I don't know why the word "derp" used in a sentence is so funny to me, but a couple of you have had me laughing pretty good. And I usually don't even crack a smile at what others "lol" at. Thanks also for the numbers that are starting to come in.
I don't know why the word "derp" used in a sentence is so funny to me, but a couple of you have had me laughing pretty good. And I usually don't even crack a smile at what others "lol" at. Thanks also for the numbers that are starting to come in.
Last edited by Welder; 12-28-2015 at 05:51 PM.
My simple advice: Listen to the experts. That includes, first and foremost, Doc, but also a number of the people who have already commented here.
All of them come out the same place. If you are using a pistol (because a long gun won't work for whatever reason), first, hit your target in good locations. Second use quality hollowpoints, in part to improve your chances in part to not hit the little girl down the street. Third, once you have those quality hollowpoints, stop worrying about it and go back to the first point. Good hits work. Bad hits not so much.
That is completely untrue.
Bo
nded JHPs, or solid copper bullets like the DPX, do far better in such barriers overall. FMJs bullets tend to be built to be cheap, they are non bonded jacketed cup-and-core bullets or cheaply plated. My experience in shooting up a lot of cars and other barriers, and in observation of real world shootings, is that something like the 124gr Gold Dot does consistently better than bullets like the 124gr NATO ball (to keep as close to an apples-to-apples comparison as possible...)
Another factor often not considered is that FMJ is built to be cheap and for practice, the QC put into duty grade JHPs is NOT being used on the FMJs. Possible exception is the NATO ball being built and sold in the 9mm.
I am the owner of Agile/Training and Consulting
www.agiletactical.com
The "perhaps the majority are shot in the arms" is bullshit. TOTAL bullshit. Not exiting the arm is also total bullshit, unless you're using one of those stupid-ass fragmenting ultralight rounds because you were impressed by the Muzzle Energy numbers and some yahoo's Youtube channel.
Shot placement matters more than anything. Luck is a solid second. As has been noted, sometimes bullets just do weird shit in the human body.
I've worked a lot of people shot over the years, easily in the triple digits. I surely don't care about marketing or the "latest thing". I still carry a DA/SA pistol or a revolver, still think .45 is pretty cool, and wear a fedora. I base my decisions on what I see working and not working in real shootings as other folks beta test the latest and greatest. I carry bonded HP in all my carry guns, primary or backup.
In one of the Caliber Press Street Survival books, there is a photograph of a miscreant citizen that Riverside, Kaliforniastan PD shot thirty-three: that's 33: times with their then-new S&W M-59s, using Remington ball. Ron Adams was there; he told me they shot the living shit out of that dude, all at close range, but it took a detective with a shorty Python to put him down.
In the same book, there's a photo of the polar bear that the NYC transit cop put down with ONE round of .38 158gr RNL.
Moral of the story; it ain't over until its over.
.
Having shot critters with 230 grain FMJ (while I don't feel unarmed with it) left me pretty disappointed. Killing pigs with 124 grain Gold Dots worked pretty well........
When shot in the right places.
(might be a clue)
I had a bit more than 150 hours of training, and am proud of my time in EMS and the things I learned while working.....
...but I'm fairly certain that dissecting terminal wound ballistics wasn't something that the field teaches you anything about.
Check that.....
It taught me that handguns suck, and shotguns are tremendously awesome at destroying the human body. Anything more than that, and people are probably just making shit up.
Last edited by TGS; 12-28-2015 at 08:22 PM.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer