My caliber thoughts, AKA annoying cliche things that get posted a lot:
1. "Handguns suck at stopping people" (generalization) or some version of it is parroted because its what they read.
If a person was shot from the side, as shooting a broadside deer, one bullet could perforate both lungs, the person (like a deer) would have up to ten seconds of voluntary action remaining; that doesn't correlate with suck, because a .243 from a rifle would allow the same amount of time on a double lung hit.
People attacking someone would typically be shot facing forward, one bullet might get one lung but not both, time remaining for voluntary action has now increased; doesn't mean the bullet sucked, person still has one functional lung.
2. "Doctors can't tell a difference between handgun wounds" (broad generalization)
There are two possibilities:
(A) There are photos of damage from different handgun rounds indicating the caliber and bullet used, for example subjects A, B, C shot with 9mm/40/45 HST, subjects D, E, F shot with 9mm/40/45 Gold Dot, and G, H, I were Golden Saber in 9mm/40/45 and a team of medical professionals can't discern any wound difference, how about you? Pics available for layperson review.
(B) There are not comparison pics, rather this cliche is based on anecdotal observations of doctors more focused on saving a patients life than differentiating between the damage done by different bullets.
I assume it to be the 2nd of the two possibilities, as I've never seen the pics I described in possibility option A.
3. "
KE doesn't matter at handgun velocity" (another broad generalization)
Very likely that differences in caliber and bullet type aside, most people shot by police and civilians alike are with handgun bullets generating less than 400# KE including 9mm, 40, 45 and it is possible that less than 400# KE doesn't result in obvious or meaningful temporary cavity effect. However, applying this to all handgun calibers is an incorrect generalization.
Less commonly used carry calibers capable of generating 500+# KE are 357 Sig and 10mm.
What if the pistol bullet produced over 500# KE?
Some 357 Sig and 10mm loads are visibly more destructive of gel than 9/40/45.
But, temporary cavity effect in gel is dismissed by
"KE don't matter" people because gel is not tissue,
accurate statement; okay, gonna have to see it in tissue for it to count.
Well now I've got my own pics and I've mythbusted this cliche to my satisfaction.
I shot a deer with a Colt Delta Elite 10mm, bullet was a 155 XTP @ 1,400 fps
(my chrono average) which is 675# KE at muzzle.
According to a ballistics calculator, that bullet had about 1,330 fps /608# KE remaining at 18 yards, distance at which deer was shot.
Deer ran 40 yards and fell over, result from handgun did not "suck" - quite the opposite.
There was tissue damage beyond the diameter of the bullet, temporary cavity effect that wasn't so temporary. About 1 1/4 inch exit hole in shoulder / leg tissue from a bullet that only expands to .65 then continued to made a hole bigger than a quarter through the heart, again damage bigger than the expanded diameter of a 10mm XTP.
Unlike the doctors that can't tell a difference, I have pics for peer review (reply #356 & 358)
https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/official-10mmauto-deer-hunt-story-thread.1373461/page-18
"KE don't matter from handguns / handgun temporary cavity doesn't matter" is an incorrect generalization, it does not apply to Glock 20 or Delta Elite (10mm) with ammo producing / impacting with excess of 600# KE.