some field notes
here is an interesting set of notes I ran across a while back
at least it has contact info if you are so inclined
<snip started here>
RESULTS FROM THE STREET
Snip.....<sorry extraneous junk ads etc if I recall>
The criteria I established were a set of rules that I felt
comfortable with. They are as follows:
Only torso hits were included. I and co-researcher, Ed Sanow, found
that it was unrealistic to include shootings where the victim was hit
in a non vital area and then use that incident as proof of a
particular rounds ineffectiveness.
Multiple hits were also discarded. I just couldn't come up with a way
to equate, for example, how three hits from a .380 ACP could be
compared with two 2 hits from a .357 Magnum.
A stop was defined as the assailant collapsing within 10 feet. If the
perpetrator had been engaged in an assault, he or she would not be
able to strike any more blows or fire any more shots, whether they
struck their intended target or not.
In order to include a shooting in my study, I had to have access to
the officer-involved shooting files, autopsy or medical treatment
reports, police reports, homicide reports and files, press accounts,
and when possible, conversations with emergency room personnel.
Recovered bullets were either personally examined and photographed by
us, or we were provided with photographs of the bullets.
Interestingly enough, there was often little correlation between the
expansion of hollow points and the final result.
Finally, a minimum of ten shootings were required before a load could
be included in this study. Of course, I would like to have a lot
more, but I had to start somewhere, and fortunately in most cases, I
have significantly larger totals than that.
The collection of a data base of appropriate size was a difficult and
time-consuming process for several reasons. First of all, it was self-
financed, and police sergeants with seven children don't have much
discretionary capitol. Second, there was a reluctance to share data
because departments feared they would see themselves identified in
gun magazines as the source of such sensitive material. It took
almost a decade to develop a network of sources who trusted my
discretion. Third, this was just one of many things that occupied my
time including the completion of a masters degree and service as a
scoutmaster.
It finally came into focus with the publication of "Handgun Stopping
Power-The Definitive Study" published in the early 90's. This work
is, in the opinion of many experts, still the most definitive study
of the various stopping power theories, followed by the inclusion of
what is the best way to determine what are appropriate loads to use
for law enforcement/self-defense.
Let's take a look at the most current results from the street in the
handgun caliber's most often used by law enforcement personnel. Feel
free to draw your own conclusions from the data and I will share my
own opinions with you as well. Perhaps we can find a common ground.
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP has been used in law enforcement for years as either a
plain clothes/off-duty pistol or as a second gun. This caliber has
seen a lot of attention from the ammunition manufacturers. There are
some good performers in this caliber.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Federal Hydra Shok 78 55 71
Cor Bon Jacketed Hollow Point (jhp) 23 16 70
Federal jhp 62 43 69
Winchester Silver Tip 85 52 61
Remington jhp 58 33 57
CCI jhp 63 36 57
Federal full metal jacketed 154 79 51
.38 SPECIAL-2" BARREL
For decades the short-barreled .38 Special revolver was the plain
clothes and off-duty weapon of American police. In spite of the
massive inroads made by semiautomatic pistols, these compact
revolvers are still extremely popular in the second gun/off-duty
role.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Winchester 158gr lead hp 119 80 67
Federal 158gr lead hp 144 97 67
Remington 125gr jhp 104 70 67
Remington 158gr lhp 92 62 67
Federal 125gr jhp 111 72 65
CCI 125gr jhp 62 40 65
Winchester 125gr jhp 70 43 61
Federal 125gr Nyclad hp 36 22 61
Fed 158gr semi-wadcutter 204 101 50
Fed 158gr round nose 381 185 49
.38 SPECIAL-4" BARREL
The four-inch barreled, fixed sight .38 Special revolver was the
police duty hand gun for decades. While the .357 Magnum made some
inroads into its popularity, it was the adoption of the Beretta 9mm
pistol by the US military that sounded its death knell. It offers
good performance in a moderate recoil, proven design.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Cor Bon 115gr jhp +P+* 29 24 83
Winchester 110gr jhp +P+ 36 30 83
Winchester 158gr lead hp 375 287 77
Federal 158gr lead hp 249 189 76
Remington 125gr jhp 144 104 72
Federal 125gr jhp 239 171 72
Remington 158gr lead hp 156 109 70
CCI 125gr jhp 79 56 70
Federal 158gr swc 312 163 52
Federal 158gr lead 504 259 51
* NO LONGER MADE
.357 MAGNUM
The .357 Magnum was the first choice for decades by those officers
who were dissatisfied with the performance levels of the
available .38 Special loads. It was also the first choice of many
highway patrol units who were concerned about penetration of motor
vehicles. It has produced the best stopping power results of any
handgun caliber.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Federal 125gr jhp 556 536 96
Remington 125gr jhp 245 231 94
CCI 125gr jhp 169 154 91
Federal 110gr jhp 239 214 90
Remington 110gr jhp 67 59 88
Winchester 125gr jhp 111 97 87
Winchester 145gr Silver Tip 94 81 86
Remington 125gr jhp-mv 29 24 83
Remington 158gr jhp 45 37 82
Federal 158 gr Nyclad hp 49 40 82
Winchester 158gr swc 117 85 73
9mm
The 9mm is a favorite weapon in law enforcement at the present time.
