Reply #271: Quick stopping is the goal

[bigbadwolf]

You are correct. Remember, Reagan was shot with a .22 and had a fairly serious wound, but at first he didn't even realize he had been shot.

You should only shoot someone if you *need* to stop them *right now* to protect your life and limb or that of others. "Right now" means, no way getting around it, pretty massive trauma. You need a large, fast moving bullet that will expand and dump energy in the target without penetrating it. This is the subject of endless debate among the gun community, but most would say nothing less than 9mm or .38 with premium personal protection hollow point ammo. You can go up from there, .40, .45, .357, 10 mm, etc.

A shotgun or rifle is effective, but can be very unwieldy or over-penetrative in a home situation.