380 vs 9mm vs 40s&w vs 45ACP Penetration Test 

Even though the 380 acp only passed thru one 2x6, it proves a good point. For those who live in an apartment, or like me, in a mobile home park, it proves that the 380 fmj is the upper limit for home defense pistols. I have a 9mm Taurus G3c but I would hesitate to use it for home defense. Even though our park is in a rural area, my neighbors are about 25 ft away on either side. I would rather use 380 acp jhp than 9mm jhp in my situation because of the danger of over penetration with either caliber in fmj. That being said, the 380 will only be used if the Mossberg 500, loaded with #4 buck, goes out of action. Thanks for a good video.

In my opinion .45 is a well trained person caliber and so is the other 2(9mm and 40) but the fact that the .380 doesnt penetrate as well doesnt make it a less desirable round,esspecialy when living in a track home or appartment where over penetration could be a problem!!!Less recoil just as effective!

I performed a similar test to yours. I shot 380acp, 9mm, 357 magnum, and 45acp at a stack of five 2x8 inch pine boards. Since all five boards were 24 inches long, I was able to shoot all four firearms at the same 5 boards. The 380acp was 95 grain flat-nose Fort Scott solid copper shot with a 4-inch barrel Hungarian Walther pistol. The 9mm was 147 grain flat-nose Federal American Eagle FMJ shot with a 5-inch barrel Taurus pistol. The 357 magnum was 180 grain hard-cast lead flat-nose HSM Bear Load shot with a 6-inch barrel Smith & Wesson revolver. The 45acp was 230 grain round-nose MagTech FMJ shot with a 6-inch barrel Heckler & Koch USP pistol. The 380acp penetrated 2 boards; lodged exiting the 2nd board; and left a 1/2 cm dent in the 3rd board. The 9mm penetrated 4 boards; lodged in the last third of the 4th board, and dented the 5th board. The 357 penetrated 4 boards; lodged in the last third of the 4th board, and dented the 5th board. The 45acp penetrated 4 boards; lodged in the first third of the 4th board; and did not dent the 5th board. I was pleased that the results of my test were very similar to yours.

Doesn’t matter much. Shot placement is everything.

I use a .380 for my CCW and I am confident it will put a serious dent in a bad guy's day. I use a 9mm for home defense. The 9 mm is definitely up to the task of putting an end to a deadly threat.

I think the .40 was at a disadvantage to begin with because of the flat-nose bullet, as opposed to the round-nose bullets of the other three. But it still held its own.

I never get tired of these comparison videos - enjoyed. In my case, I have a half-dozens 9mm pistols of all sizes--for target, home defense, and CC...and it's just a good all-around versatile performer. The missus fires larger 9mm and 45 ACP at the range, but she carries a .380 because she feels comfortable and competent with it chambered in her subcompact. I have no issues with it. Folks get wrapped around the axle about caliber and her NRA instructed was telling her she should carry 9mm, but people often say foolish things without having all the facts. Fact: a .380 will thwart all most the most crazed assailants - it would do some damage and 2) I would rather my missus carry a .380 weapon she is massively well-trained and confident using as opposed to her using a weapon that she is far less confident using. While I mostly train with my 9mm pistols, I do also train monthly with my .45 ACP...but no way am I am going to carry with it. However, I've been going-back-and-forth with a .40S&W and I'm considering evaluating this caliber for my CC in the future. We shall see. Enjoyed.

Very nice video, folks will complain no matter how you do it as long as their favorite round fails to outperform all others in the test, so don't let that get you down. Seriously, the same people saying stuff like; "Men ain't made outta no wood!" would be complaining regardless of the test medium you used. Heck, most of them would be arguing even if you were a trauma surgeon with decades of experience digging bullets out of people, it's happened before. I actually carry the same SW40VE pistol you used in this test, so it was cool seeing exactly what it would do. The results are about what I expected.

Wouldn't want to get hit by any of them. I'm a 9mm owner but think the .45 would knock a person down a lot quicker than the 9mm unless the bad guy was standing behind four 2x6's. Either way, cool test. Thank you.

