jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (04/20/87)
Article: 4:12 The most recent issue of American Handgunner magazine contains an article by a Detroit homicide detective which attempts to answer the long-debated "stopping power" question by using numbers derived from shootings in the Detroit area. In brief, the article provides percentages for the number of single shot torso shootings that caused an immediate cessation of hostile activities broken down by a number of types of bullet. The numbers would indicate that 9mm Parabellum 115 gr. JHP and .45 ACP 185 gr. JHP are roughly equivalent -- about 2/3 of the times that a single shot was delivered to the torso, the person shot immediately ceased hostile activity. (Not necessarily the same thing as dead, and realistically, if you are defending yourself with a firearm, the objective isn't to kill, it's to render your attacker non-dangerous). Unfortunately, there is no data that shows the sample size, and no guar- antee that the number of incidents per bullet type are equivalent. Also, the data covers only torso shots -- I suspect because head shots, while probably more effective one shot stops, are much harder to do. The debate about 9mm vs. .45 ACP has historically been a debate about *military* caliber choice. It's entirely possible that if comparing .45 ACP full metal jacket to 9mm FMJ, there would be a significantly larger diff- erence in effectiveness. Since the military is obliged to use FMJ bullets, relative equivalence between 9mm and .45 ACP JHP is probably not relevant. For the rest of us who can use JHP bullets to defend ourselves, this article appear to put to rest the dispute about 9mm effectiveness. I know that the next time I buy a handgun, I will seriously consider one of the high capacity 9mm handguns instead of a .45 automatic. I don't have the article in front on me at the moment, but at the low end of the data was the Winchester .380 ACP (58% effectiveness), and the one of the hollowpoint .357 Magnum cartridges was the high end (75% effective). Remember: placement is more important than the caliber you shoot. Clayton E. Cramer "I didn't mean to sound so bloodthirsty, but you can't defend yourself with good intentions and Beyond War bumper stickers."