A wise man once said, " A 9mm may expand, but a 45acp will never shrink." I love my 45 pistols. Great video

45 for the win. Dam i could imagine if that was a 5-inch barrel 1911

Was not expecting that temporary wound cavity from 45. Impressed

when people repeat shot placement as trumping bullet size, what theyre failing to realize is bullet diameter and total crushed tissue wound volume is PART OF SHOT PLACEMENT. An "ok" hit with a 9mm that nicks an artery could be a GREAT fight-stopping hit with a 45 that completely severs the artery by virtue of it's larger diameter and permanent cavity. I won't dispute that 9 has faster split times and holds more ammo, and 45's tend to be bigger, heavier guns, but the wounding and barrier penetration of the 45acp+p between 900fps and 1000fps in 230 grains is unsurpassed by any other service caliber shot for shot.

HST never disappoints

. 45!!!!!! Both did well but this is another test that proves why I am 100% a .45 guy. Thanks for the video!

that .45 HST is beyond impressive…. .90 caliber expansion!!! Good Golly Miss Molly👍👍

The large surface area of the 45 makes up for the low velocity. No one can dispute it's effectiveness as a manstopper. Your homemade gel is a bonafide ballistic analysis tool. It accurately captures every nuance of the permanent wound channel "energy signature" vs other testing mediums. One could teach a class interpreting each detail and how it relates to caliber, velocity and projectile design. Just one look at magnum results and you know. Awesome work brother 👊

Federal HST's never disappoint . Was surprised at the velocity of the 45 short barrel. Both rounds were outstanding. We live in the golden era of high performance ammo. You prove it with your great testing.

Man! I had to go back and review the cross section cuts, stills & recovered diameter of the vid again. That 45 doesn't cease to impress. The fact that 45 doesn't shrink is so understated when you observe a 0.90 inch recovered bullet that reaches to 12" in gel. I can see a full size contest in the works. Thank you Sir.

Two great loads from Federal. I'll take the .45 any day over the 9mm. Great job AZ.

Let's take a moment to appreciate how both of these rounds improve your chances of surviving a defensive shooting. Ball rounds can certainly kill, eventually, but the amount of disruption a single HST inflicts is much more likely to end the fight. Yes, the .45 is devastating, but the HST makes the 9mm actually "not suck". Someone that cannot handle the recoil of the .45 due to smaller stature, age, or perhaps an old injury but can handle a 9mm has a better option than what was available just a few decades ago. Consider your loved ones and how this might be of benefit.

The 9 still did good. It would definitely do it's job. I like 9mm for self defense because that's the caliber I shoot best and micro 9s are comfortable and have high capacity.That 45. was vicious though. Awesome test!

Yikes !!! That 45 stretch cavity is insane. I carry a XDS 45 so Im definitely gonna oick some of these rounds up. Awesome comparison.

Really appreciated what you have done here, Bravo🎉 Not many youtubers are actually testing these defense/LF rounds WITH SHORT BARREL pistols which are ideal/common for MOST everyday carry😊

Thank you for another great video that 45 really impressed me 😮

Beautiful gems. These are exactly what we carry in our 9mms & our 45s. In our crude media tests these outperformed all other bullets. At one time we had 3 S&W Shield 45s as primary or secondary carry in our family. We started with 230 Gold Dot standard but tested the Critical Duty and switched to it. But after testing the Critical Defense & this +P HST it was obvious with what our 45s were going to be filled. We too achieved between 910 & 920s which thrilled us. 3 of my daughters now carry 9mm so I keep them well stocked with These 124 +P HST also. I prefer larger caliber and harder hitting myself but I can't argue with HST results even in a short barrel 9. Great comparison, test, results & demonstration. One of the best , if not the best out there. Many thanks.

HST proves itself yet again. That 9 mm looked just fine. But that 45 is absolutely massive !😮 I'm definitely getting some soon.

Very useful comparison for those of us that might want, or need to be carrying very compact guns.

.45 for the win. Say what you will about.45 there is no denying it’s a much more effective round than 9mm. The capacity argument is nil as 8 rounds of 45acp 230grn is the same exact amount of lead as a 9mm handgun with 16 rounds of 115grn. My carry choice is the Glock model 30 a compact 45 with 11 rounds on tap, that’s equivalent to 20 rounds of 9mm 124grns of lead.

I’ve recently upgraded to the .45 HST +p over the original hydra-shok for my .45s. I’ve had several boxes of the originals that I finally just went and shot after buying a couple dozen of the HST. I’d had the older stuff for a few years, have used it since the 90s in my Commander carry gun. I’m got 940-980fps out of my 4.25 barrel in the 60 rounds I feed it just to ensure feed reliability. We were seeing 940(2 rounds)-990s in the 5” barrels.

I was considering the S&W 45 shield. I think that this test showed that it and the HST might be excellent together.

THANK YOU for a real world demonstration of these two rounds! You routinely provide excellent test and presentations!

Dude nice video. I have liked all the videos. I hope you keep it up

HST going to HST! Just tested the NEW 357 HST from 3" and the standard pressure 125 from a micro! Carrying Federal right now

Federal HST ammo is a favorite of mine in my 4-inch 9mm and my 6-inch 45acp.

I just bought a second FN FNX 45 tactical to run suppressed (my other is modified to run 460 Rowland). I usually go to Underwood or Buffalo Bore, but the Federal HST seems more than adequate. Thanks for the test.