Different handguns ( brand and barrel length ) different ammo and grain weight , bottom line is this, a 380 is a 9 mm short , if you use 380 use hollow points, if your 380 is + p rated ( check to see if the recoil spring needs to be changed for + p use ) then use + p hollow points for self defense in that 380 , 9mm use 147grain hollow points , 40 s&w same and 45 ACP use gold dot

Alot of people leaving comments have seemed to be jerks! Hope you continue making content and don't get discouraged by the keyboard warriors who wouldn't commit the effort to put out any videos themselves and see what people like them would have to say in the comments.

Excellent penetration test. Next time, use a cinder block behind the wood to prevent the wood from moving due to impact. Next time, include 25 caliber, 38 caliber, and 357 magnum.

Looks like all but the 380 did ABOUT the same job ? Excellent test. I love these wood tests. Thanks for ya work brother. ☺

finally, no paper plates, no blocks of clay, no bologna and water bottles, or ballistic gel

45 made it through 3 it only stopped because of the 4th board its safe to say three full boards but its a bigger hole more wood to push through they can all go through you but one will make a grand Canyon hole

Honestly, I don't own nor have I shot the 40, but I always am amazed by the folks who discount it or it's owners ie "turn in your man card if you own a 40". lol But here it is making a really good showing. The 9 may have technically gone a little further, but for a bigger bullet, I wouldn't hesitate using the 40 for a life of death situation.

Given the price of lumber now days, it’s like your shooting into gold blocks! 😂😂😂

Soooooo, yup, .40 S&W is the choice for me. Pretty much the same penetration as the 9mm, but more bullet. Oh yeah, already carrying that caliber ;-)

Have noticed the 9mm goes thru as much as the bigger rounds? Glad I've been finding 9mm for now. 9mm is like .90 cents a round now. Awesome channel

Bruce Lee said it best, “Boards don’t hit back”. 🤜

Excellent explanation for the difference between the bullets.

Surprised you used a High Point for the 9mm. That’s why you needed two shots.

Shows that a round nose 9mm goes slightly further than a flat 40.

22 magnum is a sweet round too but I also like .380 it does the job every time

Cool video. I’d love to see a 180gr 10mm FMJ but a “standard pressure” load of a minimum 1200fps. Anything less is just a 40 pressured equivalent load. Also a 130gr FMJ .38 super and a 125 and 147gr FMJ .357Sig. Since it’s difficult these days to find a 147gr FMJ in 357Sig, I thought about clogging the tip of a 147gr XTP hollow point with JB Weld epoxy compound prior to shooting it. Last, I’d like to take my 240gr hollow point .44mag and also give it the JB Weld treatment. Then shoot them all into 2x6’s and also soaking wet newspaper. I soaked newspaper in ice chests years ago for days, ensuring they were fully saturated. It was quite the show at the range with hollow points.

I love the .40 is my favorite. I have so many friends who have gotten shot before with different calibers its crazy how each caliber and every human body acts different. One of them got shot with a .45 in the shin, it shattered his shin and travel down and got stuck in his ankle he was out the fight so quick he said he felt his leg fly back when he got hit. Another one got shot with a .45 as well in his right thigh it completely shattered his femur and the round came out his buttock he fell forward and could not get back up. Another one got shot multiple times with a 9mm in one occasion but he was still able to run away it wasn’t as strong. He probably got shot 9 different occasion and he says the worst is when the bullet brakes your bone. I personally seen 2 guys get shot with a 9mm and one of them went down instantly when he got shot in the chest and another got shot in the face (chin) and shoulder and was still able to run like nothing. From what I seen the bigger rounds definitely have a higher stopping power, even in areas that aren’t as vital, but shot placement really does have everything to do with it despite the caliber. However, I seen the amount of damage that .45 does to the body and both of them took months to heal back up. I would not want to get shot by anything lol

A summary at end giving results for all plus distance you shot from.

This is real science. Thank you.

Cross section is part of the equation in penetration, and that favors the nine.

Good comparison. Would be interesting to see something similar for revolver rounds: 38 vs 38+p vs 357mag vs 44 sp vs 44 mag etc.

9mm for the win!

