[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by MidnightViper88

Actually, if anything, a bigger pistol caliber would probably be even better, because of stopping power, to keep the person from trying to continue charging at you after being shot, like with a .40 S&W or a .45 ACP round...

I'm no ballistics expert, but I think this myth about "bigger bullet equals more stopping power" needs to be addressed. No round — regardless of its calibre — is going to do you any good if it doesn't hit the target. Meaning to say, if you don't look where (and at what) you're shooting, you'd be probably a lot safer without a firearm in your hands.

I found this particular observation fairly entertaining, and enlightening, when I first came across it a year ago.

Stopping power studies are unreliable when compared to laboratory results. This is no surprise — the conclusions are based on flawed data.

Among the most inane comments ever to see print, and one that did armed individuals great injustice, was a pat pronouncement on shot placement. This individual told us that load selection is more important than shot placement! The point was that we cannot control shot placement but we can control load selection, and a good hot load might serve even if not well delivered.

Anyone who has shot game knows better than that. This is even more true in self defence. Accuracy can make up for power. The reverse is seldom true. The bullet must be delivered to the right place, and that is a blood-bearing organ. Only loss of blood and actual damage can be counted upon. A bullet that makes a peripheral hit simply cannot be counted on, whatever the calibre.

When we study what happens during gunfights, we should study the tactical information first and bullet performance second. When we compare the power available in handgun bullets to that of long guns such as the 12-gauge shotgun or the .223 rifle, we find that the "weak .38" and the "strong .45" are more alike than they differ!

That said, the writer did profess his preference for big bullets if given the choice:

Over time, the inescapable conclusion is that the key to handgun stopping power is marksmanship. But big-bore handguns make bigger holes and let out more air. This makes for more rapid blood loss, the only mechanism that can be counted on to do the business.

The 9mm isn't ok. You can ask the fellow who took four 9mm soft-point bullets and still managed to inflict a nasty wound that remains with me to this day, and gives my face "character".

Frankly, I find the American love affair with firearms very scary, but I accept that it's a stereotype that isn't true for most people in the United States. I've also accepted their need for personal weapons, especially if they live in isolated areas far from police protection. But still, if you do carry a firearm, for goodness sake, please make sure you get proper training. And make sure you keep practising too. When you're under stress, the training will — hopefully — kick in when your brain fails to work.