Pistol calibers are very poor fight stoppers with a single shot, regardless of caliber. If someone is under the influence of PCP or Meth or something similar, or a re really motivated, you are more than likely going to have to shoot them multiple times to stop them. We have all seen instances of deer and other critters that have taken multiple rounds from high powered rifles and kept going. I remember reading a story in Reader's Digest of an American soldier (WW2 I blieve) who took SEVERAL rounds of 8mm and kept fighting for several more minutes (and then lived). I have seen deer run a couple hundred yards after having their heart nearly obliterated. I remember in the Academy they showed us a video of a guy who was shot 5 times center mass with a 357 mag and kept fighting.
You can delude yourselves with "shot placement" and caliber if you want, shot placement is important, no doubt about it. But you can hit the heart and not always stop your attacker. Your caliber may start with a 4, but I promise you it is no where near as effective as a 30-06, 8mm, or 270, and those dont always stop with one shot either.
If you have a motivated attacker, you better plan on having to land several good hits with your handgun to stop him. You wont always have to, and there are plenty of examples where people haven't had to, but there are also plenty where they have. If you believe you are going to cleanly drop your BG with a single shot, you are ignoring reality. Might make you feel better, but you aren't as prepared as you want to think.
Now, with the knowledge that you may very likely have to shoot an individual multiple times to stop them, consider some of the following scenarios.
- You may have to face more than one attacker. I know some people believe they won't be in this situation, that their situational awareness will keep them out of it. Situational awareness is important, but it isn't perfect. Stuff happens. Ever got lost and taken the wrong exit in a big city? Thats just one of many ways you could wind up in the wrong situation. BG's often like to work together in groups. It gives them an advantage, and they will often do things together they wouldn't do separately. Figure 3-4 BG's and a couple of shots each, and maybe a few shots that aren't effective due to stress/circumstances and you are adding up quickly. Do you really want to be out of ammo when you THINK the fight is over, even if you THINK you won? There may be 1 or 2 more of them close looking for revenge.
- You may face a BG who is wearing armor, or something else that impedes the ballistics of your handgun. You may need multiple shots to defeat his armor, or you may dump several rounds COM before realizing what he has and then having to shoot for the head/pelvis.
- You may face an Active Shooter. There have been several hundred people in this country the last few years who have been in/near this situation, and I expect these episodes will continue to increase. Foreign terrorists activists, domestic terrorists, disgruntled unemployed, wacked out kids, political activists, we have seen all these different types engaging in mass shooting attempts in the last few years. Sure, it is better for you to E&E if you can, but you may not get the opportunity. Or you may have the opportunity to run away yourself, but see the opportunity to save other lives by engaging the BG.
- You may be in a situation where you need to expend rounds to keep your attackers head down as you move to better cover. Yeah I know, suppressive fire is not something generally taken into account when thinking about CCW, and there are plenty of situations where this would not be needed or not be a viable option because of bystanders. There are also plenty of situations where the ability to keep your attackers head down while you move to better cover could save your life.
You may think all of the above are unlikely. They are. So is the chance you will have to use your CCW in any situation. If you carry you have already chosen to insure yourself against a situation you won't have to face in any event. Your odds of needing your CCW at all are low, your odds of needing higher capactiy are even lower still, but they are not as much lower as some of you would like to believe.
Any type of CCW works better than nothing, but to say that your 5 shot revolver is all you will need is lying to yourself and others. If you believe that the added inconvenience of carrying a better gun is not worth it, more power to you, everyone gets to make their own decisions. But to say it is "good enough" is misleading. It may be good enough for the situation you have to confront. It may not be. A more honest approach would be to say that you have prepared yourself to face a single attacker in a limited number of scenarios. By your choice you have decided that if you are confronted with any of the scenarios outlined above, your limited capacity will also limit your chances of winning the fight.
My standard carry on duty is a G20 with 3 loaded magazines. The AR and the Mossy are in the car with me. My standard carry off duty is a G17 with 3 loaded magazines. Usually have a rifle in the truck. Sometimes I am put into situations where I choose not to carry the G17, I may choose my G26 in an ankle holster, or nothing at all. If I am going to be gone from home for a while I will often choose both the G17 and G26.
Does this mean I am assured of surviving an encounter? Nope. Still plenty of ways I could lose, but I have increased my percentages, even if just slightly. I may wind up in a situation where nothing short of a 308 rifle would have done the job, and all I have is my CCW and AR in the truck. I wish I could carry every gun I own around with me, but it is not practical. However, I don't choose to delude myself by thinking 5 shots is all I might ever need.