These are my thoughts on the subject. No one need agree. These are based upon being present when some people were shot or shot themselves. Also, these are based upon reading tests of bullets and on talking with those who have survived deadly force encounters. And last, these ideas are from having shot a number of animals with guns from .22 Long Rifle pistols to shotguns and high-power rifles and noting what happened. That does not make my observations "correct" and I do not propose they are. But it is what I base my actions upon at this point in my life.

The two critical things that handgun ammunition must do to be effective in self defense situations are (1) penetration and (2) permanent tissue destruction. In that exact order. The bullet must penetrate deep enough to pass through vital organs and be able to do so from odd angles. Defensive shootings are not static. If someone is standing still they will be quickly out of the fight. The angles of the shots are often less than ideal. For example, a shot from the side through an arm must penetrate at least 10 to 12 inches to pass through the heart. In a larger person it can be several inches more. A bullet fired from the front through the abdomen must penetrate about seven inches in order to reach the major blood vessels in the back of the abdominal cavity in a thin person. Penetration has to be deep enough to reach and pass through vital organs. The permanent cavity produced by the bullet must be large enough for maximum tissue destruction and cause massive internal bleeding.

In order to accomplish this most people use hollowpoint ammunition which helps the bullet expand to a larger diameter in its journey through the target. Expansion is both positive and negative. On the positive side, it increases the diameter of the front of the bullet and that increases the amount of damage the bullet does going through tissue. On the negative side, expansion hinders the penetration. It is like opening a parachute. The bigger it gets the faster it slows down. That can keep the bullet from penetrating to vital organs, especially if the bullet is relatively light for the caliber. Remember that penetration could easily be through several inches of fat, muscle, bone and clothing.

Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The bullet must pass through the large, blood-bearing organs and be a large enough diameter to promote rapid bleeding in order to have a rapid stop.

The choice of which bullet to use should never be based on the bullet having to expand in order to accomplish the desired performance. Bullet selection should be based upon penetration first, and the unexpanded diameter of the bullet second, as that is all we can reliably expect.

Why would I say that?
• The hollow point can be closed or damaged otherwise by hitting bone or other objects and that can keep the bullet from expanding.
• Clothing fibers can wrap the nose of the bullet or fill the cavity and stop expansion. And if the bullet is light for the caliber, it will not penetrate as deeply as a heavier bullet.
• Lower velocity from short barrels can keep bullets from expanding.

It is important to keep in mind that the number one factor is always penetration, whether it expands or not. If the bullet does not reliably penetrate to critical depths it is not an effective bullet. The one shot with it may expire later but be able to keep fighting effectively for some time.

The bullet must pass through the large, blood-bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid bleeding. Penetration less than 12 inches is not enough and not enough penetration can get you killed. No one ever lost a gunfight because their bullet penetrated too much. Some have certainly lost a gunfight because their bullet did not penetrate nearly enough.

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Ele era velho.
Ele era corajoso.
Ele era feio.