Quote:
When I reviewed hundreds of shootings every year, I never had .40 fail to stop someone.
That's because those shots were placed properly. If the shot isn't placed right, or lacks the penetration to get deep enough into the vitals, it doesn't matter what caliber it is.
Well, not exactly. 40/45/357 has a tendency to perform well even on limb shots. I had alot of cases where folks were shot in "non-vital" areas with the above calibers. They still hit the dirt and died. I'd see this alot in shots in the upper thigh and pelvis region. The weaker calibers tended to glance off the femur, while the 40/45/357 tended to shatter the femur, the victim hit the dirt, and often bled to death very quickly. The victims also had trouble getting up to return fire or escape because of the shattered bones and accompanying blood loss. The better 9mm loads mimicked 40/45/357, the standard 9mm loads performed poorly. This is not caliber-bashing; I carry 9mm. But 40/45/357 does not require the same shot placement as weaker loads. Shot placement is still king, but its not as critical with .40 the way it is with, say, .380. Just my experience, YMMV.
-David
When I reviewed hundreds of shootings every year, I never had .40 fail to stop someone.
That's because those shots were placed properly. If the shot isn't placed right, or lacks the penetration to get deep enough into the vitals, it doesn't matter what caliber it is.
Well, not exactly. 40/45/357 has a tendency to perform well even on limb shots. I had alot of cases where folks were shot in "non-vital" areas with the above calibers. They still hit the dirt and died. I'd see this alot in shots in the upper thigh and pelvis region. The weaker calibers tended to glance off the femur, while the 40/45/357 tended to shatter the femur, the victim hit the dirt, and often bled to death very quickly. The victims also had trouble getting up to return fire or escape because of the shattered bones and accompanying blood loss. The better 9mm loads mimicked 40/45/357, the standard 9mm loads performed poorly. This is not caliber-bashing; I carry 9mm. But 40/45/357 does not require the same shot placement as weaker loads. Shot placement is still king, but its not as critical with .40 the way it is with, say, .380. Just my experience, YMMV.
-David