How many shots with a Luger does it take to kill a cow?

unspellable · 06-11-2003, 01:51 PM

All theories aside, simply count how many good hits and how many hitees stopped doing what they were doing, and there is no statistically significant difference between a 9 mm hardball and a 45 hardball.

On the other hand a good expanding bullet from a 357 Mag is the best manstopper known in a handgun. Even beats out the 44 mag as in the latter case most factory loads are intended for hunting and expand a bit too slow for social purposes, tending to overpenetrate and dump energy somewhere beyond the target.

In a load for social purposes, velocity and bullet design count for more than caliber.

The stockyard tests came about in part because of the army's experience in the Philippines. The 38 Colt didn't stop 'em so they brought back the 45 Colt. What fails to be mentioned is that the 45 Colt didn't stop 'em either. Nor did the 30-40 Krag. The Moros were a tough crowd. (Having owned a 30-40 Krag, I've never figured out why the army thought it was such a poor rifle compared to the Mauser. Nothing against the Mauser, it's just that the Krag wasn't all that bad either.)

The modern trend for small caliber rifles in the military is for reduced recoil and weight. This is a valid requirement in the context of "spray and pray". Actually aiming seems to have fallen by the wayside except for a few snipers. Today's infantryman is expected to expend several hundred rounds for one hit as opposed to earlier times when rounds per hit could be counted on the fingers.

06-11-2003, 01:51 PM	#22
unspellable User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 768 Thanks: 0 Thanked 19 Times in 11 Posts	All theories aside, simply count how many good hits and how many hitees stopped doing what they were doing, and there is no statistically significant difference between a 9 mm hardball and a 45 hardball. On the other hand a good expanding bullet from a 357 Mag is the best manstopper known in a handgun. Even beats out the 44 mag as in the latter case most factory loads are intended for hunting and expand a bit too slow for social purposes, tending to overpenetrate and dump energy somewhere beyond the target. In a load for social purposes, velocity and bullet design count for more than caliber. The stockyard tests came about in part because of the army's experience in the Philippines. The 38 Colt didn't stop 'em so they brought back the 45 Colt. What fails to be mentioned is that the 45 Colt didn't stop 'em either. Nor did the 30-40 Krag. The Moros were a tough crowd. (Having owned a 30-40 Krag, I've never figured out why the army thought it was such a poor rifle compared to the Mauser. Nothing against the Mauser, it's just that the Krag wasn't all that bad either.) The modern trend for small caliber rifles in the military is for reduced recoil and weight. This is a valid requirement in the context of "spray and pray". Actually aiming seems to have fallen by the wayside except for a few snipers. Today's infantryman is expected to expend several hundred rounds for one hit as opposed to earlier times when rounds per hit could be counted on the fingers.