The 45 ACP Federal HST 230gr +P is what I carry for duty (Glock 21). For EDC, I carry HST 230gr rounds in my G30S. Your results are very close to what I experience.

The .45 test is impressive

This is a good test . 9 vs 45.I have that same canik.

And the endless war between .45ACP and 9mm continues unabated as the casualties line up. 45ACP and 9mm cartridges: "Can we all just...just...get along?"

I bet this is going to be another great video, "The Great Debate! "

It's an age old Q that's been answered. Temp cavity is not relavent to handgun wounding mechanisms. The per cavity will be larger, but not enough to make enough difference to the great capacity and reduced recoil the 9mm, knowing ALL pistol ammo in common duty loads are poor man stoppers - when all modern ammo makers following FBI protocols. That's why most PDs, FBI, etc, etc went back to 9mm. .45 made a big comeback when states limited capacity to 10rnds. In those states, yes, I'd take 10rnd of .45 over 10rnd of 9mm. Otherwise, no.

Nice to see videos on these secondary SD calibers. 🤣

They'll both get er done

I got a CZ 97 b I got a DPM recoil system I use 450 SMC and 45 super awesome setup man

Great test! I appreciate the trouble of using real gel... I don't really trust the clear ballistics tests. Thank you!

That’s pretty impressive. 45 usually doesn’t perform that well out of a short barrel

Either one will hurt...Coke vs Pepsi. Rum vs whiskey. Ford vs Chevy. Plus P is ideal for shorties.

best ammo tester on YT now short barrels kinda suck in any caliber except it seems .357Sig with the right loads anything under 400fpe especially...all the same. the .45 did significantly better with 439...still rather see 450 and especially 500 out of defense loads. but for a 230gr this is definitely the head of the class from this subbie it's really too bad federal doesn't make a +P in 200gr or so

That 45 tells no jokes.

I would like to see the HST in 200 grain! Were is the clothing?

Col. Jeff Cooper once wrote that the 45 was the caliber you hoped a 9mm would expand too. So why shoot the 9mm. After seeing this I couldn't imagine ever being hit by either one.

Badass,45,all,day

45 is always a better choice than 9... if you don't have issues (arthritis, grip strength, etc)

Can you do Underwood .40 SW 135 grain vs 155 grain XTP? These are the two most powerful rounds out of a .40 and around 580Ft/lb of energy out of a 4” barrel. The 155 grain has a high BC rating compared to 9mm or other weights for .40 so it would be cool to see them compete.

Will there be potential for 5.7 in the future?

This 124+p is my chosen round when I carry a 9mm and that expansion is outstanding, that being said, the expansion of the .45 is just sick. Az, a question. Based on how the recoil impulse felt to you, do you feel that rapid follow up shots would be a problem with the.45 versus the 9?

I dont want to get shot by either of that ammo 😮‍💨

A lot of people shit on 45 but little do they know the 9mm was designed for wounding also 45 has a higher one shot drop % but I carry 40 bc the % is higher than both but second choice would be 45 and I love love LOVE 9mm but inside a house I would rather use 40 or 45 now out in the field for sure a G17 or a CZ-75

Well doing some Math and rounding 350fpe to 400fpe for the 9mm and 400-475fpe for the .45 cal . So MY AEA challenger wants to challenge these two POWDER burners to 5,000psi .458 challenger bullpup with 650fpe. I shoot 2x 6 shot mags and a 280g .457 @ 1050fps - 800fps. Using air bro! My solar setup melts my lead and charges my gun so no, shell casing, no primer just cast a slug and charge the gun. Preppers dream.

45 acp

I hate they stop making the 147+p 1050 FPS it was a nice loading

Sorry about the comment there that was supposed to be a reply to another fellows comment about the 97 cz

9mm is a great round it’s my girlfriends carry choice and is a proven performer but this video among others proves it is not created equal to .45 bigger hole = deadlier round and this is especially the case with handgun rounds as they are not created equal to the devastating effects of shotgun or rifle rounds generally youre depending on the size of the bullet hole and you’re shot placement to stop a fight with handguns and there is a reason .45 is very well known for doing just that stopping fights

How reliable is that MC9?

Two world wars lol.

Just like my wife always says for penatration an to really feel it. Size matters.

I bet we are both picking the same one.

Would've been cool if you had a G26 with the 3.42" barrel instead of the 3.1"!

I’ll take the 9mm

These give me 1360fps and 1030fps from 8" cmmg Banshee

The age old argument over which is "better" 9mm vs .45acp is not really a valid absolute argument. These are really tools in the tool box. Each round has strength and weakness. So really take take into account and figure out what round works better for your situation.

Were you really expecting any other result? I didn't think so! This has been shown over and over, no matter what the test medium, be it gel, clay or wet newspapers! The only possible people who would argue this point are the ignorant or maybe a couple of surgeons, each standing in front of a dead body, one killed with a 9mm and the other killed with a .45! Still, in the end, I know which one I'll pick, any day, every day, and thank you anyway! Sure, the 9mm usually works. With the same ammo, so does the .45. However, with everything else being equal, as in the ammo type, etc., I can miss a little more with my .45 and still put the bad guy on the ground than someone with the 9mm. If I miss a little with the 9mm, the guy still might be able to shoot me, even if he dies later. And yes, I know I could miss by a little too much with the .45, too. But personally speaking, I am going to take *every advantage* I can get, even if it's just a little one! Great test, keep it up! Cheers, jc

45 proven round