[Rodney King]

By the way, it is very interesting that such a high percentage of those shot are dying from their injuries. The .223 is of course very powerful, but it was always my understanding that you would rather be shot by a .223 than by a .45 handgun round. I wonder if the sniper is good enought that he is hitting the head or the heart every time.

[wimpycat]

I've heard that you don't have to be that good to get a head shot if your target is standing still.

[steveegg]

It probably depends on the type of bullet. A hollow point would be quite deadly at the intermediate ranges the sniper is probably shooting from.

As for the weapon itself, I'll go against the law-enforcement grain and guess that it's a scoped bolt-action rifle.

[Mr. Mojo]

you would rather be shot by a .223 than by a .45 handgun round

Yeah, but you can't fire a .45 round through a handgun with any decent accuracy at long distance.

[Double Tap]

Anyone who would rather be shot by a .223 than a 45ACP is an idiot. .223 has far more energy and if using expanding bullet, will literally explode in its target.

[cinFLA]

but it was always my understanding that you would rather be shot by a .223 than by a .45 handgun round.

Urban legend.

[FlyVet]

By the way, it is very interesting that such a high percentage of those shot are dying from their injuries. The .223 is of course very powerful, but it was always my understanding that you would rather be shot by a .223 than by a .45 handgun round. I wonder if the sniper is good enought that he is hitting the head or the heart every time.

He's hitting the vitals every time. I am a reloader, and also reload .223. If you hold that little 55-grain pill in your hand, yes it is amazing that such a little thing could do such damage, but it is moving out of the muzzle at close to 3000 fps, whereas a .45 is big-bore, but is only moving around 900 fps. Hit center-mass, same result. This person doing this is really 10/10, two of the victims were hit solidly and suffered major damage to their internal organs, but lived. It is a tribute to the ambulance teams and trauma centers that they even lived. Damn this low-life, whoever it is. He's lucky of this justice system, when he gets caught. I'd bet the families of the victims would like to get a piece of him one-on-one.

[templar]

but it was always my understanding that you would rather be shot by a .223 than by a .45 handgun round.

Do yourself a favor. Make up some ballistic geletain (real heavy duty Jello would work as well for this) and shoot it with a .45 and a .223 at 50 or so yards. You will probably change your mind after doing so. There are lots of myths out there, always check them out and test them if possible. (For those of you who think a .45 is the be all and end all of cartridges, I had a next door neighbor who's son got shot during a camping trip from about 1 ft. with a .45. Went right through his mid section and hardly bled. Aparently, the bullet just sort of pushed his intestines out of the way as it went through. They drove to a hospital for treatment. Bet no one can say that about a .223)

[floriduh voter]

Shot to the head. She was in a parking lot lower level. It the sniper) was waiting for her in the parking lot and probably took off in his vehicle from that lower level and made another quick getaway. He waited for a victim, took one shot and now we have nine dead.

The former marine may have been a decoy or maybe he has nothing to do with this after all. We never learned his background or his girlfriend's.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

wound ballistics

[hoosierskypilot]

My charts tell me that a 45 ACP will only have 300 foot/pounds of energy at 100 yards vs. the 223's 800 foot pounds at the same distance.