Compares several mainstream manufacturers' cartridges by several criteria including a rough lethality index based on a calculator found on Hornady's website. Note that the "H.I.T.S" calculator directions suggest that anything under 500 is fine for shooting animals weighing less than fifty pounds.

I found the table informative. For one thing, it backs up the argument that, as so many have said, shot placement is everything in a defensive situation. And, as I claim, anything over a .357 in caliber is unnecessary recoil and expense. Anything with kinetic energy greater than about 250 at the muzzle will break bones, so less than that is not strong enough, but Dirty Harry's .44 will not make the "punk" any deader than any bullet with a Hornady HITS index greater than about 170, assuming a hit to a vital organ or major artery.

http://virginialegaldefense.com/Stuff/cpr357.pdf

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And, as I claim, anything over a .357 in caliber is unnecessary recoil and expense.

You mean for "social work," right, counselor; you're not talking about brown bear defense here, right? For social work, I agree. Of course, I'd say ".38 Special with proper rounds."

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Originally posted by Erich:

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And, as I claim, anything over a .357 in caliber is unnecessary recoil and expense.

You mean for "social work," right, counselor; you're not talking about brown bear defense here, right? For social work, I agree. Of course, I'd say ".38 Special with proper rounds."

Exactly right. "Social work", eh? I like that, I'm going to steal it and get a lot of mileage out of that one. You must have gotten my brain waves: I was thinking of you in particular when I said, "as so many have said, shot placement is everything in a defensive situation."

I don't go West of the Ohio River, East of the Chesapeake Bay, nor North of the Potomac, and my observations are limited to people who want to defend themselves, their families and their homes against unwelcome advances.

As an aside, I do have some woods in one of the rural sections of W.Va. (by Northern Va. lights, all of W.Va. is rural, but this area is rural by W.Va. standards). So I do have some nonzero probability of meeting a wolf, coyote, black bear, or bobcat, though my expectation is that the majority of those will vanish when I come crashing through the brush (the cougar is reportedly "extirpated"), not to mention feral dogs. And the ones that don't vanish will just stand there looking stupid for a while until they amble off.

Nevertheless, one does wish to be prepared, so I've got a 6" Ruger GP-100 equipped with something from the last three rows on the chart, for walking around out there.

Probably the biggest threat will be from rabid squirrels and bunnies. I'm not sure I could hit one of those, they move so erratically. And, given how common the venomous snakes are, I might ought to carry a J frame with .38 special CCI/Blazer shotshells, too.

I think the reason that cartridges larger than the .357 have shown little if any better shooting results is that the bullets are the wrong weight and design. A properly designed .44 mag. cartridge should work even better than the .357.

I can tell you from a very personal experience that a 12ga Double Barreled shotgun in the shaky hands of a little old lady after midnight looks like a pair of pie plates compared to a .357 Magnum when it is being pointed in your direction. And, I can also tell you that a bigger bore .44 or .45 can have a much greater effect on a suspect when you point it in his direction than a .38/.357 sized hole does!!! And, that's the Facts.

I've also killed a 1500+ pound steer with a single round from a K-22 firing Standard Velocity .22 Long Rifle Ammo so yes Shot placement in my Book is Queen but it needs to be remembered that only Hits count in a gun fight so I believe that Hits are the King!

I do agree with shot placement being the be all and end all in defending oneself. On the other hand, I do agree with KKG's statement in regards to caliber/size of weapon being a factor in intimidation.

I carry an M&P 360 as a CCW yet in my trunk resides a Mossberg 590, six round side saddle and a 25 round bandoleer, all loaded with 00 buckshot and admittedly I've not had to use either weapon but I'm certain the psychological impact of the pistol grip 12 ga and its capabilities would likely deter multiple assailants much quicker than the J frame, especially if said assailants were under the influence of drugs and or alcohol.

With that said, being of sound mind, I personally would not advance anyone brandishing a weapon of any sort, nor would any of the rest of us, but....all of us aren't of sound mind.