Here's my take: A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .45. A Hit with a .45 is better than a hit with a .22. Sounds tounge in cheek (it kinda is), but the point is this: Any gun is better than no gun. A larger caliber, with a properly functioning projectile is better than a smaller caliber with a poorly functioning projectile. Not everyone can handle a .44 magnum, or even a .40 cal--heck a 9mm is on the outside for some. That's where "all the gun you can manage" comes into play.Keith B wrote:Yes, shot placement is very important. A .380 is better than nothing, but I will take that bigger hole (aka more blood loss and diameter to potentially hit a vital organ), better penetration (going through clothes, bone and deeper to hit a vital organ), and the muzzle energy to induce more shock to the body so it may cause the central nervous system to be impacted or cause the BG to feel more impact and surrender.ATXchl81 wrote:Why do people keep spreading this crap? If you look into any of the data, most handgun wounds are survivable. You think you're going to shoot someone with your .45, they're going to go flying back, and drop -- that just doesn't happen. Some handgun calibers give you a little bigger hole and a little more penetrating power, which gives a little more likelihood of hitting a vital. That's it. Placement is still key.A determined guy with a pipe can do a lot of damage and, while no pistol round is a sure thing for an instant stop, the .380 relies more on a psychological stop (the bad guy freaks out that he's been shot) rather than a disabling physical stop than do more powerful rounds.
Food for thought: when you need a gun, you need all the gun you can manage.
EDIT TO ADD: The person you challenged is IMO an expert on such matters.
Also...not many of the BG's we're likely to encounter as armed citizens will keep coming at us if we'ere hailing a wall of .22 at them...but some will. Most will head for a softer target. A few won't. Those few that won't, I may be in deep trouble even with my hollow-point .45, 3 reloads, and a ..38 backup snubby...I can't help thinking that if the first magazine doesn't shut 'em down, the next two may not either...but I'll go down fighting.
See...all these caliber wars and schools of thought are NOT mutually exclusive...in fact, they're quite complimentary!