SHOT PLACEMENT

I thought this month I would touch on a couple of high points from Dr. Maurer’s terminal ballistics lecture.  If you didn’t make it to his lecture you really missed a ton of good information.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend one, I would highly recommend it!

First, for those of you who don’t know him, a little history about Dr. Maurer.  During the first Desert Storm he was a Medical Surgeon assigned to the 82^nd and 101^st Airborne Divisions.  He aided wounded soldiers on both sides so he saw the effects of our weapons as well as theirs.  Currently he is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester’s Medical Center so he continues to see battle wounds, only now they are from our city streets.

It would be impossible for me to cover the whole two-hour lecture here so I will give the crux of the information:

·        Shot placement is paramount.  Nothing is absolute but you must hit a vital area/organ (heart, liver, spine or brain) in order for your shot to have an immediate effect.  Peripheral hits might incapacitate later but seldom do little to stop the fight right then.

·        Most modern handgun calibers will have the desired effect if you use an expanding bullet at the correct velocity (differs per caliber) and hit a vital area/organ.

·        Use the largest caliber handgun that you are proficient with.  In other words, caliber is important but it’s more important to hit a vital area/organ.  Remember, there are a lot of people killed each year by .22’s!

So, to sum it up, carry what you are proficient with; be able to hit your target and use the right ammunition – gee, where have we heard that before?

Sam