Most deadly pistol round

**Bill** · 24 Jan 06,, 18:17

Originally Posted by Ballguy

What do you all believe are the most deadly pistol rounds? Be careful about saying "according to......": I'm going to get an ER surgeons input on this one.

Whatever is in my hand.

**lurker** · 24 Jan 06,, 18:20

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

Whatever is in my hand.

Lol. Agreed.

Best gun in the world is not that good, if you seeing it pointed at you.

**Bill** · 24 Jan 06,, 18:24

**sniperdude411** · 26 Jan 06,, 01:15

Originally Posted by bonehead

Hey! would a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun with the barrel cut at say.. 5" count as a pistol round? If so then I want to change my answer because...thats gotta hurt.

I'd say a flare gun... 4000º for about 30 seconds in your chest... I'd say it's deadly.
Either that or the .500 Magnum or the .460 Magnum with Polymer tips.

**OurLastHope** · 21 May 06,, 22:27

:P
Weapon Malf Type Damage SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Cost LC Holdout
Maadi-Griffin Pistol Crit. Cr.+ 8d-1 15 6+2 440 3,000 15 1/8 1 11 -3 $1,400 2 -4
.50BMG (12.7×99mm) [l] 1993
Maadi-Griffin Pistol
14-year old fires Maadi-Griffin Pistol This .50 caliber, 17'' barrel, one-shot pistol was designed by Bob Steward. The statistics include extra recoil reduction (as per p. UTII62) by the very effective muzzle break (see second picture). Muzzle blast and noise are monstrous (+4 to hear or spot over the usual modifiers; see under Silencers). Roll against HT-1 when fired indoors without serious ear protection. A failed roll results in temporary Hard of Hearing (as per p. B28) for 1d hours.

for more info click here X_x

**ArmchairGeneral** · 21 May 06,, 23:39

That's a pistol in the same way that an anti-tank rifle would make a good deer hunting gun. Seriously though, .500 Mag or .454 Casull. Nothing else can match those for pure power, AFAIK. Of course, an explosive round would always be nice.

**Gunny762** · 22 May 06,, 08:49

Originally Posted by Defcon 6

.50 Ae

you play too many video games, Hollywood. .500 S&W Mag is the most powerful pistol caliber on the market. If you want to go by what typically is shuttled from the ghetto to the ER, .22 LR is surprisingly high on that list.

**jame$thegreat** · 23 May 06,, 20:57

Originally Posted by ArmchairGeneral

That's a pistol in the same way that an anti-tank rifle would make a good deer hunting gun. Seriously though, .500 Mag or .454 Casull. Nothing else can match those for pure power, AFAIK. Of course, an explosive round would always be nice.

your wrong .50 BMG is far more powerful than the .500 mag or .454 casull, look at the size difference!

**2DREZQ** · 29 May 06,, 20:39

There is ONE recorded instance (that I know of) of a human surviving a .357 Magnum in the heart. Anything more is just crash & bang.

BTW, the survivor was a policewoman, who proceded to put multiple 9mm rounds into her assailant, who did not survive...

**ArmchairGeneral** · 29 May 06,, 23:34

Originally Posted by jame$thegreat

your wrong .50 BMG is far more powerful than the .500 mag or .454 casull, look at the size difference!

As I said, the .50 BMG is no more a pistol round than a 40 mm Bofors airburst is a good quail round. Sure, you can put it in a "pistol," but it ain't a pistol round, practically speaking.

**Defcon 6** · 31 May 06,, 08:03

Originally Posted by Gunny762

you play too many video games, Hollywood. .500 S&W Mag is the most powerful pistol caliber on the market. If you want to go by what typically is shuttled from the ghetto to the ER, .22 LR is surprisingly high on that list.

I don't play video games.

.50 AE

**navypeter** · 01 Jun 06,, 11:36

cop in navy, i fear more of the smaller cal. rounds because those are what penatrate our vests. mine can stop the 357 or 44. but not the little 22. i don't know how good i would feel after gettin hit with the 357 after it was stopped by my vest. i had talked to a doc before at an er and they said most of their injuries are from a 22. proably cause its just a cheaper round to get.

**RustyBattleship** · 01 Jun 06,, 17:23

I think some of you have lost sight of the title of this thread. The question refers to a PISTOL round, not a .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun round that John M. originally designed as an anti-tank round in 1917. I can't imagine anyone building a handgun ("pistol") big enough to chamber it. I CAN imagine there would be somebody out there stupid enough to try to fire it.

As for the S&W .500, .454 Casul and others they may be quite deadly but they are not normal ISSUE firearms. The powder layers in the Casul probably would not stay separated during many combat scenarios (diving into a ditch, etc.) and when mixed would blow the gun up.

There was mention of .22 long rifle being considered perhaps because you can carry a lot of rounds and weigh your enemy down with lead in a short period of time with just a "light rifle" (Remington or Winchester pump). The interesting thing is that the little .22 LR can have more penetrating capabilities of bullet resistant materials than larger bullets. The reason is because it is small enough to squeeze it's way between the weave (if the vest is not resin impregnated) and just slow enough to keep its shape. The higher velocity .223 of an M-16 might be stopped because its high velocity would flatten it out as it makes its first "wiggle" through the weave. But again, we are talking about a RIFLE cartridge, not a PISTOL cartridge.

