Shots to the head...

[Joseph]

Proposition:
There's a BG in your house, armed, 15 feet away, you practice regularly, your patterns are tight at 10 yards, you know from experience that you can get off a successful head shot. You know you want all of this threat to go away.

Do you take the head shot, or go for COM.

Ethical and legal ramifications?

 

[Jeff Thomas]

If it ever happened, and assuming lethal force is justified, I'd follow my training and do a double tap, COM.

The most logical advice I've received is that we must realize it's not like another day at the range. Our bodies will be reacting to the threat of deadly force, and those nice, tight groups will not likely be the order of the day. I think the ethical and legal ramifications are moot if you don't stop the threat.

IMHO

[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited November 24, 1999).]

 

[Josh]

Naturally being behing cover and after warning him Don't move, drop the weapon, I would double tap COM if I were using a pistol. There is a huge difference in shooting paper then shooting a living, breathing, machine that could take your life and I would dare say that you might just be shaking a "little." Given this, you might even miss (heaven forbid. With a chest shot, you have a better percentage of hitting what you are shooting at because of the bigger area.
I have thought long and hard about this (home invasion) and in MHO that if possible, one should use either a 223 or shotgun. Being hit by one of these will get his attention.

 

[Dad2Jane]

Shoot center mass. The only time a head shot should be attempted - in the situation you outline - is if, for some reason, you are holding a .22. Even then, in that situation, I would double-tap the head, then immediatly follow up with a double-tap to COM.

Of course, this can be avoided by using something bigger than a .22.

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Stand against evil, lest evil have its way...