.45 too much for home defense?

[DeltaB]

A bazooka wouldn't be too big for me. Hell, a Howitzer isn't too big. The largest caliber you can safely handle is always best. Having said that, that's why so many choose a shotgun as their primary choice with a pistol/revolver backup.

[CathyInBlue]

IMNSHO, it's not too big until you can't physicly carry it.

[Anubis]

Having too much caliber is like having too much money: impossible!

[Avail]

Originally Posted by CathyInBlue

IMNSHO, it's not too big until you can't physicly carry it.

I 100% agree.

I have the 12GA ready and waiting, and my 9MM if that fails, but as soon as I run the .45 thru the break in/ensure JHPs work good then it will be a backup

[Glocksquared]

I have the G20 10mm standing nightstand duty. Then the 12g, then some 9mm's. Over kill? No - I am protected by the Castle Doctrine (Florida).

[Dennis]

My suggestion to everyone is , from a legal perspective anyway (IANAL), is"shoot to stop the threat". How do you do this? You shoot for center of mass. What is very close to center of mass??? The verbage you use after the fact is important, so I would "shoot to stop the threat".

[LDaniel]

This topic brought back a memory.

Houston PD Officers shot a suspect numerous times, killing him. The bleeding hearts complained. The District Attorney at the time, Johnny Holmes (no jokes, please) told the media, "An analogy I use, is that if it is okay to kill a guy dead, it is okay to kill him dead, dead, dead."

[AZSATT]

That's funny, true and appropriate!

[HK4U]

Someone else said if they fire they intend to kill. Personally I never would shoot to "kill" but rather to "neutralize" the threat and I want to"neutralize" it immediately. In so doing if the BG expires so be it.

[mondovino]

I have to agree that a 45 is appropriate for self defense in one's home.

In time frame that John Browning was putting the Winchester Repeating Arms Company on the map, a highly motivated tribe of warriors, known as the Moro, were giving the U.S. Army fits in the Philippines. To prepare for battle, the Moro used a combination of body binding with leather, narcotics, and religious ritual to put themselves into an altered state of consciousness which left them insensible to injury. Soldiers found that their revolvers chambered in .38 Long Colt simply would not stop the Moro. It should be noted that their .30 Krag rifles didn't do a whole lot better against these warriors. Based on the experience with the Moros and extensive testing on animals and human cadavers, an Army Ordnance Board headed by Col. John T. Thompson (inventor of the Thompson sub-machine-gun) and Col. Louis A. La Garde, determined that the Army needed a .45 caliber cartridge to provide adequate stopping power. (quoted from The Sight's 1911 .45 ACP History)

Emphasis here is on TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE STOPPING POWER. When faced with the threat of death or serious bodily injury, one must strike hard and first with overwhelming power to STOP the threat BEFORE the threat has a chance to harm you or your family. A .45 will throw a man to the ground because of its mass and slower speed that avoids a piercing wound that passes though the target, but rather delivers all its energy to the body mass of the target.

Live through today to fight again tomorrow. Would you rather be dead today or in trouble tomorrow????