Based on some of the comments posted on previous articles, I though the readers might benefit from a discussion regarding terminal ballistics. I was, quite frankly, aghast by the lack of knowledge displayed by some of the self-styled authorities who really have no idea of how much they don’t know but present themselves as experts. The examples go from laughable to downright deadly.
I will only provide two examples to make my case, but if you read these forums, you will find many more. The first one appeared in a comment posted in June, asking what to do with a gas cylinder housing that cracked on a commercial M1 Carbine. I will add… that was a common occurrence on those cheaply made copies.
The comment’s suggested fix was to take it to a muffler shop where they would clamp and “weld it up as good as new.” What doesn’t he understand about metallurgy, besides everything? If you heat metal, you change its hardness. The Carbine operates at 50,000 psi.
That kind of irresponsibility could get someone killed. The other comment came from Bob suggesting bear spray and a baseball bat to defend his family during a home invasion. I guess he doesn’t care very much for his family.
I can’t help myself, so here is one more ridiculous answer self-defense — a derringer loaded with bird shot. Does anyone see the foolishness of that choice? In hopes of averting more foolishness, let’s look at terminal ballistics and how that knowledge should guide our decisions concerning how we choose to defend ourselves.
Background
I suppose, for those of you who don’t know, I should establish my bona fides. I have been shooting and hunting for 66 years. During that time, I have hunted, harvested, taken, and killed damn near everything that walks or crawls the earth, big and small, two legs or four, and on 5 continents. I have made a study of, and practiced, what it requires to kill things instantly and cleanly from near to far and at any angle.
Early on I studied Pondoro Taylor’s Knock Out Factor in which he considered a cartridge’s appropriate specifications i.e., the bullet’s mass, velocity, and diameter to compute its KO factor. For those unfamiliar with John “Pondoro” Taylor, he was a noted big-game hunter and ivory hunter/poacher. During the years he was active, he shot over 1,000 elephants along with a variety of other African game. He is renowned for writing two books about rifles and cartridges for hunting in Africa.
He was born in 1904 in Dublin and died in 1969 in London. Pondoro BTW, means lion in Chinyungwe. It was the name the natives gave to John Taylor when he first began to hunt in Africa on the lower Zambezi in the early part of the 20th century.
I also familiarized myself with the Thompson Lagarde tests that were conducted in 1904 to determine which caliber should be used in American military handguns after the poor performance of the .38 Long Colt during Philippine–American War of 1899–1902. U.S. Army reports were received regarding the .38 bullet’s inability to stop charges of frenzied Moro juramentados in the Moro Rebellion — even at extremely close ranges.
The tests were conducted at the Stock Yards in Chicago, Illinois, using both live cattle and human cadavers to determine the optimum penetration and shot placement. The Board concluded, “…that a bullet, which will have the shock effect and stopping effect at short ranges necessary for a military pistol or revolver, should have a caliber not less than .45. Additionally, we are not acquainted with any bullet fired from a hand weapon that will stop a determined enemy when the projectile traverses soft parts alone.” I hope you paid close attention to the last sentence.
If you are interested in learning more, and don’t want to take my word for it, I recommend Forensic Pathologist Dr. Vincent J.M. Di Maio’s book, Gunshot Wounds as an excellent reference. He takes actual shootings and shares photos, X-rays, and medical reports to provide a clear in-depth understanding of what happens to the body, projectile, and even powder residue on the shooter. It’s fascinating stuff that substantiates my position from a medical point of view.
Shot Placement
I will now add to the discussion what my experience has taught me, so pay close attention. The most important aspect of stopping man or beast — no matter how determined — is shot placement, also referred to as accuracy. The second most important aspect in a one-shot stop is penetration.
Bad guys only become discouraged and realize they made a big mistake when you either destroy one of their vital organs, cause all their blood to leak out, or short circuit their electrical system. Now don’t get me wrong, many other things will kill. However, consider how much urgency you attach to stopping the grizzly that is chewing on you, or the drug-crazed assailant determined to kill you and your family for the fake Rolex watch on her wrist.
Projectiles
So, let’s take these points in the order of importance. First, look at the choice of projectiles. Caliber doesn’t matter in any category, except how it influences your choice of platform and how much energy that platform applies to penetration. Before I go any further, I should probably address the elephant in the room.
In the last 60 years, a tremendous amount of development has gone into the creation of the new wiz-bang super-duper hollow points and expanding bullets for self-defense applications. Well, all that development was about liability not lethality.
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The technology for supreme lethality has been at its zenith since the 1890s. Since the 1950s, engineers had to find a way to get just enough penetration to reach vitals but not so much as to exit, because everyone was concerned about liability. And we bought into it. Let me prove my point.
