“The concept of immediate incapacitation is the only goal of any law enforcement shooting and is the
underlying rationale for decisions regarding weapons, ammunition, calibers and training.”
Studies of “stopping power” are irrelevant because no one has ever been able to define how much
power, force, or kinetic energy, in and of itself, is required to effectively stop a violent and
determined adversary quickly, and even the largest of handgun calibers are not capable of
delivering such force. Handgun stopping power is simply a myth, Studies of so-called “one shot
stops” being used as a tool to define the effectiveness of one handgun cartridge, as opposed to
another, are irrelevant due to the inability to account for psychological influences and due to the
lack of reporting specific shot placement. In short, extensive studies have been done over the years
to “prove” a certain cartridge is better than another by using grossly flawed methodology and or
bias as a precursor to manipulating statistics. In order to have a meaningful understanding of
handgun terminal ballistics, one must only deal with facts that are not in dispute within the medical
community, i.e. medical realities, and those which are also generally accepted within law
enforcement, i.e. tactical realities.
Medical Realiti
Shots to the Central Nervous System (CNS) at the level of the cervical spine’ (neck) or above, are the
only means to reliably cause immediate incapacitation. In this case, any of the calibers commonly
used in law enforcement, regardless of expansion, would suffice for obvious reasons. Other than
shots to the CNS, the most reliable means for affecting rapid incapacitation is by placing shots to
large vital organs thus causing rapid blood loss, Simply stated, shot placement is the most critical
component to achieving either method of incapacitation.
Wounding factors between rifle and handgun projectiles differ greatly due to the dramatic
differences in velocity, which will be discussed in more detail herein. The wounding factors, in
order of importance, are as follows:
A. Penetration
A projectile must penetrate deeply enough into the body to reach the large vital organs, namely
heart, lungs, aorta, vena cava and to a lesser extent liver and spleen, in order to cause rapid blood
loss. It has long been established by expert medical professionals, experienced in evaluating
* Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness: Firearms Training Unit, Ballistic Research Facility, 1989.
