Retort...
Well these would be the last reasons I would chose a handgun for self defense. First the military use Inglis HI-Powers porimarily because we made a ton of them at wars end and because the military has so little use for handguns in the games they play they still have a ton of them left over chambered in 9MM.
Our LEO's use them because a) Glocks are dirt cheap b) the RCMP got a sweetheart deal from S&W, the latter wanting to have the RCMP using their guns.
That said some mil units are getting Sigs as are some units of RCMP.
Ok, maybe the analogy of Mil is not a good one, however I was making reference to the bullet type, not handgun or caliber. In other words, JHP ammunition.
As a one on one cartridge the .45acp is one heck of a cartridge and some units of the USMC are getting the pistols back in inventory
We (USMC) never got rid of them, they were always in our inventory, read some of my previous posts regarding this. Also, I posted a hands on report of a Army bubba who became a security consultant in the current conflicts who opted for 9mm vs .45 and had practical experience saying the Browning HP was superior to the .45, also stating that Shot Placement is more important....
This is a BAD way to choose both guns and ammo as both are subject to political considerations. Canuck44 pretty much covered the issues related to guns.
I am referring to the round type, the original post was about type of defensive round....
However with ammo, the military uses what they are allowed to use by the Geneva Convention and that would be non-expanding ammo. We as civilians can do better ... a LOT better.
Since the HPs are almost always stopped by vests or heavy clothing, and Ball ammunition is not, would it not make sense to use Ball ammunition or FMJ in the odd case where an intruder may or maynot be wearing a vest? WE all see how easy it is to buy a used vest now a days...besides, whynot load 5 JHP followed by 5 FMJ?
Let me start by saying that the number one way to avoid a lethal force encounter is to avoid it in the first place.
Then, consider that it is always far better to talk your way out of a situation than to fight your way out. Less consequences.
From a strictly theoretical standpoint (because using fire arms for self defense is illegal in Canada), the militiary doesn't necessarily pick the best defensive round. Don't forget that they are using pretty much stricly "bal" ammunition. I don't think they are allowed to use bullets that expand on impact.
Agreed, mostly. I think that even though mil. are not supposed to use HP or expanding ammunition, you would be a fool to think that the stuff is not in theater. We brought our own and had Hydrashoks sent to us in 1990-1991. Even though the only reason to own a hand gun in Canada is for target shooting, I would think given the situation ( that you are in harms way from a justifieable threat) that you use the tool on hand to do what you need to do to save yourself, irregardless of the tool (handgun, shottie or rifle) you will be charged initially the same by the Crown. The point is not that you used a restricted, but that you killed someone and it comes down to whether DF was justified or not. I am pretty sure that using a restricted (handgun or long gun) in a DF situation IS NOT illegal.
For an collective version of Suputin's ballistics stuff in .pdf format
Click Here
I heard somewhere that 17hmr will go through bullet proof vests. Close range of course.
From what I have gathered, unless the vest has a plate, almost any rifle round will penetrate it.