This weapon is easy to fire, accurate, and reliable. Care should be
given to selecting a model which can be handled safely.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Cor Bon 115gr jhp 35 32 91
Federal 115gr jhp +P+ 149 136 91
Winchester 115gr jhp +P+ 139 126 91
Remington 115gr jhp +P+ 74 67 91
Federal 124gr HS +P+ 85 75 88
Federal 124gr Nyclad hp 265 222 84
Winchester 115gr ST 365 299 82
Federal 115gr jhp 263 216 82
Federal 124gr HS 129 106 82
Remington 115gr jhp 221 180 81
CCI 115gr jhp 149 121 80
Cor Bon 147gr jhp 10 8 80
Federal 147gr HS 461 371 79
Federal 147gr jhp 34 27 79
Winchester 147gr jhp 291 216 74
Winchester 115gr fmj 312 201 64
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W has become the premiere law enforcement caliber. It
serves as a bridge caliber, satisfying those who feel more
comfortable with a bigger caliber than the 9mm and more bullets than
the .45 ACP. It has started to produce excellent results and appears
it will be the law enforcement round of the future replacing
the .45ACP.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Federal 155gr Hydra Shok 56 54 96
Cor Bon 155gr jhp 24 23 96
Remington 165gr Golden Sabre 68 64 94
CCI 155gr Gold Dot 39 37 94
Federal 155gr jhp 34 32 94
Cor Bon 150gr jhp 38 34 93
Winchester 155gr Silver Tip 29 26 90
Remington 155gr jhp 25 22 88
Federal 180gr Hydra Shok 58 51 88
PMC 155gr Star Fire 33 29 88
CCI 180gr Gold Dot 45 39 87
Cor Bon 180gr jhp 22 19 86
Remington 180gr GS 48 41 85
PMC 180gr Star Fire 29 24 83
Black Hills 180gr jhp 34 28 82
Federal 180gr jhp 88 72 82
Winchester 180gr jhp 107 88 82
Winchester 180gr Black Talon 69 56 81
Winch. 180gr full metal jacketed 42 30 71
.45 ACP
The .45 Auto, of course, has an extremely large and emotional
following. Unfortunately, much of this loyalty is tied to the alleged
superiority of .45 ACP hard ball. I used to a believer in it too,
until I started to collect actual shooting data and found that while
there are some excellent loads in this caliber, the 230 grain full
metal jacketed offering is not one of them, regardless of bullet
design.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Federal 230gr Hydra Shok 107 102 95
Remington 185gr Golden Sabre 66 62 94
Cor Bon 185gr jhp 12 11 92
Remington 185gr jhp +P 59 54 92
CCI 230gr Gold Dot 32 29 91
Federal 185gr jhp 114 100 88
CCI 200gr jhp 139 123 88
Winchester 185gr Silver Tip 101 84 83
Winchester 230gr Black Talon 67 54 81
Remington 230gr fmj 145 90 62
Winchester 230gr fmj 201 124 62
Federal 230gr fmj 198 123 62
.45 COLT
The .45 Colt has seen only limited use in law enforcement primarily
due to the introduction of large frame revolvers chambered in this
caliber. It had seen use in those departments who allowed their
officers to carry privately-owned, non magnum revolvers.