If you want to stop a lethal attack on your person, by man or beast, it is possible through desanguination. The only way to ensure that happens is with a big exit hole, but to desanguinate takes way too much time. That is why professional hunters like to give dangerous game as much time as circumstances will allow in hopes the client’s poor shooting might be good enough for the beast to bleed out. That, of course, does not work if you must stop a charge.
It’s not a good idea if someone is shooting, stabbing, clubbing, or choking you. Remember the 3 minute rule. Your brain and everything else stops working without oxygen after about 3 minutes. When it’s the beast’s 3 minutes, it’s an eternity. When it’s your 3 minutes, it’s a flash.
Once Again! Bullets that don’t exit don’t encourage the blood to drain fast enough for desanguination to be an effective stopper. So, what kind of projectile guarantees an exit wound? The one they would have you believe is not a good defensive round. The very same one you would use on thick-skinned dangerous game, because it penetrates and gets to the vital organs no matter what. The projectile that leaves an exit hole and blood trail.
Parenthetically, it’s the same projectile the military uses. They use because it exits and creates collateral damage. The militaries want to create damage, and ball ammo does just that — full metal jacket. Hoorah!
There is a better way to stop a violent attack, whether it be by a man or beast. Damaging or destroying the heart is a sure way to stop your foe, but the instant off is only achieved by destroying the electrical system. Now, that requires accuracy to play a big role. However, you still need penetration to get through a less than ideal angle, bone, heavy clothing, body armor, obstacles that might be in the way, or a veritable plethora of unforeseen objects wanting to protect the assailant and deflect your bullet. Remember, you don’t have the luxury of choosing the circumstances of the assault. Therefore, you must always assume a worst-case scenario.
Firearms
Let’s talk a little about the platform. If you are out and about and a concealed carrier, you will most likely have a handgun, and what do we know about handguns? “Their chief asset is their portability not their power.” You might even have something as small as a .32, .380, or .38, because of the personal limitations you may have to successfully operating anything larger.
A full metal jacket will make up for the limited power with increased ability to penetrate making those smaller platforms and calibers viable options. The FMJ eliminates the need for calibers that are difficult for most people to shoot accurately. Remember, the most important aspect of defensive shooting is your ability to shoot accurately. BTW, do yourself a favor, don’t lie to yourself about your ability to shoot accurately and quickly. It will only get you killed.
I am not going to lie to you, shoot the biggest diameter projectile you can — accurately. It will buy you a larger margin of error, and that might make all the difference. Remember the results of the Thompson LaGarde Tests? A 230-grain .45 caliber bullet moving 930 FPS… Sound familiar?
Overpenetration Concerns
I am sure there are many out there reading this, throwing themselves around, waiting for it to end, so they can criticize my lack of concern regarding collateral damage with projectiles that exit the target. Let’s address that. First, a defensive handgun’s caliber is at the outside of its capability and (the bullet) has lost most of its speed by the time it gets through 12 to 18 inches of torso.
The truth, however, is most assailants are muscular and can have more than 24 inches of mass plus clothing. So, any lethality the projectile has left after exiting is minimal. The projectile is very unlikely to maintain enough energy to still be lethal unless it hits an infant or child.
The chances of an infant or child being at the time and place of a defensive shooting is miniscule. So, the only real danger comes from bad shooting that misses everything and sails off into the great beyond. Under those conditions, a hollow point is just as dangerous until it hits something and fragments. Therefore, bad shooting presents a similar liability problem for either type of round.
The smaller the platform and caliber you carry, the more penetration you will require of your projectile to survive a lethal encounter. There is no avoiding that reality, no matter how much you throw yourself around. So, practice and train as much as you can, until you can perform on demand with no warning. I for one rely on perfect shot placement and maximum penetration for my safety and survival.
Final Thoughts
If you still doubt my premise, consider this. The difference in size and ratio of the mass of the animal versus the projectile that felled it. Let’s start with the hippo at 6,000 pounds to the projectile that killed it at 250 grains. If I would have shot the hippo in the leg, he would still be walking around. However, I didn’t.
I placed a good bullet in the right spot, and he died instantly. For that hippo, I needed to hit a spot about 3×5 inches moving in the river at 70 yards. The Cape Buffalo also fell to a precisely placed .375 H&H 300-grain bullet at about 80 yards and was dead before he hit the ground.
The antelope died instantly from 450 yards with a 130-grain bullet. According to that formula, a .22LR should easily terminate a 200-plus pound assailant. It will; if the bullet is constructed to penetrate and the shot is placed perfectly. I rest my case.
Ball ammunition is not what most look for first when choosing a self-defense round. However, the author makes some interesting arguments. What ammunition do you trust for self-defense? Has the author’s arguments made you rethink your choices? Share your answers in the comment section.