Whether you carry a pistol on a daily basis or whether you just keep one in the safe you need to load it with something, and a bullet is not just a bullet. If you are picking a load for self defence purposes, hunting or sport you want it to be able to perform in a manner which will give you the best possible performance. Many people choose their carry load based on the velocity printed on the box or what the person in the gun shop recommended and have no idea what their choice of carry load will actually do. Hopefully this will give you some ideas regarding how you want a bullet to perform in a self defence scenario.

First off let me make it clear that I am not an expert in this field and the ideas here do not claim to be original. They are an amalgamation of ideas printed by people far more knowledgeable than I. There is a lot of misinformation and rubbish around about what loads one should use and what these bullets will and won’t do. People like Dr. Gary Roberts and Dr. Martin Fackler are considered by most people in the know to be the foremost experts in this field and it is worthwhile reading as much of their writings as possible to give you an idea of what performance you want.

We also need to understand what a self defence bullet is required to do and how they work. There is no black art or shock wave energy dump magic happening. People stop for three main reasons.

Firstly, psychological, where they decide oh no I have been shot I must stop. This can happen with any caliber with any shot placement and cannot be relied on.

Secondly, by causing dramatic damage to the Central Nervous System i.e. the lower brain and upper spine. This would be the most reliable means of stopping but obviously from a marksmanship point of view presents the most difficult option. It requires hitting a small area on a potentially moving target under extreme stress. Remember a head shot is not necessarily a brain shot. There are numerous cases of bullets failing to penetrate the skull, especially on angled shots. It is preferable to hit the brainstem which is quite well protected.

Thirdly, by causing a dramatic decrease in blood pressure. This is what we are attempting to do with most common points of aim, namely centre of mass or upper chest etc. Ideally we want to cause as much damage to vital organs as possible, thereby reducing blood pressure to a point where the assailant is no longer able to continue action. The bullet does this by contact; the permanent cavity is the hole the bullet leaves in its wake and what it damages on this path. At handgun velocities the temporary cavity, which is the wounding outside the bullets path, cannot be relied upon as most tissue is elastic enough to resist any permanent damage from this. Organs like the liver or kidneys are less elastic and are more likely to suffer permanent damage. Once again this is not something to be relied upon. At rifle velocities temporary cavity is more destructive due to far higher velocities.

So to my mind the following are the most important factors in choosing what to load in your self defence pistol.

1. Reliability

Your first priority is that the load you choose works reliably in your gun. It doesn’t matter how fantastically it performs on target, if it hangs up on your feed ramp and you have a stoppage. Whether you are using a semi-auto pistol, a revolver or even a derringer, shoot as much of the load you are going to carry as you can afford to. It doesn’t matter what brand of pistol you are using or whether your preferred load works in all your friends pistols you must check it in yours. If your gun will only feed ball reliably, either modify it to work reliably with something else, or carry ball in it or learn to work around its shortcomings.

You need to test fire whatever you are going to carry in the gun and not just hand cycle it. I have owned a couple of pistols that would reliably hand cycle some loads but would have stoppages on firing. The number of rounds you test fire is a difficult one. Most US experts recommend at least 200 rounds and some up to 1000 of whatever you plan on using. Unfortunately, financially, that would be ridiculously expensive for most of us here and at times you may not even be able to purchase 200 of any particular load. Try to shoot off at least a full box out of a full magazine in your pistol.

Reliability also means picking the best quality ammunition you can find. The cheap practice ammo you pick up at the local range or gun shop is not going to be manufactured to the same quality standard as the admittedly far more expensive premium ammunition that is available. If you elect to reload your self defence ammunition, ensure that you pay very careful attention to quality control and pay attention to nothing else when assembling the ammunition you are planning to carry.

Lastly, on this point, check every round that you load in your magazine for any nicks and damage around the case mouth, or anything else that could cause a potential stoppage. Ammo that is cycled regularly will start to show signs of wear and tear such as bullet set back and should be replaced immediately. Bullet setback can be extremely dangerous, potentially leading to a case rupturing and possibly a catastrophic malfunction.

