Best caliber for self defense

[The Verminator]

Originally Posted by PzGren

My son is an emergency physician and worked in Northern Ohio during his residency and has seen single .22 l.r rounds being lethal while multiple hits with 9mm and .40 SW were survived. Even head shots.

It should be noted that the 9mm and .40 were FMJ and that lethality and incapacitation are not exactly the same.

Being able to perform the Bil Drill successfully with a 9mm is probably better than slow fire ( one shot per second ) and misses from a .45 ACP or .44 Rem Mag.

I asked that question of a guy who said he had seen all these gun battles with various calibers.

He never did answer.

I was just wondering.

It had to be somebody like Jim Cirillo or Bill Allard, I thought.........but they're both dead.

Point is, precious few of us have actually SEEN a lot of gunfights.

Which is why, I guess, we get so many reports of some guy who heard from another guy who said he had seen this or that.......proving........something.

So........isn't it about time for another post saying that a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44 Magnum?

It's been at least two pages since somebody gifted us with that old cliche.

[jar]

Originally Posted by The Verminator

So........isn't it about time for another post saying that a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44 Magnum?

It's been at least two pages since somebody gifted us with that old cliche.

All that long and the cliche is still true.

[PzGren]

I had the misfortune of living in dangerous Third World country where shootings, robberies, and kidnappings are part of what is to be expected every day.

I had learnt quickly that my S&W 64 did not have the capacity that was needed against multiple opponents and carried a Glock religiously wherever I went but had an AK with 7.62 HP ammo around the house.

I have seen people soak up half a dozen rounds without being incapacitated and I have seen a man that was dropped with one shot of birdshot at around 20 feet and trust me, he will not give anybody dirty looks again.

So when I read that some dude who hasn't been there is writing about old cliches, I can only smile mildly. Some of those "cliches" from men like the colonel are about mindset, skill and assessment of one's abilities and have become the basis of defensive shooting.

Confidence into one's skills is very comforting when bad situations start developing.

Everybody who signs up to a gun forum is, or course, a naturally born gun fighter and the skill level increases with post count, no range time necessary.

[The Verminator]

A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44 Magnum.

And a hit with a .44 Magnum is better than a miss with a .22.

A broad axe to the forehead is better than a teaspoon to the knee.

A hit with a bicycle is better than a miss with a loaded cement truck.

Being decapitated by a broadsword is a far more serious injury than being poked with a pencil.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Thank you, Mr. Obvious.

[Gunfu_blaster]

The biggest one you can use effectively.

[ChuteTheMall]

Cliches don't endure unless they are usually true.

Everyone's needs are different: some might value availability, others might prefer boutique ammo. Cost might even be a factor, if it limits practice. Recoil might limit practice, and the need for smaller and lighter guns might increase recoil. Old age, arthritis, or hand injuries might make recoil a factor limiting practice, even if premium ammo gets carried often but shot rarely.

Certainly, bigger is better when it comes to terminal ballistics. No argument there.
But there are so many other considerations affecting speed and accuracy.

I shoot 9mm best, thru a G17 or G26, but here in FL we don't wear cover garments.

I carry G42 and/or P32 more often (.380 or .32) so every range session I try to practice with the pocket guns too.
They are not as fast or as accurate in my hands, have less capacity, and less terminal effectiveness. So they are less fun.
But they are far more likely to be carried on my person, and RULE ONE is have a gun even if it's a tired cliche.

If I have time to go back to get my bigger gun, I'll just keep going.

[Red Devil]

Originally Posted by ChuteTheMall

Everyone's needs are different...

Disagree.

For this problem, Everyone's need is the same - to stop the threat ahead of violence.

And, while there is more that one way to skin this cat, the quickest way is generally the best.

Only hits count.
- Better hits count more.
- Bigger hits count more.
- More hits count more.




Red