flyandscuba
Master
Pocket pistols abound. In the last 5 years, a plethra of pocket pistols have hit the market in both .380 ACP and 9mm Parabellum. Single stack "common man" IWB pistols are now the current craze -- such as the P938, LC9, Nano, Solo, XDS, etc. Many committed daily CCW wearers have begun to move up from the pocket pistol .380 platform to the larger -- but still comfortable carry -- single stack 9mm Para pistols as an EDC set-up (including yours truly).
We have also seen improvements in self defense ammunition -- especially in effective 9mm projectiles -- during the last decade. We have ballistic gelatin videos and shots fired through everything from layers of denim -- to drywall, auto glass, sheetmetal, ad naseum. As great as these illustrations are, the way a particular bullet/loading is going to perform in an actual shooting into a live human aggressor remains unpredictable. Bullets do strange things when they pass into and through the human body -- sometimes appearing almost as if they are "divinely guided". There is no magic bullet...none.
There are those who prefer small/light/fast/high capacity to those who feel large/heavy/slower/lower capacity fits the bill. For 75 years, the US Military used the .45 ACP as the sidearm of choice on the field of battle. After a couple of decades being saddled with the NATO standard of 9mm Parabellum in a politically driven pistol platform -- elements of the military are returning again to the tried and true Browning 1911 and 45 ACP. We have seen law enforcement agencies switching from the norm of the .38 Special/.357 Magnum wheelguns of the 60s and 70s to the high capacity "9mm is fine" pistols of the 80s and into the 10mm (.40 S&W) wonder cartridge of the 90s -- only to go back into the 9mm in many cases after the turn of the century (while others have embraced the .45 diameter projectile, example is the FHP).
So, is 9mm good enough for those of us who are dedicated daily concealed carry citizens? Well, lets look at the recent "circus" of the George Zimmerman / Trayvon Martin encounter. George Zimmerman was carrying probably the first entry into the slim single-stack belt carry 9mm pistol to hit the market on that fateful night. From what I've read, it was loaded with factory S&B JHP ammunition -- a standard JHP design similar to the Federal Hi-Shok (not Hydra Shok) BP9 loading. It was not a bonded bullet and jacket separation did occur in the wounding.
This single shot was fired at near contact distance (2-4 inches) and passed through a hoodie made of sweatshirt material and an inner t-shirt (barriers). The bullet passed through skin and then the 5th intracostal space (passing between the ribs and NOT driving through bone). Once entering the chest cavity, it passed through the pericardial sac (tough) and passed through the right ventricle of the heart (muscular) and the right lower lobe of the lung, stopping in the right plueral cavity. There was no exit wound. The lead core of the bullet was recovered in the pericardial sac behind the right ventricle. Jacket fragments were found in right pleural cavity behind the right lower lobe of the lung (indicating bullet fragmentation/jacket separation of the non-bonded bullet). Mr. Martin had a lean muscular build on a 71 inch frame weighing 158 pounds. The path of the bullet is consistent with what would be expected from a right-handed shooter firing from a position of semi-retention after drawing the firearm from a holster on the right waist. The lack of excessive external bleeding on the clothing/on the scene and the presence of approximately 2300cc of blood in the chest cavity (a hemothorax consisting of roughly half of the total quantity of blood expected to exist in a 158 pound person, collapsing both lungs) tells me that Mr. Martin bled out into his chest cavity fairly quickly.
Entrace of the bullet was appromimately where you see the #5 diamond in the image below:
What does this indicate to us in terms of ballistic performance of the S&B (standard pressure) JHP non-bonded bullet design? My thoughts are coming from a retired flight paramedic who has treated hundreds of gun shot wound victims -- both in the field and in Level I and II Trauma Centers. However, I am not a physician nor a medical examiner. Dr. Meade or other qualified medical professional will be able to offer a true professional opinion here on the forum -- but here's my "layman's" opinion...
Although the bullet accomplished the intended goal of ending the threat to Mr. Zimmerman's life by stopping the aggression and assault committed by Mr. Martin -- the bullet performed poorly ballistically. Yes, you read that right -- I feel the bullet was a fail.
The "standard" we see in FBI tests is a minimum of 12 inches of penetration into the human body -- after passing through any barriers. Hold a 12 inch ruler up against the side of the chest of a similar sized teenager. I think you will find that the average tall, thin 158 pound teenager will have a chest measured from front to back of less than 12 inches in length, even if held at a slight angle like the path of the bullet in this case. That means that a "successful" bullet performance in FBI testing terms would both enter into, pass through, and exit the subject. In this case, if you were able to measure from the entrance wound (front to back) to the pericardial sac behind the right ventricle (where the bullet core was recovered) -- I believe the measurement would be considerably less than 12 inches (help me out Doc). Given that this bullet was fired from near contact distance, you would think that the bullet would travel the greatest potential distance through the target subject as compared to bullets fired from progressively greater distances within the "typical" self defensive situation (lets say up to 21 feet). So, theoretically -- we should have seen the best penetration possible in this near contact situation for this particular bullet/load combination.