The issue with hard barriers like used here is the 40 has a flat nose and thus significantly.more surface area.. its hard to find 40 round nose... In contrast in soft material, the flat nose actually penetrates better and in a straight line vs the round nose tends to yaw and take unpredictable flight paths .. the 40 with flat nose would likley penetrate several inches further than the others.. in the hard barrier though, the flat nose hurts it... And the 45 just plaib being bigger and slower hurts it here.... Thanks for the video.. if you donthe same test in gel, youll discover why dangerous game handgun rounds are flat point and why the 40 is king in that scenario with the given calibers

My guess is: .380

And if the 357 Sig had been tested it would have been the winner.

I believe the 40. Would have better results with a different ammunition. Also the + P dangerous game cartridge,would’ve blown through all of them.

I have all these. Love my thunder .380 with factory red dot presently. 460 mag xlt with 255 and 300 grain is the show stopper of all.518 lb black boar at 25 feet and instant death all the way through the spine.Shook off 3 12 Guage slugs that never drew blood at 40 and 50 feet.

That .40 got a bit of bad luck...it was hitting knots on this test

Good video. Hopefully your channel grows. Space the boards about an inch you may get a slightly different result.

Cool video .. would have liked to have seen 10mm in there as well

without offending the other calibers the 45 is for men and is used for people not for 2 × 6 I prefer 5 shots of a 9mm to a 45 acp

It's a test simple but reliable and useful, i miss the .38 special, in my country, only .380 ACP and .38 special are legal for civilian use (To bad), my favorite for hunting is a 10 mm. Colt Delta Gold Cup. Good job.

The 40 s&w has more kinetic energy at longer range than the 45 which makes it the strongest

That was interesting to see , thanks for showing . It was worth a sub too .

Just to prove that none of these round nose cartridges are suitable for home defense. It will go through the intruder and pass through several dry walls. Always use SP or HP for home defense.

Imo people focus to much on penetration and not the size of the wound cavity

Yes yes yes, im dying to see the 12 ga mini shell slug , compared to 2 3/4 slug, . AND 20ga slug, maybe throw in a .410 slug???????

I thank God this video exist, so 45 fan can stop bragging about being the most powerful pistol, just because it's a big bullet.

Good video

Thanks for the info on guns n ammo.!.

Pretty good test, I liked it.

A bigger caliber increases the risk of over-penetration should you have to shoot someone in self defense. I carry a .380 and sometimes a .22 pistol. I feel confident that I can stop an attacker with either.

Nice test !!!

You should have made a new stack after the miss with the 9mm. The shockwave from the 1st shot caused cavitation in the wood fibers throughout the boards, possibly making it easier for the second shot to pass through them. I'm not sure it'd even be negligible, but during scientific trials consistency is key. Also, the varying grains and moisture content of boards makes it an unreliable analog for comparisons.

I'm surprised you didn't test the 22LR along with that group.

That's why I love 9mm and the fact he used a highpoint😬 just crazy and I got an MC21 girsan and CM9 Sars both of mine are Turkish brand pure action pistols 👌

You never mentioned which grain bullets were used on each and that matters a lot. Lower grain typically travels further.

This was interesting video thanks

Cool idea for a test & well done. Liked & subbed.

Very good test video

A lot depends on now got the ammo is loaded, I can tell huge differences in different ammo just from recoil alone.

Maybe more than one shot per board just in case you hit a knot. Also maybe different loads. Keep them coming. I would like to see 22 long and short, 32 auto, 38 special and +p. Magnum loads too.

I would like you to do the same test with the same calibers, but as hollow points.

Best test by far ive seen on yt🔥, at what feet are u when u shot those shots??

Interesting, I too was surprised with the penetration of the 9mm..

Exactly what I expected. 9mm, with its speed and smaller diameter, should always go further.

Thanks for the video-- really clear and straightforward. Since you're concerned about over penetration / harming neighbors, would it make sense to shoot / do a similar test with hollow point? (Gun newbie- hope that's not a dumb question)

Just one hole 45 is king but more holes in more organs they are incompasitated thats why speed and fragmentation of round is the best stopper in a fight and a 9 is best made for that but with lighter grain projectiles any type would be ok if they fragment.

