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

Ruger 10/22 "SRT"

I've been hearing about Appleseed, and their "Liberty Training Rifle" (aka LTR).  Well, I wanted something to train with for CMP Service Rifle competition.  Starting with a 10/22, and applying many of the upgrades of an LRT, I have what I call an SRT: Service Rifle Trainer.

To a basic Ruger 10/22 Carbine, I added Tech Sights which operate like an M16 A1 with windage and elevation, as well as a Rapidex knob for windage adjustment without a tool.   I got sling studs and swivels from MidwayUSA to attach a USGI cotton web sling.  And just for coolness factor, a flash-hider and 25rd magazine.

An afternoon in the woods with Wolf Match Target, Aguila Hypervelocity and Aguila Subsonic gave the basis for my trajectories table pasted to the stock.  I was able to get 2" groups from the Wolf without trying all that hard.  It is my hope that this will help my offhand scores with my M1 Garand.

Zombie ammunition!

My nephew alerted me to a new product.  Its by Hornady,  one of USA's top manufacturers of premier factory ammunition.  (It was their A-Max match ammo in 5.56 that was issued by CMP for the Small Arms Firing School at Camp Perry, and CMP sold lots of it in .30-06 for Garands).   So anyway, this new ammo appears to be based on the A-Max, but they are calling it Z-Max.  And the Z stands for Zombie.  Per their website, the disclaimer reads:

Disclaimer: Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is NOT a toy (IT IS LIVE AMMUNITION), but is intended only to be used on…ZOMBIES, also known as the living dead, undead, etc. No human being, plant, animal, vegetable or mineral should ever be shot with Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition. Again, we repeat, Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is for use on ZOMBIES ONLY, and that's not a nickname, phrase or cute way of referring to anybody, place or thing. When we say Zombies, we mean…ZOMBIES!

They even have a compelling video demonstrating why you need it, and how well it will serve you.  Check it out!

Getting Started

Well, so I'm setting up a blog to talk about one of my favorite subjects:  Small arms.  Not the opposite of Long Legs, but in fact weapons that are generally man portable.  Though crew-served weapons (such as machine-guns) are small arms, I'll mostly be focusing on individually operated weapons: shoulder-fired rifles, handguns, and maybe some blades.

Check back often to see what's going on!