LOAD TOTAL STOPS %
Federal 225gr lead hollow point 73 57 78
Winchester 225gr Silver Tip 62 45 73
Winchester 255gr round nose lead 72 50 69
Remington 255gr rnl 24 15 63
The recent violent confrontation in Los Angeles brought cries for
more powerful handguns. While I can understand the reason for such
demands, the facts of this case make it clear that handguns chambered
for .45 ACP would have not performed any better against the heavy
armor the two bank holdup men wore. If we examine carefully the best
performers in the most popular semi-automatic pistol calibers, we can
see that they vary by less than 5%. Anyone who thinks that the felon
shot with a load that is producing one shot stops 96% of the time
will collapse significantly faster than the felon shot with a load
that produces one shot stops 91% of the time is in for a severe
disappointment. Gravity can only pull a body to the ground so fast
and no handgun round produces knock down power.
We need to remember that the three most important components of
handgun stopping power are: bullet placement, bullet placement, and
bullet placement. I carry a double action 9mm Beretta because I shoot
it very well. The fact that I'm giving up five and four percentage
points respectively by not carrying a .45 ACP or .40 S&W, has not
caused me to suffer sleep deprivation.
We should remember that if we know we are going into harm's way, we
should be equipped with an appropriate shoulder weapon. Handguns are
last ditch, emergency weapons that are as much a badge of office as
they are for our self-defense. I cannot see the value of giving up
seven rounds of ammunition in my magazine to gain four percentage
points of stopping power. The .45 ACP is an excellent caliber and I
own several hand guns chambered for this round, but after 20+ years
in law enforcement I've found that the 9mm meets my needs.
It should also be pointed out that the majority of ammunition R & D
is and will be focused primarily on the .40 S&W, at least until the
next super caliber comes along. There are a number of ammunition
manufacturers that are producing new loads and bullet designs almost
every day. All of them, of course, claim their load is the ultimate
stopper and while some of them are working rather well, the one that
appears to hold the most potential is the Quik Shok load from Triton
Cartridge. Designed by Tom Burzinski, who gave us Hydra Shok and Star
Fire bullets, it is a pre-stressed bullet that breaks into three
pieces that go their separate ways causing tissue damage over a much
broader area. Pre-production versions of this load worked extremely
well in the controversial Strasbourg Tests. Of course, we'll have to
wait to see how it works in actual use, but it looks extremely
promising.
CONCLUSION
I am hopeful the information I have provided in this short article
will assist you in selecting a handgun in which you have absolute
confidence. In my opinion, it doesn't make much difference whether
you select a 9mm, .40 caliber, a .357 caliber, or a .45 caliber as
long a you use the proper ammunition. Any weapon of these calibers is
adequate for law enforcement use. My advice is to select a weapon
that you can fire most accurately given the different size, weights,
and recoil of each weapon. I think the data I have provided makes
that point very clear. I also urge you to buy a weapon that is safe
to handle in our rough and tumble world and can be stored at home
without any worry about the potential of an unintentional discharge
by a child. Finally, for God's sake, learn how to handle the weapon
safely and shoot accurately. In the final analysis, safety and being
able to shoot the weapon accurately are the two most important
aspects in the selection of a law enforcement handgun.
The National Executive Institute Associates Leadership Bulletin
editor is Edward J. Tully. He served with the FBI as a Special Agent
from 1962 to 1993. He is presently the Executive Director of the
National Executive Institute Associates and the Major City Chiefs.
You can reach him via e-mail at tullye@a... or by writing to 308
Altoona Drive, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401
<end quoted>
hope this helps. I'm not much on stats I tend to say hit early and often with what ever you have handy
says the dude with .32 61gr jhp out of a pocket pistol ;-)
) then if a shooting was 2 quick shots, and gets thrown out, the first shot could have been a oss, but the next one followed too quickly to know. Since shooting until the BG is down makes the most sense it seems the data is culled way too much...including all gunfights and classifying rounds by which ones take the least amount of shots too stop would be better, or the "what the winners use" idea.