2. Penetration

Select a bullet that will reliably penetrate a minimum of 12 inches of properly calibrated ordinance gelatin. Twelve inches of penetration should ensure that the bullet can reach the vitals on an angled shot, or on a shot that must first penetrate an intermediate barrier, which could be something as simple as an arm. There is no point in having a bullet that expands to a huge diameter, but doesn’t penetrate deeply enough to engage the vitals. This causes, for all intents and purposes, a nasty flesh wound.

Not all shootings are directly frontal. You and your assailant could be moving and introducing various degrees of angling into the scenario. Also, as an exercise, adopt your favoured shooting stance in front of a mirror. You will notice that even on a direct frontal shot, there is a good chance any bullet fired would need to penetrate the arms (maybe including bone) first before trying to penetrate through to the vitals. This could have a very negative effect on the performance of many low penetration and/or fragmenting loads. To reliably achieve this level of penetration with most small caliber pistols (9mm short and below), it would require a non expanding round as most of these cartridges will not be able to push an expanded bullet deeply enough.

Photo courtesy of www.brassfetcher.com

When the topic ofpenetration comes, up many people will then comment on over penetration. This can be a concern, especially with ball ammunition in service calibers, but is far less of a concern with most expanding rounds. The argument is that on a direct frontal shot, a bullet that will penetrate 12 inches is capable of exiting the body and posing a danger to bystanders down range. Tests have shown that for an expanded bullet to exit the skin of your back, it has to penetrate the equivalent of 4 inches of gelatin because of the very elastic nature of skin. This will obviously dramatically reduce the down range hazard. Further to that, bullet expansion is not necessarily a given and even the most advanced low penetration hollow point can plug up and fail to expand. Therefore, we as the shooter should be taking other steps to minimize downrange hazard. Don’t just rely on your ammo to do it for you. A shot that misses poses far more down range hazard than one that over penetrates. A shot that under penetrates, and allows the attacker to continue his attack, is far more of a concern. The most famous example of this is the FBI’s famous April 1986 Miami shootout. Early in the fight one of the gunmen took a non survivable shot that did not reach deeply enough into the vitals. After being shot, he was able to kill two FBI agents and wound others before he was eventually shot dead. (As an aside while the Miami shootout was not just an ammunition failure there are many lessons to be learnt from it. It is definitely worth studying)

3. Expansion

The bigger the hole the faster the blood loss or the more likely something vital will be hit. That is the basic idea behind most modern defensive pistol ammunition. An expanding bullet enables a bullet to reach a larger diameter than when it was fired, and the larger the final diameter, the larger the permanent cavity. With modern bullet design, manufacturers have been able to balance reliable expansion with reliable penetration. Some older designs would expand fantastically but then fail to penetrate deeply enough (the silvertip in most calibers was an example of a bullet that did this). Others would fail to expand or expand very little.

Modern designs are also able to expand far more reliably after encountering barriers than previously. Many barriers, such as wood or even heavy clothing, can plug up the hollow point of the bullet and therefore make it unable to expand. Manufacturers have found various ingenious ways to try to reduce the likelihood of this happening. Your car’s windscreen on the other hand does the opposite, flattening, or even fragmenting the bullet and dramatically reducing its ability to penetrate. This is part of the reason that bonded bullets are very popular with many people, me included, as the bullet is more likely to hold together and penetrate sufficiently.

The bullets used in the picture below of the bare gelatin shows the temporary wound cavitation of various calibers. The bullets were all Federal HST's. Photo by Doug Carr www.tacticalforums.com

The bullets used in the picture below of the bare gelatin  shows the temporary wound cavitation of various calibers. The bullets were all Federal HST’s. Photo by Doug Carr www.tacticalforums.com

In Conclusion.

This to my mind is a summary of the important performances one should be looking for in a carry load. This is the hardware side, and while I feel it is important, it is definitely less important than the software side.  The software side is your ability to make the hit and get decent shot placement, your use of tactics, your mindset and your WILL TO WIN. Proper equipment can give you an advantage, and any advantage is worth having.

