Yes, it's effective, but that's not the sole factor we're relying on to stop a threat. We want the threat stopped, if the aggressor dies, the aggressor dies. It's irrelevant in relation to threat being stopped.
And here I thought the notion of “stopping power” was dead.
So I should choose a more powerful cartridge not because it can kill any better than another cartridge, but because it is better at “stopping”?
“Stopping the threat” is a phrase that acknowledges the end goal isn’t to kill the assailant but to eliminate his/her ability to do you harm. I fully understand that. That said, putting rounds into someone’s upper thoracic cavity and or cranial ocular cavity if the former proves ineffective is quite likely to result in death. That’s a reality that exists when a firearm is employed and why the use of a firearm is not taken lightly. The goal is to end the fight quickly to reduce the assailant’s chances to harm you and others. Hence shooting at the zones I previously mentioned. Many trainers discuss these as switches versus timers, with some shots resulting in a very quick cessation of violent action (often death) and the others allowing the assailant to keep fighting. Now if the assailant stops before he or she dies then yes, the idea of applying a coup de grace is considered unnecessary and illegal. However, the goal isn’t to poke holes in the assailant until he stops. If pain compliance is your aim, there are less lethal options that exist that are likely more effective in terms of incapacitating pain and aren’t nearly as likely to result in death.
I actually have no problem with the 10mm. If someone wants to carry it I say more power to him/her. The problem seems to be that discussions on 10mm often go to what I consider silly lengths to justify its use. The ballistics alone are justification and the trade offs are what they are and should be acknowledged. But when people start talking about how one cartridge is a “stopping” cartridge, I think we’ve gone a bit far, at least when we’re talking handgun cartridges. We’re back in the days of gun store tropes where a 45 will “knock a man down”. If you want real permanent stretch cavity step it up to a rifle, or damage on a larger scale then bring a shotgun into the equation.
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