9mm 124+p vs 357mag 125 JHP is mag really better?

[Marcus L.]

Marcus -- The problems there are (1) what works best on a charging rhino may not be what works best on a human being, and (2) what works best to kill wild game may not be what works best to incapacitate an attacking human.

It's also a truism of the IWBA point-of-view that rifle terminal performance and handgun terminal performance are substantially different in the manner of causing wounds and incapacitation, thus further limiting the value of big game hunting data as it would pertain to stopping lethal human threats.

You make a good point there since there is documentation to show that high powered rifles whether light and fast or heavy and slow generate substancial TSC. However, just for the sake of comparing rifles to rifles, it is an interesting observation from Mr. Muldoon.

What all this does show is that projectiles with flat frontal areas and sharp edges do cause more wounding that pointed projectiles with smooth edges. If you can enlarge your flat frontal area with an expanding JHP.....even better.

Just based on the preexpanded bullet profiles, I would say that the .357sig JHP has an advantage over the 9mm before expansion of the bullet. Its profile has a less acute nose and a larger frontal area which would cause greater cavitation and more rapid expansion early in penetration. Probably why the .357sig and the 9mm 147gr have such different TSC in the topic picture:


However, the 9mm needs that elongated bullet taper due to the case taper. When you load the tapered case of the 9mm into a straight magazine the cartridges have a slight nose-dive as the magazine spring tension relaxes. The tapered bullet helps feeding.

[DocGKR]

Jack-O, given equivalent modern bullet construction, the permanent wound channels will be the same. A true .357 magnum offers an advantage for hunting, as it can launch heavier projectiles, like the superb Winchester 180 gr Partition Gold loading.

No respected wound ballistic researchers dye gel. The photo you depict was a series of tests done by Doug Carr while he was at Federal Cartridge--ammo companies frequently dye their gel, as it makes the wounds tracks look larger, since the dye leaks into the cracks caused by the temp cavity stretch. In the photo above, all of the TSC's, except the slightly smaller 9mm's, are approximately the same size--in this case, ALL are less than the diameter of a baseball and would likely cause minimal wounding effects in most elastic soft tissue.

If JHP's are forbidden, then something like the Federal EFMJ, Corbon Powerball, or Ruag Action rounds might be acceptable. In revolvers, a full wadcutter with sharp edges is a good solution--for example solid brass and copper rods, cut and loaded to around 900 fps from a 4" barrel; Dr. Fackler experimented with this concept and commented favorably on it.