We know .38 special, 9mm, .40, .45 all cause similar amounts of trauma to a person shot with them. It's often quoted, "service pistol calibers perform about the same given similar bullets".

And we know rifles and shotguns normally cause more damage.

So what about the more powerful pistol rounds? Setting aside slow follow-ups, muzzle blast, etc. When does a powerful pistol bullet do substantially more damage/perform better than a service round?

Does this level start with a hot .357 magnum with a 158 gr 1400 fps gold dot? A .44 magnum?

Just wondering.