A very interesting look at handgun stopping power in various calibers.

[powderman]

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866
 
I was most impressed with the little 380 which I sometimes carry. Lots of info, too long to paste. POWDERMAN. 

[spruce]

A very good common sense analysis of effectiveness.  It certainly lends credence to the old saying "any gun is better than no gun"!
 
I was surprised at the relatively poor showing of the 9mm (especially compared to the .380) until I read his analysis of the data.  It makes sense when you think about it - most 9mm's are easy to shoot fast, and hold a large number of rounds, and when more rounds are put on target in the same span of time the "shootee" just doesn't have time to show any reaction.  Combine this with the fact a higher percentage of rounds were hardball and it's easy to see where the numbers can be somewhat misleading at first look.
 
No surprise a rifle or shotgun is the best and a .25ACP is the worst, but from .380 thru .44 mag there really isn't a whole lot to argue about.

[tom548]

Not when you look at one of the last graphs, failure to incap.

[SHOOTALL]

Good read but when the shooters vary so will the info. It tells me that shot placement is the most important . Also a round you can control is important. One you can recover from recoil and make a second shot or 12. I get that it is best to carry the largest dia. bullet , a HP , that fits your style of carry and your ability to shoot it and hit where it will do the most good is still sound advice. Then look at a 22 LR solid , one shoved into an eye , nose or ear and fired would have an effect no doubt. So know how to use what you choose.

[powderman]

Shot placement is the biggest factor with any cal. Power is wasted on a missed target. My most often carry is a 38 spcl, but after reading this I feel a bit better about occasionally carrying the 380. POWDERMAN. 

[goodshot]

    What happened to the good old days when you could "wing" someone for being a miscreant?
    Pretty sure Matt Dillion did that.
   Now so many people think they need to end someone else's life.

    Blessings
 

[SHOOTALL]

    What happened to the good old days when you could "wing" someone for being a miscreant? I believe the terms law suit and wrongful death/injury  came into existence. Making it important to leave no witnesses .
    Pretty sure Matt Dillion did that.
   Now so many people think they need to end someone else's life. Yes it could happen when stopping someone , maybe not the goal but the possibility exist. The concept of revenge can also rear it's ugly head and confound things.

    Blessings
 

[Conan The Librarian]

These are always interesting to read. Thanks for the post.
 
My favorite stats are about the cases where no shots are fired, but the threat of doing so ends the altercation. I also like the stats where no altercation occurs at all because crooks just avoid particular areas because they know people are likely to be armed.
 
 

[Conan The Librarian]

By the way, here's the first in a series on how big a hassle it is to get a gun for self protection in DC. She wanted a gun for self protection after she had been robbed. It took her four months. Each article has a link to the next article in the series. It's mind-blowing, and worth reading. Noteworthy is that the obstacles put up by Chicago are even worse.
 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/guns/2011/oct/5/miller-emily-gets-her-gun/
 

[Dee]

    What happened to the good old days when you could "wing" someone for being a miscreant?
    Pretty sure Matt Dillion did that.
   Now so many people think they need to end someone else's life.

    Blessings
 

I don't think anyone ever sued Matt for him shootin'em. Besides, several of his victims came back for do'overs, and he had to shoot'em again. A lot of life's lessons were learned watchin ole Matt not complete the job the first time out of pity.

[Conan The Librarian]

"winging"? You can't be serious. Shooting somebody is a serious matter and should not be done unless you must stop an attack.

[SHOOTALL]

Know of an old man who was in a bar when a very strong big guy decided to pick on him. Not just words the big guy grabbed the old man. The old man shot him in a knee cap with a 25 auto. . Is that winging  ? 
 Old man got convicted of shooting the guy in the other knee when he should have walked away.

[Dee]

I used to occasionally have to deal with a young guy that called himself "The Kid". He was fairly fresh outta the Marines in the late 70s, and hung out with a crowd usually a little younger than himself. We would get a complaint up on the square on Friday or Saturday night from passing citicizens, and would usually find "The Kid" as the ring leader. Of course he would bow up, and go to jail. His followers loved it.
I finally told my officers that when he had to be arrested let me do it alone, and for them to make sure his friends didn't get involved. My hope was for them to see, he wasn't as tough as he had told them he was. It took about 4 trips this way, and he wanted to call a truce, and our problems stopped. He really wasn't that tough, and they began to see it.
SO! He started goin across the river to party in a Oklahoma Border "honkey tonk", and since just about everyone there was a LOT older than him, he got his rep back. Errr! For a little while. One night he got into an argument with an "oldster" over a pool game, and the OLDER bartender ordered him out of the honkey tonk. Well, nobody kicked "The Kid" out of anywhere, so in a great feat of showmanship, "The Kid" started OVER the bar to teach this "ancient bartender" how things really were. It worked real well until halfway over the bar, "The Kid" caught a 25cal round thru the thigh, and it hit a big vein in his leg.
Well "The Kid" is now in his fifties, and last I heard he was a "hard headed" bondsman. I think he dropped that issue with the old bartender too.
So I guess in this case the 25acp was enough. Go figure.

[yellowtail3]

A useful article, that - amongst other things - confirms my impression that 1911 fanatics are just that, fanatics.

[Conan The Librarian]

I stand in solidarity with YellowTail3 on this one. Most of my centerfire handgun rounds have been from 1911s, but I prefer the modern designs greatly as self defense tools. Gimme a SIG or a Glock, please (or a similar designed gun of good quality.)

[SHOOTALL]

Does the round know what gun launched it ?

[Sourdough]

I'll keep my 1911 and .460 Smith, thank you.  I shot a standing Grizzly with the .460 Smith and it literally knocked it over backwards.

I've personally seen people shot with .22LR, 9MM, .44 Mag, and .45 ACP.    The people shot with the .22 (me among them) sure did a lot of screaming, but they never went down.  The people shot with the 9MM did not always go down.  They may die shortly thereafter, but they had plenty of time and capability to shoot back.  The .44 mag and the .45 acp, lights out.  They went down and did not get back up. 

The first man I ever saw shot was shot with a 1911 Colt in .45 ACP.  I was 17 at the time.  My Boss pushed me against the wall, pulled his 1911 and shot three shots at a wouldbe robber.  This man was holding a gun on two cashiers.  My Boss was an Ex-Marine, just back from VN.  He hit this guy all three times, knocking him back against the windows, then he fell to the floor.  The guy kicked a few times then went limp.  He never tried to get up.

The day Mike Smith accidentally shot me in the right side with a .22 revolver I screamed.  I jumped up and down a few times as I turned around in circles.  Then I got mad, I looked at Mike standing there with his mouth open.  I grabbed the gun from his hands, and laid it up side his head.  Knocked poor Mike to the ground, then I threw the gun out into the lake.  The hammer split Mikes ear from about the middle up.  Then cut his skin above the ear for about two inches.  The guys later said he bled worse than I did.  I pulled my Jacket, shirt, and tee shirt up to where I could see the damage done.  There was a small hole leaking blood.  I put my handkerchief over it and ran to my car.  Ed Read forced me into the passengers seat, I was going to drive.  Ed drove me to the Hospital, where they removed the bullet.  They kept me in the hospital for a week.  Today I look at that small scar and laugh about it.  I feel guilty about Smitty's ear.  He was scared for life, in a place were he can't hide it.