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Monday, July 11, 2005
Rama: This time, the ammo
By Karlon N. Rama
Stage five
WRITING about the Smith & Wesson 625 and its .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) chambering for the American Handgunner Magazine, John Taffin heaped praises on the mighty wheel-gun and called it “the perfect revolver for shooting competitions.”
And, with the S&W 625 being the same firearm Jerry Miculek used to set the international speed record for revolvers (six shots, a reload, then six more, all at a target set 30 feet or so away in 2.99 seconds), we can all accept Taffin’s finding as gospel truth.
But when Taffin, in the same article, described the 625 as “quite possibly the best defensive six-gun to come around in a long time,” owing to the fact that it spits the large albeit slow .45 ACP round, a little bit of skepticism may be justifiable.
After the March 1997 study of Dr. Ben Lawson, experts like Massad Ayoob had declared that lighter bullets, specifically those with either the expanding or frangible characteristics of the modern hollow point, sizzling at velocities between 1300 to 1400 feet per second, is the way to go for the defensive handgun owner.
The spitfire velocity insures that the bullet will perform as designed and result in the immediate incapacitation of those dark-spirited entities that we shall henceforth collectively refer to as “the bad guys.”
Applied to revolvers, Lawson, through his findings, might as well have declared the .357 Magnum as the crčme d’le crčme of wheel guns.
The observation would be supported by numbers. According to Lawson’s study, the .357 Magnum delivered 698 one-shot-stops out of 727 police recorded shootings abroad, a 96 percent efficiency rate.
But, in endorsing the sufficiency, even supremacy, of the larger round, Taffin cites the equally impressive track record of old warhorse forty-five.
It is interesting to note that among all commercially-available ammunition, only few, and at the forefront is the .45 ACP, can claim having been designed solely with the human anatomy in mind.
Said Gen. John Thompson (yes, of the Thompson submachine gun fame) and Maj. Louis Anatole LaGard, both of the US Army Ordnance Board, when it decided to adopt the .45 ACP as the army’s official pistol: “The Board was of the opinion that a bullet, which will have the shock effect and stopping effect at short ranges necessary for a military pistol or revolver, should have a caliber not less than .45 because most of the human body offered no hope of stopping an adversary by shock or other immediate results when hit.”
Even Lawson’s study recognized the power of the .45 ACP, saying it delivered 80 one-shot-stops in 85 police recorded shooting incidents in the US, a 94 percent efficiency rate.
So, if there is barely any difference in the efficiency of the two rounds in the one-shot-stop category, the .357 Magnum’s advantage of velocity almost being cancelled out by the mass of the larger and heavier .45 ACP, where then would the .45 ACP’s advantage lie?
The answer is in the recoil characteristics of both cartridges when fired from revolvers.
THE TEMPEST. Borrowing a system developed by the people at the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), where power is directly proportional to recoil, let’s compute [w(v)/1000] the power factor of one .45 ACP and one .357 Magnum ammo brand.
On paper, the Black Hills 200-grain SWC in .45 ACP for example, with an average velocity of 783 ft/sec., would only register 156.6 power factor.
On the other hand, a 158-grain SWC of the same brand in .357 Magnum, with an average velocity of 1,127 ft/sec, bucks like a stallion at 178.06 power factor.
While, based on the statistics, both are potent in giving one-shot-stops, the .45 ACP has the advantage of giving the shooter a quicker recovery time for a second shot in those moments where the first round fails.
But whether we shoot the heavily recoiling .357 Magnum or the large bore .45 ACP, where the recoil is not exactly gentle either, it is effective shooting rather than mere power in ammunition that saves us from threats.
The Kamagong Gun Club Inc., in the 10-week Basic Defensive Pistol Course run by Dr. Tyrone Mercader, teaches effective shooting for revolver owners.
Among the techniques taught in the program is how to manage the heavy double-action trigger standard on revolvers, quick reloading methods, shooting while moving, proper stance, grasp and movement.
MAIL CALL. Milo S. Arenas (maxpain@lycos.com) of Wealth Bank Commercial Lending Group, F. Ramos Street, Cebu City, wrote to ask: “Is there a chance for us non-military guys to carry guns outside our residence even if we’re not gun club members. Do we really have to join a gun club for us to be able to legally carry guns? How about enlisting as an army or navy reserve officer?”
Thanks for the mail, Milo.
Yes, we civilians may carry our firearms outside our respective residences provided that we acquire the necessary permit, called a PTCFOR, from the PNP. Gun-club membership is not mandated but is highly advised.
Gun-club members may bring their firearms outside their homes but only for the purpose of practice or competition and a separate transport permit, which is given to you via the gun club you belong to, is required.
Reservists do not possess authority to carry firearms. But they may be issued a Mission Order (MO) by their commanding officer in the performance of a special task.
P.S. Best wishes to my college buddy and kumpare, Stephen James Taylaran, who celebrated his birthday last July 7. May you always have blue skies, sunshine and mirror-calm seas in your travels, my friend.
(knrama@sunstar.com.ph)
(July 11, 2005 issue)
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