So, let's put aside the specialty guns, wildcats and shoulder arms and take a look at what's on the shelf. My vote, in order of lethality is:
.25 ACP - Very poor. In some cases have actually bounced off a forehead.
.380 ACP - Fairly good and can cause enough hurt to change the scenario.
.22 Long Rifle - Fairly good penetration but more of a nuisance cartridge.
.22 Rim Fire Magnum - Can be a good day spoiler but not always lethal.
.38 Special - Fairly good but not much more penetration than a .380.
.38 ACP - Same as above but makes a great target pistol on a .45 frame.
.45 ACP - Good knock down round though not much penetration.
9 mm "Luger" - Good penetration, large capacity magazines, but little knockdown power.
.357 Magnum - Good for all-around depending on what kind of bullet you use.
.40 S&W - Good for all-around plus large magazine capacity advantage.
.44 Magnum - Really good. It's taken down Grizzly Bears.
.41 Magnum - Ranks up there with the .44 but with a tad more penetration.
.44 Auto Mag - Come up with a double stack magazine and you have a winner. Extend the Thompson M-1928 A1 receiver and modify it for .44 Auto Mag and you have an unbeatable street fighter.

**sappersgt** · 01 Jun 06,, 18:19

Originally Posted by RustyBattleship

I think some of you have lost sight of the title of this thread. The question refers to a PISTOL round, not a .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun round that John M. originally designed as an anti-tank round in 1917. I can't imagine anyone building a handgun ("pistol") big enough to chamber it. I CAN imagine there would be somebody out there stupid enough to try to fire it.

As for the S&W .500, .454 Casul and others they may be quite deadly but they are not normal ISSUE firearms. The powder layers in the Casul probably would not stay separated during many combat scenarios (diving into a ditch, etc.) and when mixed would blow the gun up.

There was mention of .22 long rifle being considered perhaps because you can carry a lot of rounds and weigh your enemy down with lead in a short period of time with just a "light rifle" (Remington or Winchester pump). The interesting thing is that the little .22 LR can have more penetrating capabilities of bullet resistant materials than larger bullets. The reason is because it is small enough to squeeze it's way between the weave (if the vest is not resin impregnated) and just slow enough to keep its shape. The higher velocity .223 of an M-16 might be stopped because its high velocity would flatten it out as it makes its first "wiggle" through the weave. But again, we are talking about a RIFLE cartridge, not a PISTOL cartridge.

So, let's put aside the specialty guns, wildcats and shoulder arms and take a look at what's on the shelf. My vote, in order of lethality is:
.25 ACP - Very poor. In some cases have actually bounced off a forehead.
.380 ACP - Fairly good and can cause enough hurt to change the scenario.
.22 Long Rifle - Fairly good penetration but more of a nuisance cartridge.
.22 Rim Fire Magnum - Can be a good day spoiler but not always lethal.
.38 Special - Fairly good but not much more penetration than a .380.
.38 ACP - Same as above but makes a great target pistol on a .45 frame.
.45 ACP - Good knock down round though not much penetration.
9 mm "Luger" - Good penetration, large capacity magazines, but little knockdown power.
.357 Magnum - Good for all-around depending on what kind of bullet you use.
.40 S&W - Good for all-around plus large magazine capacity advantage.
.44 Magnum - Really good. It's taken down Grizzly Bears.
.41 Magnum - Ranks up there with the .44 but with a tad more penetration.
.44 Auto Mag - Come up with a double stack magazine and you have a winner. Extend the Thompson M-1928 A1 receiver and modify it for .44 Auto Mag and you have an unbeatable street fighter.

Wow. A .44 Automag Thompson?! I doubt it would happen but it sure makes one think...

**jame$thegreat** · 01 Jun 06,, 21:11

"think some of you have lost sight of the title of this thread. The question refers to a PISTOL round, not a .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun round that John M. originally designed as an anti-tank round in 1917. I can't imagine anyone building a handgun ("pistol") big enough to chamber it. I CAN imagine there would be somebody out there stupid enough to try to fire it.

As for the S&W .500, .454 Casul and others they may be quite deadly but they are not normal ISSUE firearms. The powder layers in the Casul probably would not stay separated during many combat scenarios (diving into a ditch, etc.) and when mixed would blow the gun up.

There was mention of .22 long rifle being considered perhaps because you can carry a lot of rounds and weigh your enemy down with lead in a short period of time with just a "light rifle" (Remington or Winchester pump). The interesting thing is that the little .22 LR can have more penetrating capabilities of bullet resistant materials than larger bullets. The reason is because it is small enough to squeeze it's way between the weave (if the vest is not resin impregnated) and just slow enough to keep its shape. The higher velocity .223 of an M-16 might be stopped because its high velocity would flatten it out as it makes its first "wiggle" through the weave. But again, we are talking about a RIFLE cartridge, not a PISTOL cartridge. "

well, i would like to point out first off that the maadi-griffen .50 BMG is a legitimate pistol although it may be overkill, the fact that it fires a .50 BMG round doesnt exclude it from the ranks of a pistol (it doesnt have a stock ), the .500 S&W and .434 Cassul are also indefinatly pistols although they fire large round, you mention the M-16 as a gun that has little penetrating power i would agree with you there, the M-16 has very good acuracy and impact but its penetration is lacking, i saw on some show they shot one into a pool to test its abiility to penetrate water and the slugs broke up into small pieces almost instantly on contact with the water, the shards of metals lethal properties had diminished by 2' down, bascally if someone is shooting at you with an M-16 swim for your life

i dont know if i agree with you, how ever, on the thought of the .22's ability to penetrate military body armor, kevlar may be woven but it is not easily "wiggled through" it is tightly woven and usually backed with a ceramic or metalic plate to prevent injury from impact, the combination of the two would most likely stop the .22 in its tracks (besides ive seen a vest in person that was shot with varrying caliber pistols raging from .22-.44mag the .22 hardly broke the vinyl covering on the vest because it was stopped so abruptly. well just my thoughts i mean no argument sir