Remember that handgun bullets don’t do a great job of immediately stopping people, so it’s important to make sure your shot placement is as effective as possible. Be ready to fire as many rounds as it takes to stop them pressing forward with their attack and always have a plan B.

Article by BigT, GunSite SA Forum Member.

Many thanks from the GunSite SA Team for this continbution.

Pictures courtesy of:

www.speer-ammo.com
www.tacticalforums.com
www.brassfetcher.com

Introduction

More and more people consider buying a pistol to carry for self defence or changing what they have already. South Africa’s licensing laws make this a particularly difficult decision because if you make the wrong one it isn’t easy to fix. The question is: what to buy? Some people will recommend the handguns they have, or what they have read or been told. Often very experienced shooters will give you contradictory answers depending on what works for them. Sometimes the guy in the gunshop will recommend what he has in stock. We can’t always blame him as he does have a business to run. What follows are my thoughts and what I consider the most important points. These thoughts are based on what I have observed teaching people of various skill levels, watching shooters while running a public range, as well as observing shooters competing in various sporting events.

Reliability

If it doesn’t work everything else is irrelevant. A self defence pistol needs to work no matter what the conditions. If it’s dirty or if your grip isn’t perfect, it should still function. Far too many people accept a high stoppage rate, thinking that somehow the pistol that doesn’t work on the range will all of a sudden work when they need it most. Do your research and get opinions from as many people who actually shoot their guns as possible. A gun that is fired once a year with fifty rounds does not necessarily constitute a reliable firearm.

Buy quality! You generally get what you pay for (not always) and it is going to be difficult to change if you make a mistake. So choose carefully. I can’t remember how many times I have seen people choose the cheapest handgun they can because it is “just for self defence”. They then tell me that if they were buying to compete then they would spend a little more. Seeing as though it will “just” be used in a life threatening situation they think they don’t need anything better. If my pistol has a stoppage in a match it will only cost me a couple of seconds or a couple of points. In reality, a stoppage could cost me my life.

Once you have bought a quality pistol make sure your example works. Test it thoroughly as every manufacturer makes the occasional lemon. No matter what the brand and how good their reputation is, you need to ensure that your particular pistol works and that it works with the ammunition you will be shooting in it. I have seen problems with numerous brands, even those with the best reputations, and while they are generally relatively easily repairable, you need to find this out on the range.

Preventative maintenance is important. Keep your pistol clean and properly lubricated and replace parts as required. Springs, for example, wear out and need to be replaced periodically for best function. When you clean your pistol, take the time to inspect it and ensure that extractors and firing pins aren’t chipped, etc.

Ergonomics

Does the pistol fit you and your hands? Can you reach the safety, slide stop, magazine release and any other controls, or do you have to shift your grip? Ideally you want the pistol to fit your hand in such a way that there is a straight line from your forearm down the length of the barrel. If you have to take an off centre hold, recoil will be magnified and you will have a more difficult time getting a consistent grip from the holster. Both extremes of grip size can have an effect. Some shooters choose a grip that is too big for them and struggle to reach the controls. Others have a pistol that is too small for them and have a similar problem.

Size and Weight

This is a compromise and you need to decide which is more important to you and work around what you have lost. A service pistol (e.g. Glock 17, Colt 1911, etc) will generally be easier to shoot quickly and accurately than a sub compact (e.g. Glock 26) but the subcompact will be easier to conceal. This accounts for the popularity with many experienced shooters of the compact pistols such as the Glock 19, H&K USP compact, and similar size pistols. These give you a pistol that allows a full three finger grip with a reasonable sight radius and decent capacity, while still being a little easier to conceal than a full size service pistol.

Remember though that concealing any pistol is part of a system which includes gun, holster, belt and dressing around your choice. I personally prefer to go no smaller than the compact size pistol and adjust my concealment system accordingly. If you feel that you can’t hide anything bigger than a sub compact, then it’s better to buy that and carry it than to choose something full size and leave it at home.

Personally if you are buying a pistol I would not buy any of the pocket size pistols / revolvers (e.g. Walther PPK or .38 snub size or smaller), simply because they are generally far more difficult to shoot than even a subcompact pistol.

