Buck Snort
Member
I did a web search for "terminal ballistics" and found this information and thought I'd share it with you. Some of it is old hat but deserves repeating.
"Fr. Frog's Rules of Terminal Ballistics
1) There ain't no magic bullets!
2) Only center hits count
3) Make the biggest diameter hole you can to let blood out, air in, and destroy as much stuff as you can with each hit
4) Small bullets may expand, but big bullets never shrink.
5) Make the deepest hole you can to insure that vital organs and nerve centers can be reached and destroyed from all impact angles.
6) "Service" your threat until it is no longer a threat.
7) No small arm can guarantee 100% instant incapacitation of a determined adversary--man or beast.
8) Don't believe manufacturer's claims.
9) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
10) Most gun writers are pathological liars.
As for me, even though there are no guarantees, I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible. I want to reliably cause the most damage possible with every shot. Since bullet expansion can't always be counted on due to intervening material and since Federal, Hornady, Speer, or Winchester don't offer tactical nuclear bullets, I don't like to count on a small bullet hopefully expanding to a bigger diameter. I like to stay with big at the start. Should I ever be lucky to go after dangerous big game I'll use all the gun I can handle. For personal defense I carry a .45 with 200-230 grain expanding bullets of proven design and penetration, but wouldn't feel too under gunned with a stout .40 or a 10 mm ACP. However, the real keys to overall effective terminal ballistics are:
Cultivate a warrior mindset
Invest in competent, thorough initial training and then maintain skills with regular ongoing practice
Acquire a reliable and durable weapon system
Purchase a consistent, robust performing duty load (that feeds reliably in YOUR weapon and that expands when fired from YOUR barrel length) in sufficient quantities for your use and STOP worrying about the nuances of handgun ammunition terminal performance.
...and then there is always the Mozambique drill. But that's another topic.
And remember this fact. While a 9 mm or .40 caliber bullet may or may not expand, it is an undeniable fact that a .45 caliber bullet will never shrink."
"Fr. Frog's Rules of Terminal Ballistics
1) There ain't no magic bullets!
2) Only center hits count
3) Make the biggest diameter hole you can to let blood out, air in, and destroy as much stuff as you can with each hit
4) Small bullets may expand, but big bullets never shrink.
5) Make the deepest hole you can to insure that vital organs and nerve centers can be reached and destroyed from all impact angles.
6) "Service" your threat until it is no longer a threat.
7) No small arm can guarantee 100% instant incapacitation of a determined adversary--man or beast.
8) Don't believe manufacturer's claims.
9) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
10) Most gun writers are pathological liars.
As for me, even though there are no guarantees, I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible. I want to reliably cause the most damage possible with every shot. Since bullet expansion can't always be counted on due to intervening material and since Federal, Hornady, Speer, or Winchester don't offer tactical nuclear bullets, I don't like to count on a small bullet hopefully expanding to a bigger diameter. I like to stay with big at the start. Should I ever be lucky to go after dangerous big game I'll use all the gun I can handle. For personal defense I carry a .45 with 200-230 grain expanding bullets of proven design and penetration, but wouldn't feel too under gunned with a stout .40 or a 10 mm ACP. However, the real keys to overall effective terminal ballistics are:
Cultivate a warrior mindset
Invest in competent, thorough initial training and then maintain skills with regular ongoing practice
Acquire a reliable and durable weapon system
Purchase a consistent, robust performing duty load (that feeds reliably in YOUR weapon and that expands when fired from YOUR barrel length) in sufficient quantities for your use and STOP worrying about the nuances of handgun ammunition terminal performance.
...and then there is always the Mozambique drill. But that's another topic.
And remember this fact. While a 9 mm or .40 caliber bullet may or may not expand, it is an undeniable fact that a .45 caliber bullet will never shrink."
