Failure to Stop

[Doug 29]

Just a thought on previous posts regarding "failure to stop". It seems a lot of people are blaming the caliber, without giving any thought to the bullet selection. For instance, in the .357 Mag. we have many choices. A 125 gr. JHP, a 125 gr. JSP, 125 gr. "Golden Sabre", 158 gr. JHP, 158 gr. JSP, just to name the most common. If your biggest fear is a 6'5", 275 lb. drug-crazed bad guy, then maybe penetration is a must. There's NO magic bullet! Shot placement and bullet selection seem to be the best answer. (Yes, some police agencies dictate the choice!)

 

[Tom Matiska]

Bull's eye. Seems most spirited discussions I've been in are about bullet weight, and ignore that "heavy" construction matters as much as heavy weight when it comes to performance.

I've met a few 44 mag folk's whose experience with lead bullets convinces them they need 300gr elephant bullets for bambi. The only 240gr jacketed 44 mag slug I've ever recovered from bambi was a dead head on shot that penetrated the length of the deer's body and still had enough energy to break the hip. No broadside or front quarter shot with a jacketed bullet in my 44 experience ever stopped in the deer. Construction matters.

Tom