Well done. Good video voice. To the point. Informative.

Just going to Wikipedia shows they are all (9mm, .40, and .45) practically the same. Wikipedia lists 9mm ammo as 355 ft pds, 364, 498, 501, and 538. The .40 lists as 463, 468, 490, 500, and 588. The .45 lists as 356, 412, 471, 592, and 829. Granted that 829 is a 90 grain round and not typical of what any normal .45 ammo would be capable of. As you can see they are all three in the same ballpark of power, around 350-590 foot pounds. The 9mm ammo averages at 451.2 foot pounds. The .40 averages at 501 foot pounds. The .45 averages 532, and really gets helped out by that atypical “hyper ammo” 829 foot pound 90 grain round. Without it the other 4 average 457, basically the same as 9mm. Even with that one hyper ammo and 532 foot pounds average is hardly in another tier of muzzle energy over 9mm at 451.2 foot pounds and .40 at 501.

45 bigger diameter not going to penetrait farther than 9mm. Has more energy. My 357 shooting hornady critical duty go through all the 2x6.

Why would you think the 40 go further than the 9mm? Everyone knows velocity in the 9mm is greater than all those calibers. That's been proven for years all over RU-vid.

This type of test has been done over & over ... I would be more interested in how far the blocks of wood moved from the impact .....

I think Ima give up trying to predict bullet real world performance based on energy, momentum, sectional energy, or sectional momentum. I would have expected the 9mmP round to beat the .45 and the 380 (based on sectional energy) by the amount shown in the test, but based on that the 40s&w should also have equaled the 9mmP. Maybe it keyholed sideways or its flatnose profile did something.

.357 will go through 7 and 1/2 boards , I ran the same test.

75,000 views and 1.4K likes and only 512 subscribers. That’s kind of messed up.

I carry .380 9mm and 40 each has its place.

Looks to me that the 45 the 40 and 9 are pretty much the same on penetration. Just what I always knew. But even the 380 is still a good self defense round.

The main point in pistol calibers is not penetration, but stoping power.

how about some magnums?? 22 32 327 357 44 454 480 500??? use inner wall structure (drywall stud drywall) with thickness test (your boards test) on other side? like a through the wall test

GOOD JOB ! !

Why does a high point always have to miss the actual target, why does it have to atleast show some fault.

Try this again with hollow point ammo please. With ball ammo the 380 and 9mm are kinda pointy., the 40 has a flat nose and the 45 like a basketball. With the HPs, the business ends will all be similar.

Still inconclusive with the 40. Until you use the same basic ammo in all 4 guns you can't get a real test. I would say the 380, 9mm, and 45 were probably a good test because they used the same brand and model of ammo

Great video sir.!

The barrel lengths being so different between the calibers sort of negates comparative results. No one uses ball ammo for defense, so really, what's the point in general?

Fmj? Jhp? Standard velocity? Bullet weight? All mitigating factors.

I know I’m late. Put one of those 4 rounds up against a .357. I’m thinking it’s not too close. Speed is the key and a large projective will do major damage in my opinion. Just my 2 cents…

9 and 40 for me

Love my .40 💯 %

The 9mm really surprised me

It would be nice to keep bullet weights comparable as possible as well as barrel lengths. But, a bullet in a self defence, even a .22LR, can solve most problems. But again, interesting video thanks.

It would be interesting to compare 38 special to 38 special +p

New sub 🙌🏽🙌🏽💪🏽 btw that’s looks like a dope off grid cabin 💯

great video! I subbed to see more. I thought .40 did the best. By the way, what kind of knife is that? I like it.

Curious to see how well the 9mm Makarov compared to its bigger brother, thr 9mm parabellum

Nice info👌

Good to know when i shoot wood. Is there a prize for shooting wood. Any of these would go in and out a person .... job done

9mm !!!

I'd like to see you do the same penetration test, this time with a .38 special+p, 9mm, .357 magnum, and .44 magnum. I bet the latter two would outperform the 9mm in terms of penetration but, I could be wrong.

Sir video was so good but one mistake that barell should be equal