Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry in IN
Most of the bad reports of stopping power I've seen/heard/read came from the Korean War. That makes sense. They were being used against attacking hordes who were wrapped in insulated heavy cotton duck clothing (which alone probably reduced effectiveness considerably), numbed by cold, and whipped into a frenzy by the charge (and possibly opium).
By contrast, WWII use of the carbine was largely in the Pacific, against nearly-starved Japanese soldiers who might also be sick with Malaria or any number of tropical diseases.
Results would naturally differ.
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I'm pretty skeptical about stories of heavy clothing defeating M-1 carbine rounds. The guys over at
The Box O' Truth did some experiments and found that a .30 carbine round would go through several layers of denim, a gallon of water, three 3/4" pine boards and still make a good sized divot in a cement block. The .30 carbine may be less powerful than a full sized rifle round, but it's still a lot more powerful than a handgun round (670fps more velocity and twice the muzzle energy of a .357 magnum). I think failures to stop are more likely due to poor marksmanship and any lack of power in the cartridge.