.38 Super "can" be used as a defensive round. However, there are much better choices out there. The reason for this it that .38 Super is not a commonly chambered round, so the ammo companies make very little if any defensive ammo for it. There are quality defensive rounds available in the common calibers (9MM, 40S&W, 45ACP) from Speer, Federal, Winchester, Remington, and Corbon. In .38 Super, only Corbon is making their better JHP available.
Originally Posted by
Chuck S
Both are "just 9mm" and product 9mm size holes. While energy is required to produce a wound comparing energy offers no clue to the size of the wound. Bigger wound is better and .45ACP FMJ produces larger wounds than expanded 9mm JHPs. So, no, I don't consider it a good "defensive" (or even offensive) hand gun cartridge.
Chuck you are making an apples to oranges comparison, and you are incorrect about the numbers.
The average expanded diameter in testing for Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Winchester Ranger etc. 9mm JHP rounds is around .62 inch. A .45 FMJ round would be .451 inch. Ballistic testing among those same popular rounds reveals very similar wound channels. In fact most coroners and trauma surgeons will tell you if asked, that they can't tell what bullet it was unless they retrieve it.
Now if we compare similar bullet styles, FMJ to FMJ, or JHP to JHP, then the .45ACP round has an advantage, albeit a slight one. If I had to limit myself to FMJ, then without a doubt it would be .45ACP. But modern hollowpoint ammo has come a long way since the FBI Miami shootout. It's not near the compromise it once was.
"The 1911 was the design, given by God to us through John M. Browning, that represents the epitome of what a killing tool needs to be. It was true in 1911 and it's true now." - Col. Robert Coates commanding, U.S. Marine Corp Special Operations Command Detachment 1 (DET 1)
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