Man shoots would be burglar in my parents neighborhood (blog link)

[Potatohead]

Hopefully this fella will think twice before breaking into another house.


http://blog.al.com/breaking/2014/04/83-year-old_huntsville_man_sho.html


http://whnt.com/2014/04/10/police-man-shot-during-home-burglary-arrested-at-hospital/


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[zdc1775]

I heard about that. My wife was one of the EMT's (her first day of clinicals) that had to respond.

I hate to say it but all I could think when she told me was he got what he deserved.

 

[ohioshooter]

shot him in the chest and he lived........

 

[PabloJ]

shot him in the chest and he lived........

That is why I use 1oz 12ga tactical slugs (1300fps to 1350fps). After catching one in the chest I'm pretty sure he would not have been able to run away.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Yeah, because 1 oz regular slugs just won't cut it.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by PabloJ: That [(reply to "shot him in the chest and he lived")] is why I use 1oz 12ga tactical slugs (1300fps to 1350fps). After catching one in the chest I'm pretty sure he would not have been able to run away.

I sure wouldn't want to have that statement attributed to me after an ambiguous shooting, next month, next year, or ten years from now.

 

[Telekinesis]

shot him in the chest and he lived........

Yep, handguns suck at causing enough trauma to immediately incapacitate an attacker, especially with just one round. I forgot where I heard it, but I remember hearing that with reasonably prompt medical attention the majority of bullet wounds from handguns are survivable.

On the other hand, this one bullet did exactly what it needed to do because the attacker fled after being shot and didn't continue attacking the home owner. I'll count that as a win.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Telekinesis: Yep, handguns suck at causing enough trauma to immediately incapacitate an attacker, especially with just one round.

Depends upon what that one shot hits, along with the psychological and physiological makeup of the attacker.

One should not rely either on a one shot stop, or for that matter, on immediate incapacitation.

I forgot where I heard it, but I remember hearing that with reasonably prompt medical attention the majority of bullet wounds from handguns are survivable.

That is reportedly true, but it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of handguns for self defense.

 

[Godsgunman]

Good for the home owner and the handgun did its job and stopped the threat. This serves as a good reminder though of the limitations of a handgun round and that follow up shots are important. Thankfully one shot was enough to put some sense in the intruder and sent him fleeing but if he was hell-bent to do harm to the homeowner he definitely still could have.

 

[tarosean]

My wife was one of the EMT's (her first day of clinicals) that had to respond.

She make an educated guess on the caliber?? as these news stories are lacking in information..

 

[Baba Louie]

The sole shot caused an immediate attitude adjustment and the desire to be someplace else right now, so I'd say it worked well no matter the cartridge used.

Potatohead, hopefully your parents are equipped to deal with such unexpected visitors.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Godsgunman: This serves as a good reminder though of the limitations of a handgun round and that follow up shots are important.

As long as the evidence, forensic and other, does not indicate that those "follow up shots" had not been necessary, and that the defender had been able to discern that and act accordingly.

On second thought, were that so, yes, they would prove very important indeed.

 

[Panzerschwein]

This is why I have a .357 magnum for HD.

One shot center mass? DRT!

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Cooldill: This is why I have a .357 magnum for HD.

Personally, I would not fire a .357 Magnum, or any of several other high-decibel rounds, indoors without ear protection. And in general, I would prefer something with less penetration.

One shot center mass? DRT!

"Center mass" is a large target, and how effectively a shot to center mass stops an assailant will depend upon what specific internal parts of the body are hit. That will depend upon where the bullet hits and at what angle; upon penetration; and to much lesser degree, upon the size of the wound channel.

Too much penetration is a useless commodity; unless the attacker is wearing body armor, one shot from a .357 Magnum is unlikely to be any more effective than a shot from a good .38 Special round, a .38 Super Automatic, or a hot 9MM.

Do not confuse the effectiveness of the round with the flash and boom at the muzzle, or the impulse of the recoil in the hand.

And as a matter of fact, if it does prove necessary to shoot more than once, something more easy to control is likely to serve the defender a lot better.

