There is nothing the 9mm or .38Spl can do to make up for the lack of diameter and mass. The smaller rounds are absolutely dependent on textbook bullet expansion to be effective. The .44 is already big enough.
That's not what the stats show. When cops went to the .357 years ago, the performance of the 125gr JHP was the ultimate in 1-shot stops. Energy was exceptional and the round was one of the only handgun rounds that would penetrate several of the well-known bullet-resistant vests. When my newspaper was considering publishing this, I called Massad Ayoob for confirmation. He reluctantly provided it, but besseched news organizations from publishing it as it would provide valuable knowledge to the criminal element and make the round a target for the same anti-gunners who wanted to publicize the steel-core bullets and outlaw them. We deferred from publishing it. Ayoob, however, has consistently heralded the 125gr JHP as one of the best, if not
the best and effective man-stoppers on record.
Any reference to .45 hardball in military use is completely irrelevant. Sorry but this only works if comparing hardball to hardball. In which case bigger is always better. If you're going to compare the .45ACP to modern defense loads in the 9mm, .38Spl or .357, then it is only relevant to compare it to modern defensive loads in the .45ACP. In which case, bigger is still better.
Actually, even the military determined that hardball-to-hardball, there is no significant difference in manstopping ability between the .45ACP and 9mm. And whatever minor difference there may be, the penetration and trajectory of the 9mm more than made up for. Then, after adding twice the firepower, the 9mm was a no-brainer. Jeff Cooper always said if we made the transition to 9mm that we'd soon regret it. The truth is, no one really wants the .45 back.
Energy transfer is more nonsense. Energy does not create wound channels, bullets do. Give me an exit wound any day of the week.
So you're saying that a steel-core bullet does greater damage than the .357 125-gr JHP, which stays in the body? You can get exit wounds all day long with 158gr JHPs, but you'll never get the overall stopping power with it unless you're going after deer or need to stop a bear.
More nonsense. The 158gr is barely adequate for deer. Forget it when bears are involved.
The 158gr JHP/JSP .357 will certainly do better than a .45ACP, in my opinion. No one would want to go bear hunting with either, but if one was out in the middle of nowhere and was being tracked by a black bear, I certainly wouldn't start writing a will if I had a .357! There are many more dead bears in the wilderness than dead people with either caliber.