Caliber and Capacity

Any of the service calibers (i.e. 9x19mm, 40 S&W, 45ACP, etc) will perform about as well as a service pistol can be expected to perform. They are all capable of pushing an expanding bullet with sufficient penetration. They will also perform acceptably through common barriers. The smaller calibers (9mm short and below) will have to be severely compromised either on penetration or expansion.

I would recommend 9×19 (9mm Parabellum) especially for the first time buyer. This caliber offers acceptable terminal performance as well as greater capacity, lower recoil and generally lower costs of ammunition than the others. If you only feel comfortable with a bigger caliber, then get one. However, don’t fall for the gunshop commando BS that ‘a 9×19 is just a 45ACP set on stun’; it is capable of performing as required. I would recommend staying away from calibers such as 357 SIG, 10mm Auto, etc. simply due to the lack of availability and high cost of ammunition. If you have other guns and want one of these for sport, then enjoy. If it is your only gun, you may regret it when struggling to find ammo. I have very rarely been in a gunshop that didn’t have at least some sort of 9×19, .40, or .45 on the shelves. It may not have been the ideal ammunition, but at least it was something.

With regards to capacity, the more the merrier. Yes, you may never need it, but like the old cliché goes: rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. In this country, bad guys normally attack in groups. Couple that with the fact that they may all require multiple rounds to stop their attack and five or six rounds definitely doesn’t seem to be enough. People argue that once the shooting starts their attackers will try to escape. We need to be prepared for the ones who don’t or for the case where you and your family are inadvertently cutting off their escape route.

Spare Parts Availability and Ease of Service

This is probably more of a concern for those of us in SA than our friends in the US. If a part breaks in your gun (and if you shoot it enough, eventually a part will break no matter what brand of wonder pistol you have) will you be able to replace it quickly and easily? Try to have a pistol that is currently in production and that you will be able to find a gunsmith or armourer for. Before you buy, check with gunshops to see if they carry parts for your preferred pistol. You may be able to find spares on the internet, but if you need magazines for your VP70, you are not going to be able to bring them in even if you find any.

Accuracy

For the purposes of this discussion there are two types of accuracy. We will look at the intrinsic accuracy the pistol is capable of and the practical accuracy the shooter can get out of it.

Most quality pistols should be capable of shooting with sufficient accuracy for any self defence requirements. What is important is that the shooter is capable of taking advantage of this mechanical accuracy. If the pistol had sights that are very difficult to see or a trigger that the shooter struggles with, this can be problematic. A prime example of this is the famous .38 snub. Most of these, if locked into a machine rest, should be capable of head shot accuracy out to 25 meters if not beyond. Many shooters struggle to shoot these pistols accurately even as close as 7 meters. Many people find their tiny sights and triggers difficult to manage, so even though the handgun is capable, it is not easy to take advantage of its ability.

Miscellaneous

The gun’s finish shouldn’t be a deal breaker. However, Glock’s Tenifer, H&K’s H.E. or Smith & Wesson’s Melonite will make your life much easier when it comes to maintenance. A pistol that is carried every day will be exposed to sweat and these sort of finishes offer far greater protection than conventional blued steel or even many alloys of stainless steel.

I would also strongly recommend that a pistol chosen for self defence should have a secured firing pin. Most mainstream quality pistols will have a firing pin block designed to make the pistol drop safe. A pistol carried every day will possibly get dropped and knocked around. Many older designs may not contain this device and, if dropped, could potentially fire which is something we should avoid.

Conclusion

The above are just the key points which I believe should be looked at when considering a pistol for self defence. In this country guns are expensive and if you make a decision that you aren’t happy with, you will have a difficult time correcting it. If at all possible, try to shoot an example of the gun you intend buying and do as much research as possible. Gunsite.co.za is a wonderful resource for something like this and you should be able to get feedback from experienced people who can assist in this decision. If possible, try to find people who shoot large round counts through the pistol you are considering and if there aren’t any, there could be a reason for this.

Article by BigT, GunSite SA Forum Member.

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Many thanks from GunSite SA Admin for this continbution.