So, from all this evaluation and theorization from this layman -- is 9mm enough from a 3.0-3.5" barrel? I think that it can be. Recognizing again that bullet wounds and bullet performance are very unpredictable when it comes to humans (or game animals) -- I think one needs to choose self defense ammunition carefully. Remember, there is no wonder bullet! I believe the S&B standard velocity 9mm JHP bullet was 115 grains. This projectile is too light for my preferences. In 9mm, I prefer 124 gr or heavier. If your pistol is rated for +P or +P+ ammunition -- and you are able to shoot well and accurately with the added recoil and muzzle rise -- I suggest carrying higher-than-standard-pressure ammunition for self defense as well. I also and sold on the benefits of a bonded bullet for weight retention, penetration, and success in defeating any barriers. Gold Dots and PDX1 bullets are bonded. There are others as well. Visiting manufacturer's websites can usually confirm if a bullet is bonded or not. Do not rely upon the opinion of the pimple-faced clerk at the local big box store -- or the "expert" at the typical gun shop.
I am impressed by the bonded loads (Gold Dot) offered by Underwood Ammunition for 9mm Parabellum. A 124 grain +P+ load is available with an advertised velocity of 1300 fps and 465 ft/lbs. My preference is their 147 grain +P+ load rated at 1175 fps and 451 ft/lbs. I have fired Underwood Ammunition over my own personal Chrony and have found all loadings fired to be within 50 fps of advertised velocities in all calibers I've purchased (unlike Double Tap who is notorious for exaggerating velocities).
The one thing proven in this case is that shot placement is primary. The bullet fired by Mr. Zimmerman hit center mass -- hit the heart (the pump) -- causing the assailant to suffer a mortal wound. Proper shot placement comes from practice. Practice from a variety of distances to the target -- to include near contact distance from a position of weapon retention. Knowing where the bullet will go from a position of retention in a contact/near contact situation is something that can be assured with proper practice. Did Mr. Zimmerman know where his bullet would go -- while dazed and wounded, or was he just lucky? I suspect it all lined up by chance rather than from consistent practice. In some respects he was lucky (the shot ended the threat), but in other respects he was unlucky (the assailant did not survive to either confirm or deny his recollection of the events). Of course, some may feel he was lucky in all respects!
Comments -- opinions?
We have also seen improvements in self defense ammunition -- especially in effective 9mm projectiles -- during the last decade. We have ballistic gelatin videos and shots fired through everything from layers of denim -- to drywall, auto glass, sheetmetal, ad naseum. As great as these illustrations are, the way a particular bullet/loading is going to perform in an actual shooting into a live human aggressor remains unpredictable. Bullets do strange things when they pass into and through the human body -- sometimes appearing almost as if they are "divinely guided". There is no magic bullet...none.
There are those who prefer small/light/fast/high capacity to those who feel large/heavy/slower/lower capacity fits the bill. For 75 years, the US Military used the .45 ACP as the sidearm of choice on the field of battle. After a couple of decades being saddled with the NATO standard of 9mm Parabellum in a politically driven pistol platform -- elements of the military are returning again to the tried and true Browning 1911 and 45 ACP. We have seen law enforcement agencies switching from the norm of the .38 Special/.357 Magnum wheelguns of the 60s and 70s to the high capacity "9mm is fine" pistols of the 80s and into the 10mm (.40 S&W) wonder cartridge of the 90s -- only to go back into the 9mm in many cases after the turn of the century (while others have embraced the .45 diameter projectile, example is the FHP).
So, is 9mm good enough for those of us who are dedicated daily concealed carry citizens? Well, lets look at the recent "circus" of the George Zimmerman / Trayvon Martin encounter. George Zimmerman was carrying probably the first entry into the slim single-stack belt carry 9mm pistol to hit the market on that fateful night. From what I've read, it was loaded with factory S&B JHP ammunition -- a standard JHP design similar to the Federal Hi-Shok (not Hydra Shok) BP9 loading. It was not a bonded bullet and jacket separation did occur in the wounding.
