, I want the odds stacked in my favor. I carry a psitol in .45acp, and have for many many years, both on and off duty. Actually, the .45acp with quality modern hollow point ammo is not prone to over penetration, unlike the fast moving smaller daimeter 9mm which does tend to overpenetrate without transferring enough energy to the bad guy to put him down hard and quick. If the .32 is all you can carry, then use good ammo, and practice shot placement. My Para Ord "nitehawg" is the smallest high capacity .45 on the market. It's not much larger than a pistol in .32 and in fact is smaller than some. Para also makes a new single stack sub compact .45acp that only weighs 24oz!! You can't beat that for ccw in a large bore cartridge!.

shoot safe

Answer 3

A 22 will kill you, if the shot placement is right. I carry a full size 1911, 45ACP. Every day, it is loaded with 230 Gold Dot ammo. Most shootings occur between 3 and 7 yards. A 9MM is more likely to go through and through at that range, than a 45ACP. As it(the 9MM) has much more velocity as does the 40S&W, 10MM and 357SIG. All of these are fine for self defense. To each their own. I just prefer the 45ACP. The .32 is a good get off me gun. Yes, it can kill your attacker, but when? If your shot placement is not on the money and your attacher is a large, determined  individual. He may still get to you before he bleeds out. I have a friend that is an emergency room surgeon. He once told me that if I came in to his ER with a 9MM or 40S&W to the chest. That had not hit a vital organ or artery. He would have me back at work in about 3 weeks. But if it was a 45ACP in the same place, I'd be lucky to make it out of surgery. Food for thought, again you must find what works for you. Good Luck!

Answer 4

45 with a hollow point round will stop in a body and if not will not have enough energy to kill and a 45 will knock a man down a 32 usually will not

Answer 5

If you use a .45 ACP round that is a hollow point and is designed to expand upon impact I doubt if it will go straight through your attacker.  

Answer 6

The question is, what can you realistically carry with you? Do you want to walk around with a heavy .45 all the time? It isn't fun lugging around a heavy pistol and a spare mag or two. It might turn out that a smaller gun is what you will carry and conceal easier.

Have you ever seen some one shot with a .32? I have and they weren't looking very happy about it either. In fact I saw a patient in the ER that had been shot in the face a couple of times with a .22lr and it took the fight right out of him. If the day ever comes that you actually have to shoot somebody in self defense you'll be glad you have any gun at all.

Sure you can carry a bigger gun and bigger bullets... but a couple of little ones to the face will take the wind out of anyone's sails. Don't underestimate the smaller calibers.

Dum dums? How about staying with some simple hollow points.

Answer 7

My personal preference is Glazer brand ammo.  It is expensive but you will not be using it for target practice so the cost is not all that bad.  Glazer ammo has a frangible bullet that significantly reduces the likely hood of a ricochet or over penetration.  Both of these conditions can lead to an innocent bystander or family member being hit by your bullet.  The Glazer bullet will fragment when it hits a hard surface rather than ricocheting.  It will also disintegrate inside the bad guy and will not over penetrate and continue on to possibly hit someone that you don't intend to hit.

Answer 8

A .32 will put a guy down.  Go to a practice range and practice with it you can stop a guy with a .32.  And your problem with the .45 shouldn't be a problem If a guy is attacking you As the guy probly won't try to hurt you in public. Hope I could help.

Answer 9

9MM Hollow points.... In my opinion the 9MM is just right --- Pay no mind to anyone that tells you it wont...

The nice thing about the 9MM is the ammunition is inexpensive...... Use FMJ bullets for practice... In most sport shops you can get 50 rounds for $9.95.... cant do that with .45... You can get a lot of practice time in without cleaning your wallet out....

http://www.jgsales.com/index.php/ammo-fo...

The .45 is a cannon --- Unless your knocking down doors in downtown Bahgdad or rousting crackheads in a south Philly housing project the .45 is too much....

Springfield Armory XD Pistol - ...

http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php

Answer 10

The Best choice for a self-defense handgun is the tried, true, tested, and proven 357 Magnum, and you can also shoot 38 caliber ammo in a 357 Magnum.* You get two (2*) handguns for the price of one.* It is a no-nonsense Best man stopper.* Use 125 grain jacketed hollow points for self-defense ammo.* Research it and you will find that out.* You would be wise to reconsider and forget about the 32, 9mm, and the 45 acp.* {Sell or Trade the ones you have for the real man stopper, the 357 Magnum ASAP.*

Answer 11

common just pop off a .50 BMG stop anyone

Answer 12

The best self defense ammo is the one that you put in the right place the first time. If are only capable of hitting the body, go with the larger round. If you can make a head shot almost any gun will do. Don't give warning shots and don't shoot to wound, shoot to kill.