Stopping Power

"My Pistol is for fighting my way to my Rifle".   I've heard it said many times, and have adopted the same mentality.   Sure, most defensive shoots are over quickly, but it points out something we all intuitively know is true.  If you are planning to attend a gun fight, take a rifle.

The subject of wound ballistics has been studied for well over a century now; the sheer volume of data (and debate surrounding it) is overwhelming.  But earlier this year a new study came out which takes a practical look at actual shooting incidents.  The researcher  analyzed incapacitation (or lack thereof) by caliber of weapons involved, number of shots fired and shot placement.   Here are some intersting findings:

• .32 ACP had the highest number of one-shot stops within pistol cartridges.
• .32 ACP shootings were the least fatal.
• .22LR, .25 ACP and .32 ACP completely failed to incapacitate nearly twice as often as .380 and up.
• Average number of rounds fired to incapacitate was roughly equal at 2 for all pistols cartridges (.22LR being lowest, and 9mm being highest).
• Across all calibers, immediate incapacitation by shot placement breaks down to 75%  headshots, 41% torso hits, 14% extremities. 

He explains further:

In a certain (fairly high) percentage of shootings, people stop their aggressive actions after being hit with one round regardless of caliber or shot placement. ... in the majority of shootings, the person shot merely gives up without being truly incapacitated by the bullet. In such an event, almost any bullet will perform admirably. If you want to be prepared to deal with someone who won't give up so easily, ... skip carrying the "mouse gun" .22s, .25s and .32s.

 

Amidst all this, rifle calibers consistently stand out from the pistol pack.  The researcher further concludes:

Now compare the numbers of the handgun calibers with the numbers generated by the rifles and shotguns. For me there really isn't a stopping power debate. All handguns suck! If you want to stop someone, use a rifle or shotgun!

Which brings us back to my opening statement.  This study also validates the underlying sentiment of the saying "a pistol is for fighting your way to your rifle".

Check out the full article on this study: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866