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handgun rounds for self defense

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  • Gordian BladeGordian Blade Member Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks, Txs, I will give your suggestion a try.
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    RugerNiner --That's almost right, actually, but not quite. Nobody shoots to wound a leg or arm in real life; that's television stuff. As was said above, far too likely to miss, and unlikely to stop an attack if you just wing someone. Neither are cops taught to shoot for the head first except in special circumstances, like sniping, or a known bulletproof vest on a perp. Center of mass, aka the "boiler room" is a chest shot, and that is what is recommended for the most likely hit and the most likely stopper in most cases. That's why the human silhouette targets you can buy at the range are marked the way they are for practice. A man 25 feet away can be at your throat with a knife in under two seconds, by the way, so it depends on whether a man standing at that distance is armed and has just said "I'm going to kill you now."There was one exception to the center of mass rule, though, wherein a sniper shot a gun out of an emotionally distraught man's hand to end a standoff -- that was a nice intentional shot, but very unusual.
    "The 2nd Amendment is about defense, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member."
  • optimaoptima Member Posts: 6 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Idsman75:

    What is the T-zone you are referring to?
  • austin247austin247 Member Posts: 375
    edited November -1
    In the academy you're taught to shoot for center mass of the body first. Center mass makes the largest target on a human body.Head shots are easy to miss, especially with the adrenaline of a stress situation. It's all good on the range with a paper target, a perfect weaver stance, and a target that doesn't move or shoot at you. Real life, however, is completely different. LEO's are not taught to shoot to wound or to shoot to kill. The precept is that you shoot to neutralize the threat, whether it takes one shot or a full mag.

    As far as shooting someone on the threshold then dragging them inside....I wouldn't recommend it. In my experience, a body with gunshot wounds tends to exude a large amount of blood and other body fluids. Then you get to explain why there is a large trail of blood and fluid leading from the porch into the house when you try to tell the officers that you shot the person inside the house. It's not hard for an investigator to tell if a body has been moved. At that point, it's obvious that you've lied to the police (which won't look very good at your grand jury hearing) and tampered with a potential crime scene (which will look even worse at your grand jury hearing). This is not likely to make your self-defense case look very good.

    And by the way...I personally prefer the Glock 33 .357 Sig with Speer Gold Dot 125 grain HP. Many agencies did away with Black Talon 9mm ammo. There was a lot of liability,as the slow moving round failed to expand upon impact with tissue, thus overpenetrating and wounding bystanders.
  • gskyhawkgskyhawk Member Posts: 4,773
    edited November -1
    the best round is the one you have at hand when you need one
  • dobieman0690dobieman0690 Member Posts: 148 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    In my S&W 686 with a 2 1/2 in barrel i use 148 gr HBWC and turn the hollow end out boy what a hole this leves in flesh
  • BoltactionManBoltactionMan Member Posts: 2,048 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    9mm-Golden Sabres
    10mm-Black Talon (I only have one life)
    45-Silvertips

    Testimony (As taught to me in old police Training) "I fired my weapon to stop life threatening action."

    I wouldn't try that trick of dragging a shot body into my house. I think you will be very unhappy with the results.

    KC
  • AlpineAlpine Member Posts: 15,092 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hydra Shock. No question about it.
    LEO's, if they paid attention in class would never say "shoot to kill". And if you are civilian, never let those words pass your lips if involved in a shooting.
    1. Always shoot for center of mass. which brings me to:
    2. "Instantaneous Incapacitation" is want you want to say. Do not let any other words describe what you wanted to do. If any one asks you if you wanted to kill. Just repeat those two little words.
    ?The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.?
    Margaret Thatcher

    "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
    Mark Twain
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The T-zone is the "T" that is formed by two imaginary lines. One that runs vertically across the bridge of your nose and the other that runs horizontally from eyebrow-to-eyebrow. Connect the points of the "T" and you have a triangle. This is the T-zone. Behind it rests the medulla oblongata. Take a bullet there and ALL body functions will cease. There is no other place in the body where a bullet will guarantee instant results. A hostage-taker with his finger on the trigger and muzzle pointed at the hostage will release the trigger when shot in the medulla oblongata. Shot him elsewhere and the possibility remains that his finger muscles could contract thus ending the life of the hostage.

    SSG idsman75, U.S. ARMY
  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,620 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I was a Paramedic for 13 years. I never saw a gunfight, but I arrived at the scene of many, many a gunfight when the gunsmoke was still hanging in the air. I have seen people shot with just about everything, from the ever popular .25, to the 7mm mag [unfortunate deer hunter]. The baddest round is the shotgun, if you are talking short range, I mean 20 feet or less. The size shot doesn't matter, buckshot works but #8 quail shot is just as effective, maybe more so. I never saw anyone survive a close range hit, between the neck and the groin, with a shotgun. We had one guy, a big guy about 6-6 built like a bull, he was a young man, about 26, which helps the chance for survival, he worked all day cutting pulpwood. I encountered him the day after he had been hit in the belly with a 12 gauge. We had to transfer him to the Medical Center, and he was, to my surprise, conscious and alert. He looked really good. I thought he was going to break my record. But, I checked with ICU over there my next shift, and he had died,kidney failure. On the other hand I have seen a guy survive 4 chest hits with a .357 [very lucky]. I know it doesn't have any knockdown power, but the .22 will kill. I noticed, if a guy took 2 hits in the torso with a .22 he was probably going to die. They bounce around in there and do a lot of damage, they don't like to exit.

    Big and Bad
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks allen, good post.

    As for Mr. idsman, with all due respect to your wit, I'm pretty sure the T is the bullseye made by the center point of the horizontal pectorals and the vertical human breastbone.

    There's an old statistic that says even police officers miss 75% of the time in the average firefight. And they're aiming for the T-Zone. If cops miss 3 out of 4, and they qualify every few months, what does that say about the rest of our chances to hit?

    That means to me -- an emptied revolver may hit once or twice. That's not enough ammo for my taste. Just thought I'd mention it.

    Speaking of ammo, which was this original topic, I usually buy some Hydrashok as well as some CorBon for every gun I may carry. I do have a Bulldog .44 for utility use too, and I also have Glaser Safety slugs as well as snakeshot for that one. And some regular loads with XTP Hornady, as well as Corbon 165-gr. loads going out at 1100 fps. Call me overzealous.

    The 2nd Amendment is about security, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member.
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