Quote:
Originally Posted by The Drew
That being said, if you expect to run into guys wearing body armor, then the alternative should be a headshot.
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Two other alternatives would be 1) A rifle, and 2) Going somewhere else.
FRISteve, you're disputing things I haven't said. I never said that 1500 PSI was a huge difference, in fact, I never said "1500 PSI" at all. I did intend to suggest that 5000 PSI, which is the difference between 9x19 and .357 SIG is a significant difference.
Apparently, I was not able to effectively express what I was trying to say, I'll try again:
If you take two otherwise equal platforms (like a G17 and a G31), and one is chambered for 9x19 and one is chambered in .357 SIG (like a G17 and a G31), the one firing the higher pressure cartridge will break more parts and have a shorter service life.
So, a G17 will require less parts replacement and have a longer life cycle than a G31. A G17 that fires only 9mm+P ammo will have a shorter life cycle and break fewer parts than a G17 that fires only standard pressure ammo.
So, otherwise equal gun + higher operating pressure = shorter service life. No one has said anything yet that refutes this. If you have any facts that dispute this, I'm more than willing to read them.
The 9mm+P vs. .45 ACP+P statistics are dramatic, but they don't tell the entire story either. This is mostly a non-issue because there aren't many firearms that come in both 9mm and .45 and meet the "otherwise equal" qualification.
I also suspect that the dramatically lower operating pressure of the .45 ACP (as compared to the 9mm) is partially due to the higher case volume in relation to the volume of the powder charge. The 9mm charge takes up almost all of the space avialable, while the .45 charge does not. While some of the reloading information I've used for other cartridges supports this, I cannot cite a source where this is scientifically established.