What Is the Best Caliber for Self-Defense?
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
TidalWave
Professional
… the only answer that tops mine.
Kent state 4 died, 9 wounded.
The Night Rider
Professional
Kent State was an object lesson in what happens when you put an unsupervised Second Lieutenant in charge.
For what it's worth after that I posted the above I went looking and the only National Guard Soldier whose name I can find was Sergeant Myron Pryor. Most Witnesses agree that he was the one that fired the first shots.
Other than that I cannot find a single name of any soldier who was present at Kent State
Captain Raymond Srp. 2 names
Last edited:
Old_Me
SAINT
what worried me after he made that statement, was that i remembered that shooting at all.
USMC6094
Custom
I have always been in the carry and shoot what you're comfortable with, and shoot well trane of thought.
When my sister got into shooting, I tried to get her to rent the guns she was interested in possibly owning, especially since she has a recoil sensitivity due to injuries to her strong side wrist and fused vertebrae in her neck.
She shoots a Smith and Wesson M&P 380 EZ, Sig P320 (full size) and an M&P .22, and all very well.
But heavier recoiling handguns are no good for her.
"Best" is subjective, and this article just serves to stir $#!+ up........
When my sister got into shooting, I tried to get her to rent the guns she was interested in possibly owning, especially since she has a recoil sensitivity due to injuries to her strong side wrist and fused vertebrae in her neck.
She shoots a Smith and Wesson M&P 380 EZ, Sig P320 (full size) and an M&P .22, and all very well.
But heavier recoiling handguns are no good for her.
"Best" is subjective, and this article just serves to stir $#!+ up........
X
XD94045
Guest
All of this!
Cedric
Custom
Gonzaga
Talyn
SAINT
Go Zags!
Old_Me
SAINT
oh...never heard of that one...but just over 50 years ago, 53 in fact, was the kent State shootings.....
HansGruber
Ronin
I re-qualified, for the 5th time, for my MN carry permit earlier this year.
Went to a new instructor; it was a larger class, 20+ students, vast majority first timers.
It was, for the most part, a good class…but I really had to hold my tongue when the instructor claimed that the only gun worth carrying was a high-cap 9, and carrying a revolver, or a lesser caliber (his words: “A .22 will only tick off your attacker…”; wanted to raise my hand and ask if he was willing to take a double tap to prove it…).
He has other…strong opinions “Don’t carry anything with a safety/-it’ll only get you killed”. Asked him after class how many gunfights he’d been in to form his opinions; seemed that number was zero. My response—“Duly noted” would have made Alan Rickman proud.
Also said he should acquaint himself with the Ellifritz study, and got a blank look.
Won’t be taking another class from him.
Which is a long, dragged out way of saying:
If you simply have a gun, ant can show that you’re willing to use it, the vast majority of gunfights end without shots fired.
If you do shoot—if you get more than one hit, rapidly, the gunfight will most likely end there.
Oh, and the caliber?
Doesn’t. F’ing. MATTER.
Went to a new instructor; it was a larger class, 20+ students, vast majority first timers.
It was, for the most part, a good class…but I really had to hold my tongue when the instructor claimed that the only gun worth carrying was a high-cap 9, and carrying a revolver, or a lesser caliber (his words: “A .22 will only tick off your attacker…”; wanted to raise my hand and ask if he was willing to take a double tap to prove it…).
He has other…strong opinions “Don’t carry anything with a safety/-it’ll only get you killed”. Asked him after class how many gunfights he’d been in to form his opinions; seemed that number was zero. My response—“Duly noted” would have made Alan Rickman proud.
Also said he should acquaint himself with the Ellifritz study, and got a blank look.
Won’t be taking another class from him.
Which is a long, dragged out way of saying:
If you simply have a gun, ant can show that you’re willing to use it, the vast majority of gunfights end without shots fired.
If you do shoot—if you get more than one hit, rapidly, the gunfight will most likely end there.
Oh, and the caliber?
Doesn’t. F’ing. MATTER.
Hammer67
Professional
Funny - I just posted a link to the Ellefritz study in a similar convo on another forum this morning.
It never ceases to amaze me how much people will cling to a particular middle-of-the-road handgun caliber, and concoct all sorts of rationalizations based on myth for why it's superior to the others, despite there being no real evidence to support it.
wolfpack076
Professional
Shot placement is the most important thing. PERIOD.
HansGruber
Ronin
Believe it or not?
It doesn’t matter as much as we think.
It seems that—for the most part—humans have a strong desire to not have high-velocity holes poked in them, and after having such an event happen, will do whatever it takes to make this stop, even though none of the hots were fatal, or even debilitating.
This is what’s known as a “psychological stop”, and accounts for the vast majority of self defense shooting “neutralizations”.
All hits matter…but we should always strive to make good hits.
Bassbob
Emissary
I'm not really going to wade into this particular "Debate" again, since we have done it here many, many times.
I will say to you just what my main instructor said to me. You are more qualified to teach than the majority of people with the shingles on their doors.
Talyn
SAINT
I imagine you had to hide your flintlock pistol from his prying eyes.
rcurtner
Professional
You got it!!