I worked peripherally on both the trial and appeal of a case in which one of these little guns (a Beretta 21a in .22 LR) was used to kill two people. Here are some facts on the episode as set forth in the New Mexico Supreme Court's opinion in State v. Coffin, 1999-NMSC-038, ¶ 8, 128 N.M. 192, 991 P.2d 477:

Doctor Julia Goodin, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies on both Martinezes, testified at trial concerning their gunshot wounds. Chris Martinez, Sr. received two gunshot wounds, one on the left side of the head near the ear, traveling slightly front to back and left to right and lodging at the base of the skull and brain. The second gunshot wound was in the left chest area near the armpit, traveling right to left. Mr. Martinez, Sr. had a blood alcohol level of .269 percent. Chris Martinez, Jr. received four gunshot wounds: one to the left side of the jaw traveling slightly left to right and back to front, exiting through the chin; a second behind the left ear, traveling left to right and back to front, lodging in the base of the skull; a third just below the latter gunshot behind the left ear, with a similar trajectory; and, finally, a fourth in the lower middle of the back, traveling left to right and back to front, hitting the spine. Mr. Martinez, Jr. had a blood alcohol level of .156 percent.

Witnesses reported the Martinez men were behaving aggressively before being shot. Id. at ¶¶ 5, 6. Another witness said both Martinez men dropped to the ground immediately upon being shot. Id. at ¶ 7.



Obviously, some folks will stop when they're shot with anything, anywhere. But to assure a stop with a handgun (based on what I've seen in the cases that I've worked on), a person needs to put a bullet (any size seems to work) into either the brain/spinal cord or the heart/aorta. (Even though heart/aorta shots don't necessarily stop a person from moving around or put him down instantly, I've never yet seen a case where a person shot thusly continued aggressive action - and the heart/aorta shot comes up a lot in these cases.)

Accordingly, my perception and belief is that to effect a stop with a handgun, precise shot placement and adequate penetration are necessary. Bullet diameter is not a necessary, it's gravy. Same with kinetic energy.

The .22 in little guns is not my first choice for defensive use, by any means, though it certainly worked in the Coffin case. I own this 21a and have carried it for defensive purposes a few times - I carry it with 40-grain solids at about 880 fps (I love the Aguila 60-gr SSS rounds for penetration from a longer barrel, but they're just so slow out of my 21a that I have real doubts about their usefulness from this gun). Here's the concern that keeps me from the faster, lighter bullets: from the .22 and .25 killings that I've seen, adequacy of penetration is sort of the iffy bit. Low-mass rounds moving slowly are easily deflected (or even stopped) by all sorts of things. I really prefer a bit more mass in my bullet - and a bit more velocity, too. Because of the fat grip (as you note), the 21a is quite fun to shoot and is decently accurate - I find it to be a bit less accurate than a J-frame for me. It's no tack-driver by any means - my Ruger LCP is notably more accurate.

If one thinks to use one of these for defensive purposes, be one would be wise to sure that he is capable of hitting the vitals accurately (Grey's Anatomy is available online for free study) with adequately penetrative rounds.



Here are some sample velocities from my gun's 2 3/8" pop-up barrel. Range 5950' above sea level, 75% humidity, 69-75° F.

Winchester Super X Super Speed RN 40-gr plated round nose
M 811.3/ES 46.8/SD 20.89

CCI SGB (Small Game Bullet) 40-gr LFP
M 841.2/ES 67.1/SD 22.79

CCI Blazer 40-gr RNL
M 830.1/ES 143.7/SD 51.41

PMC Zapper 40-gr PRNL (red box)
M 797.5/ES 101.2/SD 52.84

PMC Zapper 40-gr PRNL (orange box)
M 847.7/ES 98.76/SD 38.74

CCI Velocitor (new) 40-gr PHP
M 852.2/ES 71.41/SD 28.14

Aguila SSS 60-gr RNL
M 606.0/ES 47.34/SD 21.07

Aguila Super Colibri 20-gr lead truncated cone
M 494.4/ES 19.74/SD 8.18

CCI Stinger 32-gr PHP
M 1004/ES 86.16/SD 38.45

Aguila Interceptor 40-gr PFP
M 931.8/ES 155.2/SD 55.79

CCI Mini-Mag 40-gr PRN
M 879.9/ES 16.60/SD 7.07

Federal Champion bulk 36-gr PHP
M 928.1/ES 105.9/SD 38.96

CCI Mini-Mag 36-gr PHP
M 848.1/ES 71.00/SD 27.87

Aguila .22 Super Extra 40-gr PRN
M 836.1/ES 68.87/SD 29.42




And don't forget about the Beretta 87!