This single shot was fired at near contact distance (2-4 inches) and passed through a hoodie made of sweatshirt material and an inner t-shirt (barriers). The bullet passed through skin and then the 5th intracostal space (passing between the ribs and NOT driving through bone). Once entering the chest cavity, it passed through the pericardial sac (tough) and passed through the right ventricle of the heart (muscular) and the right lower lobe of the lung, stopping in the right plueral cavity. There was no exit wound. The lead core of the bullet was recovered in the pericardial sac behind the right ventricle. Jacket fragments were found in right pleural cavity behind the right lower lobe of the lung (indicating bullet fragmentation/jacket separation of the non-bonded bullet). Mr. Martin had a lean muscular build on a 71 inch frame weighing 158 pounds. The path of the bullet is consistent with what would be expected from a right-handed shooter firing from a position of semi-retention after drawing the firearm from a holster on the right waist. The lack of excessive external bleeding on the clothing/on the scene and the presence of approximately 2300cc of blood in the chest cavity (a hemothorax consisting of roughly half of the total quantity of blood expected to exist in a 158 pound person, collapsing both lungs) tells me that Mr. Martin bled out into his chest cavity fairly quickly.
Entrace of the bullet was appromimately where you see the #5 diamond in the image below:
What does this indicate to us in terms of ballistic performance of the S&B (standard pressure) JHP non-bonded bullet design? My thoughts are coming from a retired flight paramedic who has treated hundreds of gun shot wound victims -- both in the field and in Level I and II Trauma Centers. However, I am not a physician nor a medical examiner. Dr. Meade or other qualified medical professional will be able to offer a true professional opinion here on the forum -- but here's my "layman's" opinion...
Although the bullet accomplished the intended goal of ending the threat to Mr. Zimmerman's life by stopping the aggression and assault committed by Mr. Martin -- the bullet performed poorly ballistically. Yes, you read that right -- I feel the bullet was a fail.
The "standard" we see in FBI tests is a minimum of 12 inches of penetration into the human body -- after passing through any barriers. Hold a 12 inch ruler up against the side of the chest of a similar sized teenager. I think you will find that the average tall, thin 158 pound teenager will have a chest measured from front to back of less than 12 inches in length, even if held at a slight angle like the path of the bullet in this case. That means that a "successful" bullet performance in FBI testing terms would both enter into, pass through, and exit the subject. In this case, if you were able to measure from the entrance wound (front to back) to the pericardial sac behind the right ventricle (where the bullet core was recovered) -- I believe the measurement would be considerably less than 12 inches (help me out Doc). Given that this bullet was fired from near contact distance, you would think that the bullet would travel the greatest potential distance through the target subject as compared to bullets fired from progressively greater distances within the "typical" self defensive situation (lets say up to 21 feet). So, theoretically -- we should have seen the best penetration possible in this near contact situation for this particular bullet/load combination.
So, from all this evaluation and theorization from this layman -- is 9mm enough from a 3.0-3.5" barrel? I think that it can be. Recognizing again that bullet wounds and bullet performance are very unpredictable when it comes to humans (or game animals) -- I think one needs to choose self defense ammunition carefully. Remember, there is no wonder bullet! I believe the S&B standard velocity 9mm JHP bullet was 115 grains. This projectile is too light for my preferences. In 9mm, I prefer 124 gr or heavier. If your pistol is rated for +P or +P+ ammunition -- and you are able to shoot well and accurately with the added recoil and muzzle rise -- I suggest carrying higher-than-standard-pressure ammunition for self defense as well. I also and sold on the benefits of a bonded bullet for weight retention, penetration, and success in defeating any barriers. Gold Dots and PDX1 bullets are bonded. There are others as well. Visiting manufacturer's websites can usually confirm if a bullet is bonded or not. Do not rely upon the opinion of the pimple-faced clerk at the local big box store -- or the "expert" at the typical gun shop.
I am impressed by the bonded loads (Gold Dot) offered by Underwood Ammunition for 9mm Parabellum. A 124 grain +P+ load is available with an advertised velocity of 1300 fps and 465 ft/lbs. My preference is their 147 grain +P+ load rated at 1175 fps and 451 ft/lbs. I have fired Underwood Ammunition over my own personal Chrony and have found all loadings fired to be within 50 fps of advertised velocities in all calibers I've purchased (unlike Double Tap who is notorious for exaggerating velocities).
The one thing proven in this case is that shot placement is primary. The bullet fired by Mr. Zimmerman hit center mass -- hit the heart (the pump) -- causing the assailant to suffer a mortal wound. Proper shot placement comes from practice. Practice from a variety of distances to the target -- to include near contact distance from a position of weapon retention. Knowing where the bullet will go from a position of retention in a contact/near contact situation is something that can be assured with proper practice. Did Mr. Zimmerman know where his bullet would go -- while dazed and wounded, or was he just lucky? I suspect it all lined up by chance rather than from consistent practice. In some respects he was lucky (the shot ended the threat), but in other respects he was unlucky (the assailant did not survive to either confirm or deny his recollection of the events). Of course, some may feel he was lucky in all respects!
Comments -- opinions?
that they take in consideration of an assailant holding a weapon in front of them and the bullet being able to penetrate through the arms and in to center of mass. Like everyone always says, shot placement is key. I personally think you can't go wrong with any of the common s.d. handgun calibers 9mm, .40 and .45, .38 .357, etc..
