I'm an advocate of having a weapon, any weapon is better than none. I have a .380 in my pocket as I type and access to either a .40 S&W (15 rounds) or my home defense Pump Shotgun (with rounds specific for in the house and out of the house) dependent of avenue of approach. Now on to a recent shooting involving a good friend of mine and former U.S. Army Ranger.
While traveling to Augusta my friend had a vehicle come up on him at night and tail gate him when safe to do so he changed lanes to allow the faster car passage. Traffic restricted movement and two vehicles were close to each other. The faster driver swerved and forced my friend off the main pavement at highway speeds. Then the faster car pulled very close up next to my friend, slowed down and despite the heavy tinted windows he saw the faster driver pull a 1911 weapon. My friend immediately responded with a single round fired through his window from his full size 9mm loaded with premium self-defense ammo. Here is what he wrote.
"I’m pretty sure I hit him with the first round, but it probably lost so much momentum going through the glass that it was no longer lethal. It probably fragmented, too. It obviously didn’t kill him. It didn’t even incapacitate him because he fired back at me at least 4 times during his hasty retreat. The desired effect was not attained."
"I don’t think the last 3 rounds got through my windshield, either, and I know the copper jackets didn’t. They’re resting on and lodged in my dashboard. The lead cores may have penetrated, but if they did, they certainly weren’t on the trajectory that I sent them on and they were not lethal."
"Thank God gang bangers can’t shoot not even at ranges less than six feet. I’m fine, but shaken. He didn’t even hit my car. The police still haven’t found my assailant and it’s not likely that they will."
My friend informed me he saw the incoming rounds impact on the road. He is selling his 9mm weapons.
I know the 9mm works well on soft targets but even in FMJ it does not penetrate like a larger heavier bullet. It's not an epiphany but simple repeatable fact.
Back in the mid-eighties my dad and I performed some private penetration test on a friends farm on a pickup truck (1970's vintage) destined for the junk yard. A small pocket .22 LR with high velocity solids would not penetrate the outer door. Hyper velocity .22LR HP's would nearly penetrate the door but failed at point blank range. 9mm FMJ would penetrate the outer door pass through the cab, penetrate the outer molding and leave a ding on the inside of the outer door. .45 ACP would pass completely through both doors.
Next we shot through the side of the dog house in order to see if at close range might the 9mm or .45 ACP damage the engine enough to stop it (eventually). The 9mm left shiny marks on engine metal but unless it hit the radiator or distributor it was doubtful it would have much of an effect. The .45 ACP would tear a hole in the valve cover.
Lastly we shot through the tail gate toward the cab of the truck. The 9mm FMJ penetrated through the gate, and nearly passed passing through the bed but failed to enter the cab. The .45 ACP FMJ passed through the gate, bed, cab and left shiny marks on the engine parts.
All these test were performed at close distances no long distances were attempted. I hope this may be useful to those who take it for what it's worth. The bottom line is we all need to know the difference between cover and concealment. The rounds that perform well in the house may have less than anticipated effect on the road or in a car.
Food for thought.
Here are some pics. All the shots are originating from inside the vehicle focused at the attacker. Lastly from the time of the 911 call to police arrival, nearly 30 minutes.
While traveling to Augusta my friend had a vehicle come up on him at night and tail gate him when safe to do so he changed lanes to allow the faster car passage. Traffic restricted movement and two vehicles were close to each other. The faster driver swerved and forced my friend off the main pavement at highway speeds. Then the faster car pulled very close up next to my friend, slowed down and despite the heavy tinted windows he saw the faster driver pull a 1911 weapon. My friend immediately responded with a single round fired through his window from his full size 9mm loaded with premium self-defense ammo. Here is what he wrote.
"I’m pretty sure I hit him with the first round, but it probably lost so much momentum going through the glass that it was no longer lethal. It probably fragmented, too. It obviously didn’t kill him. It didn’t even incapacitate him because he fired back at me at least 4 times during his hasty retreat. The desired effect was not attained."
"I don’t think the last 3 rounds got through my windshield, either, and I know the copper jackets didn’t. They’re resting on and lodged in my dashboard. The lead cores may have penetrated, but if they did, they certainly weren’t on the trajectory that I sent them on and they were not lethal."
"Thank God gang bangers can’t shoot not even at ranges less than six feet. I’m fine, but shaken. He didn’t even hit my car. The police still haven’t found my assailant and it’s not likely that they will."
My friend informed me he saw the incoming rounds impact on the road. He is selling his 9mm weapons.
I know the 9mm works well on soft targets but even in FMJ it does not penetrate like a larger heavier bullet. It's not an epiphany but simple repeatable fact.
Back in the mid-eighties my dad and I performed some private penetration test on a friends farm on a pickup truck (1970's vintage) destined for the junk yard. A small pocket .22 LR with high velocity solids would not penetrate the outer door. Hyper velocity .22LR HP's would nearly penetrate the door but failed at point blank range. 9mm FMJ would penetrate the outer door pass through the cab, penetrate the outer molding and leave a ding on the inside of the outer door. .45 ACP would pass completely through both doors.
Next we shot through the side of the dog house in order to see if at close range might the 9mm or .45 ACP damage the engine enough to stop it (eventually). The 9mm left shiny marks on engine metal but unless it hit the radiator or distributor it was doubtful it would have much of an effect. The .45 ACP would tear a hole in the valve cover.
Lastly we shot through the tail gate toward the cab of the truck. The 9mm FMJ penetrated through the gate, and nearly passed passing through the bed but failed to enter the cab. The .45 ACP FMJ passed through the gate, bed, cab and left shiny marks on the engine parts.
All these test were performed at close distances no long distances were attempted. I hope this may be useful to those who take it for what it's worth. The bottom line is we all need to know the difference between cover and concealment. The rounds that perform well in the house may have less than anticipated effect on the road or in a car.
Food for thought.
Here are some pics. All the shots are originating from inside the vehicle focused at the attacker. Lastly from the time of the 911 call to police arrival, nearly 30 minutes.
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