arobacker

Always wondered about this... Of the popular handgun ammos listed below, I'm taking a shot at ranking them from most 'powerful' to least. (by 'powerful' I mean biggest felt-recoil and/or hardest thump on the target - a fairly subjective rating, granted) Let me know if/where you think I'm off.
(let's assume typical, uniform bullet type and 'average' grain)

.44 Mag
.357 Mag
.45 ACP
.40 S&W
.357 Sig (never shot it - no idea about this one)
9mm
.38 Special
.380
.32

- Aaron

30-06lover

Looks to me like your dead on the money. Ive got a 357sig and my 40 kicks more then it but not as bad as my 9mm

mauser06

up to the 9mm i agree......i know the 357 is a HOT round...the 40sw is between 9mm and 45.....the 45 packs a punch and half and lobs a heck of a bullet at a decint speed....357 mag shoots a lighter bullet pretty quick....and same with the 44mag......i think power in FT/lbs the 45 would win...but im not sure.....look up some ballistics if you really want to know.....but the 45 throws a pretty heavy bullet ata half decint speed....but the 44mag throws a lighter bullet a bit faster......hmmmmm i wonder....

mauser06

ok i lied....45acp only has something like 400ftlbs.....44mag has something around 900-1000........shooting same gr bullets.....i think dont quote me i gave it a quick glance....remingtons sight is what i used.....so i think your right....except maybe the 357 sig....not sure where that guy goes......

arobacker

Interesting...

I looked at the Federal, and Remington ballistics charts, and it would seem that the .357 sig is faster and packs a bigger punch than even the 40S&W (and in some cases, even more so than the .45 at the muzzel!!) I'm guessing it's loaded to higher pressures... (?)

Even the 9mm, when loaded with the right ammo, puts up some very respectible numbers.

Anyone have any experiences with a .357 sig to relate? Also, any experiences with +P ammo? (Apparently it's loaded at higher pressures and performs a little better.) The Remington web site indicates that the +P can only be used in certain guns... I imagine they need to be beefed up a bit to handle a heavier pounding.

bigcountry

With a lighter bullet, the sig is ok. I handload both, and you have alot of potenial with 40 over the sig round. The sig round is a 9mm on steroids basically. I have alot of trouble with crimping this round for some reason.

Nomercy

For the most part, what you're asking about is subjective. No, there's no denying that a .44mag is more powerful than either the rest listed, nor that the .25acp would be at the bottom of the list, however, you're forgetting a lot of things, firstly, gun design, grip design, grip material, bullet construction, and gun weight all are major players in recoil and hitting power.

Secondly, you just have ".32", what is that? .32auto, .32short, .32long, .32H&Rmag, .32special (rifle round)?? A .32H&R mag would be around the .38spcl, if not above it, occasionally above the 9mm.

The 9mm and .38special could be changed around too, as it's really dependant upon load and gun combination which kicks more or hits harder, which isn't always the same one anyway, i.e. there are a lot of 9mm's that kick harder than an average .38spcl that packs more punch...odd, but it's out there.

Depending on load and gun, the .357mag and .45acp might switch around as well.

IMHO, the .357Sig is a much better round than the .40S&W, while it is typically lighter recoiling (my experience), it packs a bit better punch down range-although the increased taylor factor of the .40 might make up for this. It's basically a little higher pressure than the 40 because of the neck on the case, it gets higher energy because of this, but it sheds it a bit faster because it's a lighter bullet. However, it's downrange accuracy is considerably better than the 40's...My only experience was a Glock package I bought, a 40 and 357Sig bbl, great fun great gun, but as far as what I wanted it for, a .45 or 9mm was a better choice.

+, +P, +P+ are all designators of "high pressure" rounds...higher than standard SAAMI regulations, typically it's not worth while to buy it, unless you're hunting with it. Put a +P load in a typical gun not rated for higher pressures and you'll likely only be holding half a gun and only have three fingers after the shot.

You've left a LOT of rounds off your list, certainly several that are more popular than some you listed even. The .41mag, .45colt, .25acp, .22lr/.22mag, and many popular rounds above the .44mag, not to mention a great deal of rounds that fit within the range you've listed.

What's the general purpose of your question, thinking on buying one, or just curious as to what we all think is stronger than the others?

JagMagMan

Don't forget the big boys!
.500 S&W 2600 ft/lbs.
.454 Casull 1900 ft/lbs.
.480 Ruger ?
.44 RM 900 ft/lbs.

arobacker

Yes, nomercy, I know this is a completely subjective issue... And yes, I also know I'm leaving a lot of rounds out of the equation - this was just a cursory list that I threw together with the rounds that I've shot (or want to shoot), figuring that the typical specifics (gun weight, grip style, barrel length, etc.) that you'd find on popular models out there. With that in mind, by all means, let's add to the list with other rouds that anyone has shot - 41 mag, 50mag (God bless you!!), and so on.
My motivation here is as much to get a bunch of experienced opinions onthe matter as it is to zero-in on what gun I'd like to buy next. (I currently own a Beretta 92FS, and I'm picking up a .45ACP Para 1911 this weekend, but I like to shoot anything my friends are willing to bring to my range!)
One difference of opinion on the 9mm though: In my experience, it is a much more powerful round than the .38spcl. (by the numbers and by shooting-experience). In fact some of the loads are quite respectible - up in the bottom of the .45ACP range, at the muzzle!! Everyone's so quite to write off the 9mm as a daisy, but it seems pretty capable to me...
But I absolutely agree about your comments on the .357 and the .40... Since my post the other night, I've been reading up on the proliferation of the .40 over the last 13 years; it definitely has some merits, but also some weaknesses (as you pointed out).

Actually, I was thinking of attempting a similar list for rifle rounds too... Anyone wanna take a shot at it?