 

[zdc1775]

She make an educated guess on the caliber?? as these news stories are lacking in information..

She said the police told them it was a 45. She doesn't know if that is true or not, but it was either FMJ or a hollow point that didn't expand. Bullet punched through and didn't hit anything too important with exit wound about the same size as the entrance.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I refuse to stray off topic, but do yourself a favor and look up the effectiveness of the .357 magnum for defense. Over penetration is NOT an issue with the 125 grain SJHP rounds specifically designed for defense, and they are devastating.

As to the OP, whatever gun the home owner used did do the job of halting the negative actions of the perp.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Cooldill: ...do yourself a favor and look up the effectiveness of the .357 magnum for defense.

I cannot do that and neither can you. There are no really valid data. Reasons are explained here. Start with Page 13 and then read the whole thing at least once.

We have discussed that many times..

In short, one more time,

...how effectively a shot to center mass stops an assailant will depend upon

what specific internal parts of the body are hit. That will depend upon where the bullet hits and at what angle; upon penetration; and to much lesser degree, upon the size of the wound channel.

... unless the attacker is wearing body armor, one shot from a .357 Magnum is unlikely to be any more effective than a shot from a good .38 Special round, a .38 Super Automatic, or a hot 9MM.

...Do not confuse the effectiveness of the round with the flash and boom at the muzzle, or the impulse of the recoil in the hand.

 

[Potatohead]

Yea, there's been quite a rash of this over in that section, it's kind of an older middle class neighborhood, not bad at all. But yes, he's recently "kitted up". Im really worried though, that he doesnt practice enough to be handling/carrying his firearm everyday like he does .

People on the prowl for drugs and valuables to sell to get drugs-it's way out of control down here.

 

[Potatohead]

I too, am curious of caliber. My mother first told me it was a shotgun...which struck me as a bit odd, that he lived. Who knows where she heard that, also she said he was pulling one of those "can I come in and call 911 I had a wreck" shenanigans. Dont know if the articles I linked went into that or not, I linked the first ones that popped up.

 

[Potatohead]

You guys have my permission to veer off topic...if that kind of thing is up to me. I'd kind of like to see what you guys can hash out about the effectiveness of whichever calibers etc.


This seems to make a lot of sense though:

Too much penetration is a useless commodity; unless the attacker is wearing body armor, one shot from a .357 Magnum is unlikely to be any more effective than a shot from a good .38 Special round, a .38 Super Automatic, or a hot 9MM.

Next time I go to dads, I'll stop and ask the gent about it and post the details (assuming his lawyer will allow him to speak about it). I think anything we could glean could possibly be beneficial. Of course I will make sure it's daylight out, and I dont sneak up on the old fella. Heck, these days, he'll probably get put in the slammer. Trampled all over that victims' rights ya know.

 

[Speedo66]

I too, am curious of caliber. My mother first told me it was a shotgun...which struck me as a bit odd, that he lived.

See, that's only because he didn't use 1 1/8 oz. slugs.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Depends upon what that one shot hits, along with the psychological and physiological makeup of the attacker.

One should not rely either on a one shot stop, or for that matter, on immediate incapacitation.

Right, and we don't really know that the suspect was actually shot in the "chest" per se. Based on news accounts, I have see the "chest" be anywhere from the navel to the shoulder. Additionally, just because he was shot "in the chest" doesn't mean it was a shot that went through the chest. It may have been a fairly minor ancillary wound. His apparent immediate release from the hospital to jail would indicate that it wasn't likely a center of chest heart/lung shot or that any major organ anywhere was hit.

The .357 may be great for defense, but you still gotta hit the key biological structures to do the real damage. Otherwise, it is a loud noisemaker.

 

[hartcreek]

Flintknapper could do a better study then that FBI garbage shooting feral hogs with a .357.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

And that is relevant here how??

 

[Potatohead]

I heard about that. My wife was one of the EMT's (her first day of clinicals) that had to respond.

I hate to say it but all I could think when she told me was he got what he deserved.

That's quite a first day I'd say.