“…no single ammunition that is typically used by law enforcement officers today can reliably claim to have superior stopping power.” –Sydney Vail MD, FACS

via Stopping Power: Myths, Legends, and Realities – Article – POLICE Magazine.

The truth, from a medical professional who treats gunshot wounds…It burns. At GOTR, if you’ve listened to us for any length of time, you know that we are all firmly in the “nine is fine” crowd. We all own guns in just about every caliber but, we tend to carry 9mm most of the time. “More bullets, more better…” if you prefer. Jason’s agency is among many that “standardized” on .40 cal pistols but, he had the option to choose otherwise and went with a 9mm.

There are so many variables that impact the terminal results of any given bullet on a subject. The only things that work reliably are broken (weight bearing) bones or disruption and catastrophic failure of the cardio, pulmonary, or nervous systems systems. And so, we’ll always recommend that you choose ammunition that has been designed to reliably penetrate deep enough to reach these structures under conditions one might expect to find in a defensive encounter. Shoot the biggest portion of the threat available to you but, the optimal recipe for handguns is hotdogs and hoses (cardio/pulmonary/nervous systems), marshmallows and grapes (the spine).

-GM