The
caliber best suited to defensive shooting is an argument that is fought
passionately by proponents of many calibers. Because of the emotion involved
this is an argument that is impossible to settle. In an attempt to remain
neutral and allow you to make an informed choice, let’s first consider the
purpose of our defensive firearm.
The
purpose of our Defensive Firearm is simple. STOP The Threat. That is it,
nothing else. So how does a Firearm stop the threat? Well there are several,
let’s look at them.
The
simple sight of our firearm may cause an attacker to desist.
Simply
being shot even if a minor wound from a small caliber firearm can cause a shock
reaction which may cause an attacker to desist.
Skeletal
Damage.
Breaking bones especially pelvic, spinal or thigh bones can render an attacker
immobile and allow us to escape.
Vascular
Damage.
Loss of 50% or more of the blood supply is usually fatal. However it takes time
to bleed out and even a heart shot may not stop an attacker for several
seconds.
Pulmonary
System. Hits
to the Lungs, Trachea or Diaphragm reducing the ability of an attacker to
breath. While these can prove fatal they may take several minutes to disable an
attacker.
Central
Nervous System.
Hits to the Brain or Brainstem are almost always instantly disabling if not
fatal, while hits to the spine cause various degrees of disability.
Obviously
the Central Nervous System is our best stopping shot and almost any
caliber can cause instant incapacitate if placed correctly. Unfortunately the
head is a difficult target to hit due to its small size, the thickness and
curvature of the skull and the fact that it is almost always in motion. Your
target zone is about a 4’ X 2’ letter box. Also the Brainstem and Spine are all
well protected on the back side of our target and only about 1” wide. It is
important to remember that you are responsible for all the rounds you fire and
a miss on a head shot is going somewhere.
Our
best chance of hitting our target lies in having a bigger target that offers us
a good probability of stopping the threat. Torso shots offer us an excellent
chance of Vascular, Pulmonary damage with a small chance of a Central
Nervous System (spinal) Damage and a good chance of inducing Shock.
However multiple shots may well be required to stop our threat.
Bearing
in mind that we will only be 50% as good in a Defensive Encounter than we were
in training. The center mass shot with multiple quick follow up shots makes
sense. Remember we shoot till the threat stops. We should be practicing placing
multiple shots on target.
So
what does our bullet need to do to stop the threat?
Penetrate
Clothing, Skin, Fat and Muscle to reach the Vital Organs.
Have
sufficient Energy to expand and create maximum damage.
Stop
inside the target using all its energy and not pass through and do unintended
damage.
As
we cannot accurately predict the size of our assailant, they may be 100lb
dripping wet or a 350lb NFL linebacker we should assume we need at least 6” of
penetration and a maximum of 17” of penetration. We also need sufficient energy
to ensure bullet expansion to create maximum damage.
There
are numerous websites with penetration tests and ballistic gel tests that are
easily found online so I will not go into the factual numbers for all the
different bullet weights and powder loads. Suffice to say that for a center
mass shot the calibers that meet the above requirements for penetration and
energy for expansion are between .38 and .357 mag for pistols.
Yes,
I hear you say you left out the 10mm and it is an effective round however
Federal agencies dropped it because of over penetration. Yes I hear that I did
not include hydrostatic shock. Hydrostatic shock is a minimal effect with
pistol rounds as it does not really come into play till rounds are traveling at
supersonic speeds. I will not gross people out with actual photos but the
difference between the damage caused by a high velocity pistol round and a high
velocity rifle round is like the difference between a hand grenade and a 1000lb
bomb.
So
what do I use? Well I use a 9mm because I can accurately place rounds center
mass quickly. I shoot 45 well on the range but I am more accurate and faster
with a 9mm. At the end of the day it comes down to what you can accurately and
quickly place multiple rounds on target. Only Hits Count in a Defensive
Encounter.
