I have a question for those out there that have real world experience such a Police, Security Officers, Military, etc.
Its the age old argument. I find hundreds of discussions about the stopping power of various calibers. Revolvers vs Semi-autos, etc. etc.
I can’t seem to find a definitive answer to the following, real life encounter.
I would think most cases where one would need to respond with deadly force would be close encounters. Within 10 yards or so. In the event of such an encounter, even with much practice, not every shot will hit center mass. Maybe even most will miss.
Question...weapon..Revolver..most reliable, less chance of jam, etc. will give you 5 rounds of 32 or higher caliber, therefore more “knock down” power, 6 rounds of 22 mag. with a lot of noise and flash and many reports of “nasty wounds”, or 8 rounds of 22 LR, not as powerful but still regarded as deadly.
A bad guy is not going to take the time to try to figure out what caliber and what load is being shot at him, what type of gun is being used, count the rounds fired, etc.
Bottom line, doesn’t it come down to “Holy S#IT!”, “Run Away”, or “I am so out of it on drugs, you better have a double barrel shotgun!”?
The “Run Away!” is, by far, the most common occurrence. For a determined attacker, If the attacker is armed with a contact weapon, you have three options:
1. Heart-lungs. Takes 10-20 seconds to disable. If you can survive the 10-20 seconds, ok.
2. Central nervous system, Brain/spinal cord. Usually an instant stop, but there are exceptions.
3. Pelvic girdle. If you can break/shatter the pelvic girdle, the attacker will be down in one step. You can usually walk away faster than they can crawl at you.
A reliable pelvic girdle shot requires a cartridge of sufficient power. Usually though of as .380 ACP or above in Auto pistols; .38 S&W and above in revolvers. It is power, not caliber, that is important here. The 7.62x25 is said to do a splendid job.
Bottom line, the average mugger is not a member of Spetsnaz, able to take multiple body hits and spit them back at the attacker. The sudden appearance of a gun in the hands of a good guy will usually cause him to drop his can of purple drank and skittles and skedaddle.
Of course "stopping power" is another issue. This always begs the question, how good of a shot you are?
A .22 LR will do the job if shot that penetrates the brain stem, and it will drop him just as quickly as a larger caliber. Most people aren't good enough shooters to do that to a moving target intent on attacking you.