Where Does True Stopping Power Come From?

[vox rationis]

Stopping power is anything that stops the aggressor, and that can range from directly disrupting the CNS (brain or spinal cord) like Bill said, to disrupting the cardiovascular system to the point of causing decreased cerebral blood flow and therefore brain ischemia with a resultant collapse and loss of consciousness (this is again disrupting the CNS), or by causing "psychogenic collapse" if you will, where the aggressor, for one reason or another, stops after being molested by force. On the last point, aggressors have been known to stop even when hit by a non life threatening wound, like in the pinkie for example.

I forgot to add that a bigger and faster projectile that gives adequate penetration, all else being equal, is generally thought to achieve the above ends more quickly and efficiently, with psychogenic factors being a wild card obviously.

 

[quinn2187]

there are also a lot of .22 shots that penetrate the skull and kill.

 

[scgunrunner]

The main reason for excluding a "combination" option was to make people pick the one they felt was most important. I understand completely that a .50 cal will ruin your day if it hits your arm, foot, or chest and I also understand a .44 mag or S&W500 to a non-vital area will still probably do the same... but this question was for the regular guy packing the typical carry calibers .38/.357, 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, and so forth.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Shot placement maximizes the useful power of the weapon. If it does not have enough power to penitrate to the vitals nor the destructiveness to damage the organs where the shot was placed, then placement is moot.

You need a combnation of good shot placment and adaquate power. Just what that combination is is what's up for debate.