CaliberAtlas › Compare › 9mm Luger vs .45 ACP

9mm Luger vs .45 ACP — Ballistics Compared

The representative loads shown for 9mm Luger and .45 ACP do not produce a large separation in the shared trajectory, energy, or wind rows below.

Representative loads use different bullet constructions (Gold Dot Hollow Point (bonded) vs Full Metal Jacket) — this is a ballistic comparison, not a terminal-performance comparison.

Figures use each cartridge's representative load, computed with our validated G1 model at standard conditions. Full tables and every load are on the cartridge pages: 9mm Luger ballistics · .45 ACP ballistics.

Pick 9mm Luger if…

you prefer the 147gr representative load shown here (230gr for the other cartridge)

Pick .45 ACP if…

you want the heavier representative load shown in this pairing (230gr vs 147gr)

Side-by-Side Specifications

	9mm Luger	.45 ACP
Representative load	147gr Speer Gold Dot 9mm Luger GDHP	230gr Winchester USA FMJ
Muzzle velocity	985 fps	835 fps
Muzzle energy	317 ft-lb	356 ft-lb
G1 BC	0.164	0.157
Case length	19.15 mm	22.8 mm
Overall length	29.69 mm	32.4 mm
SAAMI max pressure	35,000 PSI	21,000 PSI
Common twist	1:10"	1:16"

Drop Comparison (inches)

	9mm Luger	.45 ACP
50 yd	-0.9"	-1.8"
100 yd	-10.3"	-15.7"
150 yd	-30.8"	-44.5"

Retained Energy (ft-lb)

	9mm Luger	.45 ACP
50 yd	283 ft-lb	326 ft-lb
100 yd	256 ft-lb	299 ft-lb
150 yd	233 ft-lb	275 ft-lb

Wind Drift — 10 mph Full-Value (inches)

	9mm Luger	.45 ACP
50 yd	0.8"	0.8"
100 yd	3.2"	2.9"
150 yd	6.9"	6.6"

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