tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29640480.post1173093331089966195..comments2024-03-21T18:54:06.548-07:00Comments on Old Enough to Know Better: Morgue Monsters & Jello JunkiesSteve Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12079658447270792228noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29640480.post-72894565561566986432011-02-15T09:18:20.680-08:002011-02-15T09:18:20.680-08:00A snub-nosed .38 Special in your pocket is way bet...A snub-nosed .38 Special in your pocket is way better than Dirty Harry's hand cannon at home in a drawer. If you know you only have five and that the caliber isn't a rhino-stopper, you train accordingly.<br /><br />I qualified as an IPSC shooter (had to, to use the combat range at the club) using a S&W five-shot Chief, which is a .38 Special snubnose revolver. I didn't win the match, but I did manage to score higher than two-thirds of the shooters overall, most of whom were using semi-autos holding twice as many rounds. And on the longest stage, which was fifty yards -- same deal. <br /><br />Sure, the gun matters. But the operator matters more, since most modern handguns will shoot better than most people most of the time ...<br /><br />The worst .38 Special rounds come in around 40%, according to the Marshall-Sanow scale. But the hottest +P stuff is around 80%. (The .357 Magnum is essentially a .38 round with more powder launching it.Steve Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12079658447270792228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29640480.post-54679425569264892382011-02-13T21:43:09.241-08:002011-02-13T21:43:09.241-08:00Back when I carried with any regularity, it was a ...Back when I carried with any regularity, it was a .38 snub nosed revolver. Dunno what the stopping power was, but my only purpose in carrying it was to slow down the bad guys until I could get away. It only had 5 shots -- my general theory was shoot, run -- shoot again if necessary, run some more. And so on.<br /><br />These days I don't carry, and I don't go into those parts of town where I would feel the need. When I get older and don't feel capable of handling random bad guys, I'll probably start carrying again, but I think I'm still a decade or more away from that day. That said, when it happens, it'll probably be a weapon with more rounds -- I can't run like I used to.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29640480.post-11475956405718091142011-02-13T09:00:42.615-08:002011-02-13T09:00:42.615-08:00There's something else about "stopping po...There's something else about "stopping power" that's worth knowing.<br /><br />It's crap. Individuals aren't statistics. Generally, bad guys survive a lot more rounds than cops -- perhaps because cops "play by the rules" and the "rules" say you get shot, you fall down and die. The bad guys are, by definition, cheaters. Cops also have the "stopping power" of their guns pounded into their head, so they believe that getting shot equals getting stopped. Again -- bad guys don't; they know three or four (or more in some neighborhoods) guys who got shot and are just fine, except for some cool scars.<br /><br />Perfect world: A good person, be they cop or legally armed private citizen, assesses the effect of each round fired, and only fires the necessary shots. Reality, as you said, is "OH CRAP!" followed by a series of shots fired, often until the gun goes dry. Perfect world: One shot, center mass, plenty of hydrostatic shock or massive vascular damage and the bad guy goes down. Reality: They keep coming. Sometimes with truly mind-boggling injuries...<br /><br />It's worth knowing and looking over the numbers in selecting a defensive handgun. And if you're a writer and you're featuring gun play -- do enough to know what you're talking about. But don't forget that reality isn't a statistical model.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15393212692342514984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29640480.post-67838881593425038242011-02-12T21:33:57.457-08:002011-02-12T21:33:57.457-08:00A a couple interesting things (to me)I saw in the ...A a couple interesting things (to me)I saw in the numbers....smaller caliber handguns (.22 and .25) used in a lot, a lot more shootings than others and the 9mm had better stopping stats than I thought it would. Maybe all because they are easier to practice with - less kick and cheaper to shoot and the .22 and .25 generally easier to carry/hide.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441344447548078615noreply@blogger.com