Tales From the Morgue..........

[CDR]

Hi Everyone,

I don't mean to be morbid with this header, but one of my favorite places to visit is the Smith and Wesson forums.  I tend to save the more interesting topics for future reference and came across this incredible thread that I had saved a while back.  It began in April '06 and is still going strong.  I believe it is one of the most fascinating things I have ever read regarding handguns, self defense and  defensive ammunition results.  I urge everyone to invest some time reviewing this information from an individual who works in a morgue and averages 8.2 autopsies per day, 365 days per year and was at one time a police officer in Atlanta.  He has experienced things none of us could imagine, nor would ever want to.  However, he draws some very valuable and eye opening conclusions on handguns and the effectiveness of various calibers following his autopsies.  To say his postings and responses to many excellent questions are well written and valid is an understatement.  I think you will see why this is worth your time...............................http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/550103904/m/5471026821/p/1

[wheels]

This is cool...

Michael - there have been lots of test results of bullets hitting fake stuff. But what if we saw more morge reports related to what actually happens when a bullet hits a human?

[CDR]

Agreed wheels........just keep reading.  There is some remarkably valid and fascinating information here from a completely unique perspective that reflects what really occurs when a human being is shot.

[wheels]

Sad to see so many people tring to flame the guy for posting his observations.

9mm vs .45. glock vs xd... Seems like we have nothing else to talk about. Glad Michael B is here to save us by doing reports that are beyond the typical gun stuff. Along with hanging out with the occasional hottie on tv..

This was very educational. I need to practice double tapping with my .9mm. Shooting with one hand and being accurate is a lot harder than it sounds. But I am good at it.

This forum is very cool and I learn a lot - thanks to all..

[CDR]

Glad you found the thread informative.  It's interesting to note that the most effective handgun rounds, with respect to pure man stopping power that didn't require multiple shots, appear to be .45 ACP, .40 S&W and .357 Magnum.  I sense that the .357 Magnum round may be the most effective defensive round overall, but not enough instances occurred in his observations at the morgue in Atlanta to make that final conclusion.  This is simply due to the fact that the automatic pistol accounted for the vast majority of the deaths observed as revolvers are in the minority these days.  But in the instances where the .357 round was observed, more often than not, a single round proved effective.  Having said that, a 12 gauge shotgun remains his preferred home defense weapon, however.

[Sponsor]

[wheels]

I thought it a bit weird how he would say the 9 mm did not do a very good job, but he was looking at a lot of dead people due to the 9 mm. So it obviously works. I think the guy likes to see the .45 brake bones as it did it's deed. I did not catch if he noticed the 9 mm would bounce off a rib or breast bone. He did feel you had to double tap with a 9 mm.

I am still going to carry the 9. Cheap to feed which to me means I will shoot more and have better aim. Hopefully that will pay off in a high stress situation. A .45 that is shot every where except for the intended target will do me no good. Maybe after I practice more and more, I will carry the .45 in the future.

[CDR]

Hi wheels,

I think his point regarding which round did a better job was relative to stopping power with a single shot versus multiple shots.  His point was that in the corpses he observed where 9mm rounds were used, more often then not, a number of repeated hits were required to cause death.  Whereas with the .45 ACP, .40 S&W and .357 Magnum rounds, many of the victims he observed died with a single gun shot.  The more powerful round caused significantly more damage than the 9mm round with respect to bone and tissue destruction.  But like everyone always says, placement is everything and, as you said, if you can practice more with a 9mm and become proficient with that round, I don't think you would be disadvantaged if reliable hits result versus missing four times with a .45.

[Rock44]

hard to argue with a .45 center mass,125 .357's have been quite effective for many years as a stopper,have never been a fan of the 9mm and don't own one.there was a shooting buy the NYC police in which they shot 41 times hitting the man 19 times with 9mm hardball and he was still standing holding a wallet in his hands the cops thought was a gun,he looked like he was 150 lbs. soaking wet.over all I agree with what was said and always believed in that assesment and thats why I carry a .45 and have .45's and .357's in my house as well as a 12 gauge.

[Pathfinder]

Dumb question warning . . .

Does a 9mm HP make any difference in stopping power over the 9mm ball ammo? I can see the 9mm ball going right through someone without transmitting much of its energy, but wouldn't the HP work better at transferring the energy?

BTW, I do have a 9mm, the 56 Chevy of autos, the Browning HP. My primary is a .40 S&W w/HP rounds.

[Rock44]

they have since went to hollow points because of that incident,I shot a high power once and I do admit it was one sweet shooting piece,pointablity,ergonmics was great,I could not miss with that gun.my theory has always been why run them over with a sports car when you can use a kenworth.