My completely unscientific take on calibers is that...excepting situations like an assailant high on dope where he feels nothing or wearing body armor...double- or triple-tapping him center mass will more than likely stop the assault...regardess of whether it's a .38, .357, 9mm, .40, 10mm or .45. I believe it's peripheral hits rather than center mass will be where the larger bore calibers will make a difference...they will hurt more.

Now I'm going down the rabbit hole of momentum theory vs. velocity theory here. Getting hit by any of the above will hurt and stop someone...and any of the above can also not stop someone. Every situation is different...every person is different in how they absorb bullets and do or don't keep going.

The best you can do is put the rounds where they count the most...assess and reengage if necessary. One thing we've been taught that in the real world...not controlled lab situations...is that you can do everything right and it can still turn to feces on you and you can still die.