[HangglideShawn]

I have tried unsuccessfully to research this and frankly, I give up. Perhaps I should stop thinking about this. I’m really fond of the .45 acp. I generally carry one for self defense in various configurations. My wife says I accessorize.

There are of course different weights of projectiles from 185 to 230 grains. In that respect which is best for stopping a threat? The lighter grains feel like they recoil less, but is it the heavier bullet that does the trick or the diameter that causes the larger permanent wound channel?

I absolutely believe that accuracy is the best way to stop an attack and that caliber is probably not relevant. So is bullet weight relevant?

I'm not sure that the theoretical research matters much. If I'm going to use a gun for self defense, I'm going to use the most vicious round that I can buy. Some high weight, jacketed, hollow point. I live in west Tennessee, and we have the
"castle doctrine" That means I can defend myself in my home !! And every time I hear an oddball noise, I grab
one of my many handguns guns that are around the house. Sure, my rifles are stored in a closet but not my
self protection hand guns. My favorite is a SS 1911 5" with oversized controls. I also like my SS SIg P232 9mm
SA / DA. I have always held the belief that anybody in my home that doesn't belong is only there to cause me harm.
My belief was tested when I was 15. A drunk neighbor tried to break into my parents home when only my 3 sister's
and I were home. I loaded my parents .38 and was no longer in the position of being a victim. The older sister was
a model and one of the younger ones became one. I didn't have to shoot him..... but I would have.

 

[Wood]

I’m really fond of the .45 ACP. I generally carry one for self defense in various configurations. My wife says I accessorize.

There are of course different weights of projectiles from 185 to 230 grains. In that respect which is best for stopping a threat? The lighter grains feel like they recoil less, but is it the heavier bullet that does the trick or the diameter that causes the larger permanent wound channel?

I absolutely believe that accuracy is the best way to stop an attack and that caliber is probably not relevant. So is bullet weight relevant?

I, too, am really fond of the .45 ACP. I carried one for decades and to this day keep one in the rotation, mood, or environment in which I plan to interact (you know - different tool for different job sort of thing). Anyway, in an effort to answer your question: the definition of "best" for anything is relevant and, as wonderfully demonstrated earlier in this thread by @Model 52 , can be achieved in a variety of way and means. I am not a fan of +P anything. Not slurring, just not my thing and an entirely different rabbit hole to go down. Ammunition technology has come a long way from the days of old. However, I would not want to be shot with ANYTHING from a JHP to a FMJ or even a .177 BB for that matter. They ALL will minimally leave a mark or a hole - some worse and/or bigger than others. However, IMHO, caliber is indeed relevant. A moped will pull a car but a F-250 sure does the job better and a whole lot easier. Yes, accuracy is of utmost importance in neutralizing a threat. A well placed shot with a .22 will do the trick. However, going from zero to ten in a split-second and in the ensuing high-stress environment of a real, life or death gunfight with you and your family's lives at stake, are you willing to bet your life and the lives of the people you are protecting that you can put a round twixt the eyes of an erratic, meth-fueled, moving target and stop the fight with one shot? I'm a fair shot but I can't say with any amount of certainty that I could consistently pull that off. Again, IMHO, I feel that a larger caliber gives you a little more "margin of error" with regards for shot placement and is therefore relevant. I can, and indeed do, recommend the Federal Hydra-Shok 230 gr. JHP for defense. From the rooter to the tooter to the toenail, if you hit a threat anywhere with one of those, they will have to be mighty committed to continue their ill-fated course of action if they are able to get back up. Regardless of the path you choose, having something is better than having nothing. The old saying "don't bring a knife to a gunfight"? A knife in a gunfight is better than a fist so... I hope all of the information provided in this thread helps you in some way, shape, or form. As far as your wife saying you accessorize? I tell mine that's like the pot calling the kettle black. She just rolls her eyes

 

[Kosh75287]

I am betting most folks that are not high on meth or something similar could be stopped in their tracks with a .22 short in the foot. For me just having a gun pointed at me would be enough.

You may be absolutely right, but you never NEVER have the luxury of expecting your would-be adversary to be sober, un-drugged, nor at all reasonable. If most of those applied to him, he'd likely not not present a threat to you, as you would never think to do so, to him.
If you are not familiar with the subject, a semi-extensive study of U.S. forces operating in the Philippines during their 1906 insurrection will give you considerable insight as to the injury-blunting effects of opioids, cannabinoids, religious fanaticism and body-wrapping on attackers known as "Moro Krissmen". This point in our military history probably has more to with our armed forces' adoption of the .45 ACP as a service pistol than any other.
The Army NCOs and officers were "armed" with a very anemic and ineffective round, which the Krissmen would absorb in double-digit quantities, while in the process of stabbing, slashing, and otherwise attacking the U.S. troops. Even the .30 caliber rifle rounds would fail to stop them despite solid hits at lose ranges. Usually a load of buckshot or an Army saber, or (in one case, the back of a shovel head) stopped them, when exsanguination did not.
Old stocks of Colt M1873 revolvers in .45 Colt (or .45 Scofield?) were quickly reissued, and the Krissmen were stopped with less difficulty (though using the adverb "easily" probably would be overstating things). If memory serves, the original .45 Colt load was powered by 40 grains of black powder, and launched a 255 grain LRN slug at an advertised 860 f/s.
In the interest of making the round easier to shoot from a horse, the Army reduces it to 28 gr. over a 230 gr. LRN, which yielded a velocity in the 800 + 25 f/s. This made things a bit easier for the soldiers, and appears to not have reduced the round's fight-stopping capacity.

 

[bbrosebud344]

I believe that the 230 gr. load was for the Schofield revolver as it had a shorter cylinder. Out side of a drug crazed criminal I believe that a hit anywhere on the body will cause most people to desist. If I am not mistaken one of the LA bank robbers, the last one was taken down with a shot to the foot by an officer who fired under the truck.

 

[MZ5]

Okay, I'll bite:

Is it the weight or the diameter?

Maybe!

 

[Pudfark]

Here's my ten cents/sense? First, if at all possible don't put yourself knowingly in a bad situation or environment.
Second, should trouble find you and an escape option is present, take it.
Third, if the first and second options aren't doable, have something anything on your person or within grasp that works.
Fourth, whatever you choose or have available must/should be sufficient to handle the problem.
Fifth, know that during a situation? You will never have time to think, once things start. You must have a plan ahead of that time.
Sixth, Whatever happens tell the truth about it. Make no formal statement until your attorney arrives.
Seventh, know that you're gonna spend a lot of money. A heckuva lot, likely.
Eighth, what ever starts, at the get go, you will be at a gross disadvantage. Awareness, speed and skill will be all you have on your side.
Ninth, should you survive? I hope you do. Your opinions and your life will be forever irrevocably changed.

Me: I carry both a 5" and a 3.5" 1911's in .45acp. I carry ball ammo in them, got some old HP's but don't use them.
My preferred load is a 215gr or 200gr hard cast semi wadcutter as fast as I can push it. I still have some, but they're 30 years old.
So, I'm going to return to reloading this year, after a 29 year departure. Just to load what I prefer, my old bowling pin loads.

I never had the option to retreat. My words above may reflect that some. Just saying that I've had to use handguns from 1.5 feet to 46
yards, my targets were those trying to harm the public, my partner or me.

 

[Uncle_Lawrence]

which is best for stopping a threat?

The larger diameter of course, ask anyone that has been hit with a 230+gr projectile, it's like getting hit from Mike Tyson without the burn.